Family grouping of strange coincidence

[Paul R]

Thanks for the kind words, Snoopy!

[Guest Rick Research]

I'm not sure what Division the 107th Sanitary Train was attached to, since I don't have Orders of Battle that go down that low. The only "107" units I can find were in the 27th Division-- ex New York National Guard. I don't think that's where he was from.

What state did he enlist from?

(Though that's not fool-proof. No member of my families EVER served in the Yankee Division. )

The "Australia" is a shoulder title for the Australian forces overseas. My SWEDISH great uncle Karl was killed in action with the Australian army in France in October 1918.

Bit of trivia concerning the Red Cross gals--

my tough little Brooklyn stevedore old friend George (who survived the "Lost Battalion") spent his entire time in the army eating Hershey's candy bars because the chow was so bad. He lived to almost 90, so that didn't do him any harm! But--

he HATED the American Red Cross, and was a lifelong friend of the Salvation Army, which also had food and care services overseas.

Why?

Imagine the Brooklyn accent coming from Jimmy Cagney (George was a tough little guy too); " @*&(# Red Cross! They CHARGED for anything they had. The Sallies GAVE us food! Always walked right past the *((@* Red Cross and told 'em to Go To ****" whenever they were set up at a trains station!..."

:cheeky:

[David S]

Paul

That is a remarkable family collection

Thank you for sharing

Rick

I've heard the same regarding the YMCA (You Most likely Cannot Afford) from

veterans a long time ago . . . high into their eighties the bitterness was still

vivid . . . lack of ordinary items, and overcharging (up to 10X) were the

primary complaints

Edited October 19, 2008 by David S

[dblmed]

Great sets of photos / cards / mementos from your Grandfather's experiences in WWI.

The evolution of armor cards is quite fascinating as are the aircraft & barrage balloon sequence.

I imagine that he saw a lot of things that he just didn't want to talk about years later back at home, and these cards are a link to those experiences. Wonderful history and fantastic documentation! Txs, Dave/dblmed

[Paul R]

Thanks for all the kind words. I feel lucky to be the deposit for the family's wealth of militaria. I will be adding some medals, uniforms, a WW1 1911 pistol and an M1 Carbine very soon.

[David S]

a 1911 & a M1 . . . What a treasue find !!!!!

The 107th Sanitary Train was part of the 32nd Infantry Division

Look here for info - http://www.32nd-division.org/history/ww1/32ww1org.html

Edited October 21, 2008 by David S

[Gary B]

Paul,

A very nice family grouping. You were destined to be a medic, despite your time in the Marines!

You should do some sort of shadow box that covers all 3 generations. For example I have a small shadow box with my Army dogtags, my father's WWII dogtags and my grandfather's WWI dogtags.

GaryB

[Naxos]

Just because it is made of steel does not mean that it is "bullet proof".

Paul,

the French Schneider tank in your post was knocked out by one of the close combat guns of the Bavarian NKB 218 on April 16, 1917 near Juvincourt.

see here: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26398&st=0

Hardy

Edited October 20, 2008 by Naxos

[Paul R]

Hardy,

How in the heck did my post card become an exact copy of one of your German photos? My post cards were brought back in 1918 by my great grandfather.

STRANGE?!?! :speechless1:

[Naxos]

Thanks Hardy. Are both images of a Schieder tank?

Paul, the second image is a British tank

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hardy,

How in the heck did my post card become an exact copy of one of your German photos? My post cards were brought back in 1918 by my great grandfather.

STRANGE?!?!

Hi,

back then you did not need a camra... you could order pics from photographers at the front. That way just about every german Vet who was at the battle for Narvik had the same photos in his album.

best

Chris

[Ulsterman]

Hi Paul:

The photo is mine-one I got from eBay as a series from 'ba-re" a German photo seller. He has sold duplicates/fakes in the past and I can no longer bid on his auctions because i gave him negative feedback because of it. He obviously copied the original souvenir photo, clipped the writing at the bottom and 'aged" it.

The feedback I gave him was based upon a freikorps photo of which I own the original (the German writing on the back is impossible to counterfeit by his level of faker), but he has sold a fuzzier version of the same image on eBay three times now that i know of. I got a duplicate for free once from Bill Dienna.

I suspect my portrait of Lt. Dleius, of famous COx 1914 fame, is also a duplicate.

Edited November 30, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Naxos]

The French Schneider tank belonging to Group AS2 was knocked out near Juvincourt on April 16, 1917

The brave crew

Around the tank are the bodies of S/Lt Pierre Debru?res (tank commander), Canonnier Henri Lardic, Canonnier Louis Berg?s and MdL Ren? Offrion.

The two surviving crew members were Sergeant Guesdon (escaped unharmed) and Canonnier Louis Evrard (was evacuated wounded.)

