Nice postcard

[David F]

Hi guys.

This is my first post .

I have bought this postcard due to the nice pickelhaube the man is wearing and i have been told that it is a guard regiment due to the Guarde star on the front but the plume(if that is the right word) is not for a guard regiment.

I have also scanned the back of the postcard but it doesn't really help.

It states that he belonged to the 2nd dragoon guards

Could anyone on here shed some light on this for me?

Many thanks

David F

[David F]

and here is a close up of the helmet.

I bought this postcard purely because he was wearing his EK2nd class.

Edited October 1, 2006 by David F

[David F]

back

Edited October 1, 2006 by David F

[Tony]

Hello David,

Welcome to the forum.

The reverse of the photo states that the photographer has his shop opposite the barracks of the 2nd Dragoon Guards in Bl?cherstr.

Officers and ORs of the 1st and 2nd Dragoon Guards (II Garde Dragoner, Kaiserin Alexandra von Ru?land) wore a white plume on parades according to a book I have called Milit?rische Kopfbedeckung der Kaiserzeit.

The book also states he shouldn't have a rounded peak. Maybe he's from a Foot Guard Regt. and had his photo taken opposite the Dragoon barracks.

Someone with more knowledge on uniforms will be able to tell you.

Tony

Edited October 2, 2006 by Tony

[David F]

Many thanks Tony for the information.

This makes it all a bit clearer now.

I will post up some more of my very small collection of postcards at another time.

Again thanks for the information

David F

[Djedj]

Bonjour David,

Great photo !

Well it is quite certain that your chap belongs to a Guard Regiment ; beside the Star, he is wearing on his colllar the "Litzen" (lace) of the Guards.

Do his shoulder boards bear the Crowned Mongogram of the Empress of Russia ?

The "2. Garde-Dragoner-Regiment Kaiserin Alexandra von Ru?land" were stationned in Berlin, had a light blue uniform with red facings.

The white plume 's replaced the typical Prussian spike for parades indeed (same helmet base though).

By the way, the big button you see on his collar (on the "Litzen") is present on each side of the collar ; they are called "Heraldic Buttons" and are a mark of rank. Your man would be some kind of NCO - I can't exactly say what rank as the marks of rank were a combination of buttons, lace and sword knots. The latter were quite important in the Imperial German Army.

Just for the record, this type of photograph is called a "Cabinet Card" : the hard photographer's plate makes it quite different from a postcard (and nicer to hold !).

The term "Cabinet Card" originates from the fact that those photos where often framed and displayed in, well, Cabinets ; see on the table this example :

They became popular in the 1880s, and are very typical of the 1890-1910 period (though they continued to be produced until after the war, especially in Eastern Europe).

The backplate of your photograph has a very "Art Nouveau" style, typical of the 1910s ; and the Iron Cross tells it all anyway

Welcome to the fabulous world of Photo collecting !

Jerome

Edited October 12, 2006 by Djedj

[David F]

HI Jerome ,

Many thanks for the additional information.

Unfortunatly you cannot see the coller boards that well in the actual picture.

I have just started collecting pictures and postcards from Britain and Germany.

Here is another one of the German pictures that i have.

As you can see he has just been awarded his EK 2nd class and is sharing the moment with his comrades

Here is a close up of the soldier in question

Edited October 12, 2006 by David F

[David F]

And here is a company Photo showing the men enjoying a drink

[David F]

here is a close up of a couple of the men

[joerookery]

David,

The first picture you posted has a gentleman wearing an enlisted guard not mounted helmet. Not a dragoon helmet. The helmet pictured is a private purchase helmet with a correct parade plume normally used for the first and second Battalion of a foot guard Regiment. This article might be of interest about the plumes.

http://www.pickelhauben.net/articles/Parade%20Plumes.htm

Before we draw conclusions from that picture however, it seems that some photographers kept a supply of helmets on hand. So it is difficult to assign his unit based on the helmet alone.

On the picture you have listed as a company photo, most of these are pictures of a Korporalschaft, this was a training group and these pictures were historically taken by a photographer at the end of training. It is instructive to see that there are two photographer backgrounds visible in the photo. So you can see how these guys were posed in front of a selected backdrop by the photographer.

One of the things that come up frequently is the organization at the lowest level and the multitude of group pictures found on German postcards. A German platoon was made 8 Gr?ppen each of eight to 10 men. A group of two Gr?ppen was known as a Korporalschaft. A Korporalschaft was led by an Unteroffiziere. Therefore, a platoon had four Korporalschafts. Once they were in a Kaserne, a group of recruits would live in a big room known as a Stube. Trainees were divided one Korporalschaft for each Stube.

[dwmosher]

David:

As Joe stated, your Prussian guardsman was an infantryman; definately not a dragoon. Unfortunately, the cuffs aren't visible to further identify which Garde Regt. zu Fuss or Garde Grenadier Regiment he belonged to. Not much can be gleened from the "Three Amigos" picture except they were Prussian infantrymen and the central figure with the EK2 is a junior NCO (Sergeant) with the collar lace. I noticed that all three have removed their shoulder boards, so identifying a particular regiment would be difficult. The Husar in the picture is from Husaren-Regt. Nr. 19 (Sachsen) after 1897 (both cockades). The last picture is a group of soldiers from Infanterie-Regt. Nr. 116 (Hessen) based on the Mutze cockades, the shoulderstraps and the cuffs.

Regards

Dave

[David F]

Hi guys,

i have bought this CDV for a few euros and thought you guys might be interested in seeing it.

It shows what i think is an Austrian vet with a nice chest of medals.

here is a close up of the medals

and here is the full postcard

Edited June 5, 2007 by David F

[David F]

and here is another postcard with a nice Shako,but what one is it??

and here is the full picture

whta do you guys think??

[Ulsterman]

NICE CDV!

I think the shako chap is a gendarme, but others will know for certain.

[Guest Rick Research]

The Austrian is a Gefreiter in electrical troops. TWO bravery medals means he was right up front--probably in a telephone wiring unit. Usually that branch got Merit Crosses for more supporting lines of communication service.

I think the Baden shako wearer is a Weimar Republic era policeman. Hard to tell, but the 6 button tunic and piped collar like that don't match anything from pre-1919 that I can think of.

[David F]

Thanks for that info Rick .

I am pretty new to the imperial stuff but i liked the postcard due to the medals on the mans chest.

here is another postcard that arrived today.

it has 1906 stamped in the left hand corner .

Is this the date that it was taken?

Edited June 6, 2007 by David F