Show your Imperial officier' shoulderboards

[Guest Rick Research]

Sometimes I suspect I have the ONLY pair of these left in the world--

M1866 boards, worn in the Imperial Navy only 1874-88, for a Marine-Garnisonverwaltungs official

[attachmentid=11978]

The fire gilding done then is as good as when it was made over 125 years ago

[attachmentid=11979]

Given the size of the navy then, I doubt there were more than 40 administrative "Oberleutnants" in this corps then... and how many of THEIR Frock Coat straps have survived? I have never seen another pair like these, ever. Maybe "boring" but certainly RARE!

NOTE 1 October: Glenn tells me these are NOT, in fact, navy, but most likely COLONIAL, and this old fashioned type was worn by these sorts of Beamten until 1906!

[Chip]

Hello all,

My first post on this forum. Glad to see some familiar faces and my favorite subject, namely, German shoulder insignia. I have over 700 pieces, so I had to think a while about what to post first. I really like this one.

Chip

[Chip]

Here are some interesting Faden colors. Anyone care to guess who this board belonged to? Red and yellow darts with green strap underlay.

Chip

Edited September 27, 2005 by Chip

[Deruelle]

Welcome Chip. Very nice shoulderboard.

I want to show you some nice shoulderboards I have just scan.

Leutnant of IR 40

Christophe

[Deruelle]

Saxon Leutnant

[Deruelle]

Flieger boards

[Deruelle]

Another one

Christophe

[Deruelle]

The last flieger board I have

Christophe

[Paul R]

Here is what I have... I really do not know what unit is represented. The tabs were given to me by a member who I need to return the favor to. If you are on this forum, please PM me. I have something I want to give you.

Front

[Paul R]

Here is a shot of the backs of the above insignia...

The waffenfarbe is a purplish color.

[Chip]

Paul,

The Kragenpatten are for a medical officer. The officer's board, at first glance, looks like a post WWI piece. I would have to see a somewhat closer picture of the top to tell you for sure.

Chip

[Paul R]

Thank you Chip.

I will get some more pics of the board! Thanks for the info!

Best regards

Paul

[Guest Rick Research]

Those are early Reichsheer pattern medical officer collar tabs Paul-- they had three sides of red piping, while the Imperial ones had red around all four sides. I have a pair myself.

Chip-- what IS the Generalleutnant board? Field gray, cypher = ? Red V flecks?

This is the ONLY board which I have a photo of IT in wear-- the left shoulder board as char. Oberstleutnant aD of Pour le Merite winner Wilhelm Schniewindt, commander of Reserve Fusilier Regiment 39

[attachmentid=12042]

It is hard to make the "newspaper dots" photo from the RFR 39 WW1 Regimental History pick up enough detail, but that (worn while still an active duty Major) is THIS board-- the Vs and looping are 100%, as is the very barely-sewn in shoulder end. I had always thought that boards like this wthout tongues had simply had the tongues pulled off but, no, they were barely sewn in at all.

[attachmentid=12041]

And here is his baby brother and fellow Pour le Merite winner Rudolf's RIGHT side shoulder board as General der Infanterie "with Uniform of Infantry Regiment 12" 1931-42--

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=2...indpost&p=28001

[Chip]

Officer's boards were attached in several ways. I like the method used on yours, because it did not damage the cording. The small tab was sewn into the shoulder seam. I also have a strap and a picture of it being worn, but it is a lowly enlisted Minenwerfersoldat.

I really like your set (board and photo). A little history can do wonders for an otherwise unremarkable board.

My Hessian general's board is a M15 field dress pattern (subdued cording with double color "Vs"). The rank is too high for him to be the regimental commander. The cypher is that of Inf.-Regt. Kaiser Wilhelm (2.Gro?herzogl.Hess.) Nr.116.

Chip

[Chip]

Rick,

Did you mean Reichswehr, as opposed to Reichsheer? My understanding is that either piping method was used during the imperial period. I'm no expert when it comes to immediate post-war uniforms, but were all of the imperial colored officer's collar tabs continued into this period? I didn't think so. I have pairs officer's tabs from the Garde Foot Artillery Regiment and the Garde Pioneers with piping on three sides. Would these have been made during the postwar times?

Chip

[Guest Rick Research]

Sorry for any confusion the mingling of what were TWO threads may have caused--but seemed better to keep ALL boards together than keep on with two split on the same things.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=2...indpost&p=22094

Red and yellow? My GUESS would be one of the Mecklenburgs, but I can't think of any "3" unit that would match. Pre-1915 infantry corps color green, or J?ger green? Or is this something cavalry?

Here be newbies in the insignia woods!

[Guest Rick Research]

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=2...indpost&p=22287

I guess we'll find out when somebody gets a copy of this

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2573

Dunno about those others. Any photos of Prussian medical officers before 1919 I have seen wearing field tabs have been 4-sided piped, while the Provisional Army 1919-21 ones are only 3. I have no clue when the Imperial type medical/veterinary tabs were phased out...

but hope These And Many More Reichsheer questions are answered by the new book.

[Paul R]

Thank you all for starting this interesting thread and for your help on mt set. I do have one question. What does the purplish waffenfarbe mean... if anything at all?

Best regards

Paul

[dwmosher]

Paul:

As Chip said, both three-sided and totally enclosed piped officer tabs were utilized on imperial tunics. The medical officer Kragenpatten you have would be worn on the M-1915 bluse.

Chip:

Your hessian general leutnant board is most likely from a divisional commander who had served in the 116th previously. As a first shot, the commander of the 25th Division (Hessian) durning the war was lt. Gen. Frhr. v. Luttwiz, but I don't know what his prior service record was. As far as you red/yellow flecked board, I don't have a clue...

Regards

Dave

Here is a page from book 2 of "Feldgrau in Krieg und Frieden" by Otto Weiss dated 1916.

[Paul R]

Thank you, Dave, for the clarification. That looks like an awesome book. Is it the mainstay for WW1 uniform collectors?

Thank you again

PAul

[dwmosher]

Paul

It is a very good reference set, but is limited. There are three semi-softback covered books which cover the "new" 1915 uniform regulations for Prussia and associated smaller states, like Baden and Oldenburg. They do not cover Bavaria, Saxony, Hesse, Wurttemburg and Mecklenburg. The first book covers Friedensuniform and bluse insignia on Mannschaften; the second book covers the same but with officers and beamten; and the third covers insignia. You can sometimes find the first two books, but the third book is very difficult to find.

Regards

Dave

[Paul R]

Thank you for the info Dave!

[Chip]

OK,

Here is a hint on my officer's board. The commander of this unit wore the Baden colors on his boards, but there was only one Baden battalion in this unit.

Chip

Edited September 30, 2005 by Chip

[Guest Rick Research]

Ahhhhh, Skij?gers! Didn't realize anybody that senior served in the battalions that made up the regiment.

[Deruelle]

Hi everybody,

I just want to show you my latest shoulderboard. Rare and interresting, like I have one officer hat from this regiment. I will try to make some photos post them.

Hauptmann of IR Nr. 83.

Regards

Christophe