Naval Infantry...

[Chris Boonzaier]

Does anyone have an idea about the difference between a Marine-Infanterie-Regt and a Matrosen-Regt.

Both are listed as Infantry, but there is no explanation of the difference.

Could the Marine Regt be specially trained infantry men while the Matrosen regt were sailors pushed into an infantry role?

All the best

Chris

[Guest Rick Research]

Basically, yes. More Reserve and Seewehr personnel in the "combed out" Matrosen regiments as well.

[Dave Danner]

Basically, yes. More Reserve and Seewehr personnel in the "combed out" Matrosen regiments as well.

Marine-Infanterie-Regimenter were based on reservists of the See-Bataillonen. Matrosen-Regimenter were based on the Seewehr.

Summarizing from various sources:

Marine-Infanterie-Regimenter:

At the time of the mobilization in August 1914 there were the following active naval infantry units:

• I. See-Bataillon with 4 companies based in Kiel
• II. See-Bataillon with 4 companies based in Wilhelmshaven
• III. Stamm-See-Bataillon with 2 companies based in Cuxhaven
• III. See-Bataillon with 5 companies based in Tsingtau, China
• Ostasiatisches Marine-Detachment in Tientsin (Tianjin) and Peking (Beijing)
• Marine-Infanterie-Detachment in Skutari (Shkod?r).

The III. See-Bataillon and the Ostasiatisches Marine-Detachment were basically stranded. They fell to the Japanese in November 1914. The Skutari-Detachment made its way back to Germany through Austria-Hungary in August 1914.

When the reservists were called up, but couldn't be deployed overseas to their units, I. and II. See-Bataillon and III. Stamm-See-Bataillon were overstrength, and were reorganized into eight battalions. 1. Marine-Infanterie-Regiment was formed in Kiel from the original I. See-Bataillon and the V. and VIII. See-Bataillonen. 2. Marine-Infanterie-Regiment was formed in Wilhelmshavenfrom the original II. See-Bataillon and the IV. and VI. See-Bataillonen. VII. See-Bataillonen, formed by the III. Stamm-See-Bataillon in Cuxhaven, was originally also part of 2. Marine-Infanterie-Regiment, but its companies were soon divided up between the 1. and 2. Matrosen-Artillerie-Regimenter.

3. Marine-Infanterie-Regiment was formed in Flanders at the end of 1914 from VII. See-Battalion (formed again by the III. Stamm-See-Bataillon), the X. See-Bataillon, based on the Skutari-Detachment and complemented with additional reservists, and the IX. See-Bataillon (formed from more reservists). The XI. See-Bataillon was formed in Wilhelmshaven for local security duties, and the XII. See-Bataillon was formed in Wilhelmshaven but divided up among the 1. and 2. Marine-Infanterie-Regimenter

Matrosen-Regimenter:

The Seewehr, the naval equivalent of the Landwehr, was also called up on mobilization. The I. and II. Seewehr-Abteilungen were formed for coastal defense and port security. They were soon tasked for occupation duty in Flanders, but given their age, lack of sufficient infantry training and lack of qualified NCOs, they weren't highly valued. Their officers were mostly reserve and Landwehr officers of the IX. and X. Armeekorps. The Seewehr-Abteilungen were expanded, forming the 1. Matrosen-Regiment in October 1914, and the 2. through 5. Matrosen-Regimenter in November.

From the regimental history of the 4. Matrosen-Regiment:

Die Seewehrabteilungen waren mobilmachungsm??ig vorgesehen als K?stenschutz- und Besatzungstruppen der Kriegsh?fen. Demzufolge bestanden sie aus altgedienten Seewehrleuten I. bezw. II. Aufgebots, meist Familienv?tern im Lebensalter zwischen 40 und 45 Jahren, denen die Umstellung vom Seemann zum Landsoldaten naturgem?? besonders schwer fiel; einige Kompagnien indessen setzten sich aus jungen Menschen im Alter von 20?25 Jahren zusammen, d. h. aus solchen, die schon im Frieden f?r den Dienst bei der Marine ausgehoben, aber noch nicht eingezogen gewesen waren. Diese befanden sich gr??tenteils im III. Bataillon. Es war eine schwierige Aufgabe, die Leute f?r den Felddienst geeignet zu machen, sie kriegsm??ig auszur?sten, an den Infanteriedienst im Sinne des Exerzierreglements und der Felddienstordnung zu gew?hnen, sie ?berhaupt zum Kriege so vorzubereiten, da? sie auch den gr??ten Anforderungen, die ihrer harrten, gewachsen w?ren. Die Begeisterung, mit der F?hrer und Leute in Erwartung ihrer gro?en Aufgabe am Werke waren, und der eiserne Wille zum vollwertigen Dienste am Vaterlande lie?en schlie?lich fast alle Schwierigkeiten ?berwinden und halfen zum Teil die Erfahrung ersetzen, welche den Infanterieregimentern die Ausbildung erleichterte. Begreiflicherweise konnte die Durchbildung der neuen Regimenter nicht in jeder Hinsicht derjenigen einer schon im Frieden jahrelang disziplinierten Infanterietruppe gleichkommen.

Probably the most famous member of the Matrosen-Infanterie was the later General der Fallschirmtruppe and Brilliantentr?ger Bernhard Ramcke. After shipboard service at the beginning of the war, he went to the II. Seewehr-Abteilung and then 2. Matrosen-Regiment in 1915. He soon became part of its Sturmtrupp and in 1918 as an Offizier-Stellvetreter received the Prussian Milit?r-Verdienstkreuz (the so-called "Pour le M?rite f?r Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften").

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

Thanks guys, that clears up a lot of confusion.

Interesting that Ramcke was in the Matrosen regt... from Sailor to soldier to Fallschirmjaeger.