rhines

I have the line of advance of the unit that acquired the helmet, and the dates in which they were in said places. I don't have a specific place of acquisition, ergo the desire for a Rangliste of the Luftwaffe. If I can find a list of Wette's that were in the LW then I have a starting point. From that starting point I can trace the units in which those Wette's were in, and more importantly the locations of said units at certain dates through unit histories when and where they exist. If and when they do not exist I can at least eliminate incorrect Wette's. That being said, thanks for your help mate, I'll try the phone books. Regards, R.H.

Members, I recently acquired a LW helmet. The last name and first initial of the owner are etched in the helmet, but the owner survived the war and thus is not to be found in the German War Graves Commission database. Can any of you point me in the direction of a Luftwaffe rangliste, or any other document which might help me learn more. Things I know: M42 helmet with LW eagle and the name L. Wette or possibly I. Wette Regards, R.H.

Win some lose some I guess, at least I didn't buy the authentic hj snake oil leather polish next to it...

Actually, have this picture on my phone.

Away from the item currently, but on the opposite side from the hj insignia there is a leather grip which I believe was to prevent wear to the belt strap. Picture to follow.

Back to the original topic though for a second. When did they stop adding the leather pad to the back side of the grip? I have a 1941 hj knife and it has a leather backstrap, but your 1941 hj knife has none, manufacturing difference?

Makes an excellent paper weight if nothing else...

I'm amazed at the amount of dented and battered stuff that people "try" to rescue. Case in point a K98 bayonet sheath that someone tried to rescue.... with a dremmel tool.

Thanks all around guys! Sword was a war prize of my grandfather's, but his memoirs never mention where or how he acquired it, hence the research. He was 1SG of a company of the 450th Engineers (394th div. I believe). Arb that Rangliste is going to be incredibly useful. Thank you again, -R.H.

New to the relic identification game, where might one come across said list?

Any information about any of the markings on the blade? How/ where did you get this information? Is this a Feldjager sword? And with the "Suum Cuique" badge could it be narrowed to a Prussian Feldjager unit?

Contributors, Help me, if you can, identify this officer's sabre. I placed this post in this thread because of the 1892 date inside the guard. If this post needs to be in the Third Reich thread I beg your pardon. Sorry for the flash drowning out some of the letters, I would be more than happy to clarify any unreadable inscriptions. -R.H.

Contributors, Please help me identify this award (assumed award). I know Hellmann was a meteorologist, but what was this award for? Certainly not Hellmann himself as the date is only three years before his death. -R.H.

Jock, I know that there are a couple of HJ knife databases on the web which allow owners to submit the information on their knives for the record, but do you know of any German databases which could be used to track the specific HJ member to whom the knife was issued? -R.H.

To all our German contributors, Is there any database of HJ membership serial numbers? I have a couple of HJ pieces and I was curious. The attached pictures are of a HJ knife (M 7/14 1941), and of a HJ proficiency badge in silver (I believe, the petina could be covering bronze, but i doubt it). Is there any way of tracking to whom these would have been issued? Thanks in advance, -R.H.

Thank you Prussian, that explains it. The map I was using was a British one, and only displayed the Entente army movements for the period 22-24 Aug. It's a shame to think that with a little better means of rapid communication at their disposal Von Bulow and Von Kluck could have exchanged the unit in order to use it more effectively at Mons.

In looking at a map for the 22-24th of August 1914 covering the engagements around Mons I ran across something curious. The map in question shows a German VII Corp on the left flank (German perspective) of an unnamed cavalry division and on the northern side of the Sambre R. The position of this VII Corps is almost directly between the August 23rd positions of Lanrezac's left flank and Haig's right flank. Why can I not find any information on this VII Corps, but more curious to me personally, why did this VII Corps not attempt a crossing of the Sambre, or a flanking attack on Haig's positions? That Von Kluck did not fully understand his opposition at Mons is beyond dispute, but he surely must have known the extent of the British positions by the 23rd, and he had to have some idea of the positions of Lanrezac via Bulow. Would the flanking option provided by the VII Corps (while Haig remained north of the Sambre) not be very appealing? The ultimate question is this, why can I not find any information about the actions of this VII Corps during the battle of Mons? So, if you own Von Kluck's memoirs maybe you can tell me. Regards, R. H.

Well, that's an interesting query. The English, in my opinion, tended to ignore combat fatigue until later in the war. The French army, as we know, suffered heavily from combat fatigue as the war progressed leading ultimately to the mutinies seen later in the war. The Germans could not have suffered any less than the French or the English. I suppose that the point I am attempting to make is that all sides during the Great War had no concept of combat fatigue until its inception, and so all sides had to innovate treatments as the issue became apparent. As doctors are want to do, the medical services of the respective armies attempted to treat the symptoms. This ranged from rest and relaxation to shock therapy in some cases. To say that the Germans had the most "modern" approach is a bit of a stretch, and I think that the nature of shell shock is such that different patients respond differently to different treatments. The last remaining British soldier suffering from incurable shock due to combat fatigue only died quite recently (late 2000's), and even in the face of every modern medical advancement remained incurable until his death. I don't feel that any of the warring parties had an effective treatment for the condition. The Great War was such an indescribably horrific event that the medical knowledge of the time was simply incapable of dealing with the problem at hand. There is an incredible account to be found in the BBC's Great War documentary in which a German soldier who was stuck in a dugout for the entirety of the pre-Somme bombardment claimed that even the rats stuck in his dugout went insane.

