Help with picture!

[Douglas Jr.]

Hi,

I recently bought this nice picture, showing this group of soldiers during what I think it is a "sturmtruppe" conversion training. Note the Luger pistols, smoke grenades and the close combat knives. I really enjoy it!

In the reverse of the postcard there is a lot of writing but I didn't managed to understand it, so I decided to share with you guys in order to obtain more info about this unit and the writing itself.

Thanks in advance,

Douglas

[Naxos]

The card is from: Landsturmmann Eugen Treiber of 9. Kompagnie, Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 122

The card is addressed to: Sch?tze Adolf Sp?hr of Ersatz-Gebirgs-Maschinengewehr Abteilung II

Regards, Hardy

Edited May 6, 2008 by Naxos

[bob lembke]

The card is from: Landsturmmann Eugen Treiber of 9. Kompagnie, Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 122

The card is addressed to: Sch?tze Adolf Sp?hr of Ersatz-Gebirgs-Maschinengewehr Abteilung II

Regards, Hardy

Hi, Hardy and Douglas;

R=I=R 122 was almost certainly the reserve twin of I=R 122. These were (as were I=R 121, I=R 123, I=R 124), units from Wuerttemburg, which generally were very good units. I do not know why they all had P 08s; perhaps they were MG troops or worked with other crew-served weapons. The mailing to a machine-gunner is weak evidence for this; they might have met at a MG course.

Why smoke grenades? The holes in the top of the grenade head? I have never heard of German WW I smoke grenades, which proves nothing, but suggests that if they existed they were not common.

Bob Lembke

[Naxos]

Hi Bob,

I thought that they might be dummy (training) grenades and the holes are there to mark them as such.

I believe that the group is taking part in one of the training courses given by Sturmbataillon 16 in the Alsace during the early spring of 1917.

Hardy

Edited May 6, 2008 by Naxos

[Chip]

Hardy,

You are correct. Those are practice grenades, which of course, means this is a training photo.

Chip

[bob lembke]

So probably the men were issued P 08s for the duration of the training course. All the men in my father's storm unit had an issued P 08, but I don't think that men of an ordinary infantry unit would have, unless they were members of a formal storm unit inside the infantry unit. No one in my father's unit carried a G 98 into combat, I believe; I think that some NCOs carried a slung carbine; it would have been hard to hold a captured position without any rifles in case of a serious counter-attack.

Bob Lembke

[Douglas Jr.]

I would like to thank all of you for your kind replies!

The information provided is very helpful.

Thanks,

Douglas