Regards, Hardy

Edited November 29, 2008 by Naxos

[Paul R]

The French Schneider tank belonging to Group AS2 was knocked out near Juvincourt on April 16, 1917

The brave crew

Around the tank are the bodies of S/Lt Pierre Debru?res (tank commander), Canonnier Henri Lardic, Canonnier Louis Berg?s and MdL Ren? Offrion.

The two surviving crew members were Sergeant Guesdon (escaped unharmed) and Canonnier Louis Evrard (was evacuated wounded.)

Regards, Hardy

Thanks for the comments!

So Chris, What you are saying is that these cards were reproduced in the 1000s during the war and sold as souvenirs?

Ulsterman, since these post cards were massed produced, are these WW1 era reprints considered to be reproductions?

Some of the photos I think are originals(glossy finish).

Hardy,

That tank looks like it was taken out by something really big. What type of round do you think hit it?

[Naxos]

Paul,

this tank was knocked out by a 7.7cm gun (Feldkanone 96 n.A.) from the Nahkampfbatterie 218 (Close Combat Battery 218).

After receiving six direct hits, in the front, the tank caught fire and exploded tearing the roof off. Lieutenant Debrueres' tank made it all the way to the third German line near Juvincourt. The gun fired from a hidden emplacement at point blanc distance, less then 300 meters.

Here is a view of the front of Lt. Debrueres tank

Hardy

Edited November 29, 2008 by Naxos

[Paul R]

Paul,

this tank was knocked out by a 7.7cm gun (Feldkanone 96 n.A.) from the Nahkampfbatterie 218 (Close Combat Battery 218).

After receiving six direct hits, in the front, the tank caught fire and exploded tearing the roof off. Lieutenant Debrueres' tank made it all the way to the third German line near Juvincourt. The gun fired from a hidden emplacement at point blanc distance, less then 300 meters.

Here is a view of the front of Lt. Debruerestank

Hardy

What else can you tell us about Debrueres? It sounds like he made it the deepest into German lines...

[Naxos]

What else can you tell us about Debrueres? It sounds like he made it the deepest into German lines...

Paul

Debrueres tank was one of a few that made it that far but to no avail since the French Infantry accompanying the tanks could not keep up - they were bogged down in the first and second German trenches. All the tanks advancing further were taken out by German Artillery and Flamethrower-troops.

Here is the tank and crew before that fatefull day

[Paul R]

That photo is sobering. Were the surviving two seen as heroes? Did they receive a decoration for this event? What medals are the Sergeant on top of the tank wearing?

[Naxos]

double post

Edited November 30, 2008 by Naxos

[Naxos]

That photo is sobering. Were the surviving two seen as heroes?

No, not really.

That day April 16 1917, the first day of the Nivelle Offensive at the Aisne river, the French lost 17 000 men.

The tank assault was a failure, shoddy, unreliable tanks and poor planning. The brave men of the tank detachments lost 33 officers, 28 NCOs and 120 crew as dead wounded and captured. 39 knocked out tanks lay in front of the trenches at Juvincourt and another 20 near Guignicourt.

A few hundred yards were gained. All in all just another day at the Western Front

Edited November 30, 2008 by Naxos

[Naxos]

Hi Paul:

The photo is mine-one I got from eBay as a series from 'ba-re" a German photo seller. He has sold duplicates/fakes in the past and I can no longer bid on his auctions because i gave him negative feedback because of it. He obviously copied the original souvenir photo, clipped the writing at the bottom and 'aged" it.

The feedback I gave him was based upon a freikorps photo of which I own the original (the German writing on the back is impossible to counterfeit by his level of faker), but he has sold a fuzzier version of the same image on eBay three times now that i know of. I got a duplicate for free once from Bill Dienna.

I suspect my portrait of Lt. Dleius, of famous COx 1914 fame, is also a duplicate.

Ulsterman, here is an original photo print of that image from my collection.

(note the sharper rendition and the print number on the back.)

[Ulsterman]

Ah I see.

Mine is perhaps not a"fake" then, (although i suspect it is), but a reprint from a unit photograph (er). I know that specific photos were taken and passed along to others within a unit or in the US army case, by the Signal corps and also unit photographers.

A few years ago I had Thanksgiving dinner with a very old veteran who'd been a photographers' mate in the US Navy in 1942-46. He made duplicates of official photos as well as took many originals and passed them along to other guys for souvenirs. He traded shots of the Surrender for a three day pass.

I can only suppose the same thing happened in 1914-18.

[Paul Harmon]

This document outlines the actions of the hero, LTjg. Arra Kechijian

Thanks so much for supplying the world with this info. Arra Kechijian was my wife's step-father. I spoke with him (prior to his death in 2004) about the newspaper article. He only said that the newspaper article "upset his parents". He did mention how "hot" the landing was. He was a very modest man, as well as a successful businessman after the war. I was lucky to know him.

Thanks again,

Paul Harmon