I've had exceptional help from the German Federal Archives, and I can only assume that the French Government has an institution which is similar. Google translate is your friend, find the French archives, or more realistically, find the archives of the French military institutes and you will find your answers. Sorry for the meager help, R. H. Hines

Shell shock during the Great War has proved a historically interesting topic. Prior to the War the concept of mental fatigue, or even break down due to combat did not exist. The Great War saw the inception of neurological treatment for traumatic stress disorders. It is interesting to note the difference (at least in military jargon of the time) between "neurasthenia" and "shell shock". If you are looking for another source for first hand information on shell shock, or combat fatigue in general, a particularly interesting author is Will R. Bird. Bird was a Canadian soldier, and his accounts in "Ghosts Have Warm Hands" demonstrate the effects of prolonged combat. Bird speaks openly of hallucinations, but also of the more physical manifestations which presented themselves after combat. In the mentioned work Bird provides an especially interesting, and poignant, account of his first time sniping which left him a little distraught mentally. Some soldiers dealt with the strain better than others, some even revelled in combat. books which deal with combat fatigue, their inception, effects, or lack of effects: Ghosts Have Warm Hands - Will R. Bird (Excellent work in general, but the author demonstrates a number of stress related symptoms and is quite candid in describing them) There's a Devil in the Drum - J. F. Lucy (This work, in my opinion, demonstrates the effects of PROLONGED exposure to combat, and the tone of the author demonstrates the effects of stress over time) Under Fire - Henri Barbusse (Fictio, but written by a veteran) Generals Die in Bed - Charles Yale Harrison (Nominally fiction, but written by a veteran) Copse 125 - Ernst Junger (A quasi philosophical work, but a good example of a soldier coping with combat stress) -R. H. Hines

You may also search for a, Major-General Sir Edward Louis Spears, 1st Baronet, KBE CB MC Spears was the liaison officer between the B.E.F. and the French high command during that time, and he may have written something down. Additionally Spears is featured very prominently in the 1964 BBC documentry on the Great War if that helps.

Perhaps with a more specific query an answer could be found. Are you looking for the order of battle for any particular engagement, or are you looking for the history of the 674th regiment? Here are French sources that I have run across which may be helpful: http://www.sac.asso.fr/regiment/regiment.php http://vinny03.perso.neuf.fr/1418.htm http://www.association14-18.org/index.htm ^ above sources courtesy of "Nemo" over at armcahirgeneral.com here is a link to his post: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18875 Those links should give you the ability to search for specific regiments, depending on your French fluency. There are books in English which may aid you in your search, two which I have purchased recently that deal with the French order of battle in 1914 are: "The Marne, 1914" by Holger H. Herwig, and "They Shall Not Pass" by Ian Sumner.

The first film is interesting as it appears to have focused on one unit/area. The film appears to have been made in 1915 since there are no steel helmets, my French uniform knowledge is not the best, and as it is in black and white I cannot tell if the uniforms are horizon blue or not, but i assume since I did not see any Adrian helmets I can assume it is prior to 1916. Where is the source of this film? It would seem to me that as film making during the period was not what it is today that the videographer would have shot these scenes in close proximity, and if the source can be found then perhaps a unit number may be identified from the parading poilus at ~10:30-45. It would be interesting to research the medal recipient. -R. H. Hines

I own the documentary, not sure where I picked it up, but I've seen it several times. The interviews are interesting, but by nature of the title, limited. The documentary focuses entirely on British, soldiers and battles. A much broader, and better source of first hand accounts from the Great War can be found in the BBC's 1964 Great War documentary, and all 26 parts of said documentary are available on YouTube. I know for a fact that Harry Patch is in both documentaries, and I believe that one more of the "Last Voices" subjects is in the 1964 BBC documentary, but I am unable to recall which. Both the "Last Voices", and the 1964 BBC documentary interview civilians, and in my opinion "Last Voices" contains more interesting subject matter concerning said civilians. As far as research goes "Last Voices" appears to have been a cerialized narrow scope documentary whereas the BBC's Great War documentary is, near as makes no difference, a master's thesis on the Great War as a whole. While it is interesting to view the last interviews of the few (at that time) remaining British veterans the BBC documentary provides numerous additional subjects and a broader treatment of the Great War as a whole. Your topic was a bit vague so I wasn't sure what to post, and I appologize if I seem derogatory, but in short yes I do own it, and yes I would recommend it to others. -R. H. Hines

Oval cap badge from the second world war with red CCCP banner at the top, a red star in the middle with crossed rifle and propeller over the red star and a gas mask below the red star. The right edge of the badge is a wheat imprint, the left edge of the badge is gear teeth. The inscription on the bottom of the badge reads OCOABИAXИM. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated, I will try to get a picture up as soon as possible.