Does anyone know Karl?

[Chris Boonzaier]

This is Dr Karl Kress...

I guess there is no way to find out anything about him? No further info other than he served 14-18....

Thanks

Chris

[Glenn J]

Chris,

all I can tell you at this time is that Dr. Kress held the rank of a Landsturmpflichtiger Arzt in Stabsarztstelle. This photograph is dated sometime after January 1917 when the specif?c collar insignia was introduced. He survived the war.

Regards

Glenn

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Glenn,

thanks, that is a start. I assume he then served in a Landsturm unit?

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope.* With those insignia-- a WW1 "Sonderf?hrer," as it were, he was a Contract Surgeon.

Ordinarily, even passed MDs who had no prior military rank were stuck with being medical Warrant Officers (Unterarzt, Feldhilfsarzt) which older and well experienced doctors rightly objected to-- when their "equals" by that stage of the war were medical students dragged out of university before their exams.

This sytem of contract "liable for Landsturm service" doctors gave them an "equivalent" rank with ZERO military command authority, but reflecting their medical skills.

* Now, because I am The Amazing Ricky and have delved deep into Much That Was Lost and am Possessor Of The Hidden Rolls Etc Etc--

Dr.med. Karl Kress, practicing physician in Meiningen, received the Saxe-Meiningen War Honor Cross (same dingus as your "Dutch" Feldart Hauptmann) on 2 March 1917 as Liable to Landsturm Service Physician in Medical Captain Position

in Sanit?ts Kompagnie 210, 206. Inf Div.

He did not receive an Ernestine House Order with Swords.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Thank ye very much, the both of you...

I know how much effort it is to hit the books everytime someone has a photo to post and raise my hat to those who seek the info for the masses!!

[Guest Rick Research]

No time. No effort. Not after the mind numbing weeks of full time typing, lurched to the left squinting at Sutterlin scribbles and typing typing typing typing thousands thousands thousands will it never end....

Once it's done it's easy.

Some feeling has returned to my fingers, yes. Tragically, I will never be able to play the piano again

but then I never could.

[Chris Boonzaier]

For Skip...