Identify Ribbentrop's Unit

[George Anderson]

Can someone out there tell me what unit Joachim Ribbentrop was in during the First War? The information I have found in on-line biographies is obviously not correct. Thanks.

[Guest Rick Research]

From his 1935 "Wer Ist's?" entry, he returned to Germany and joined Hussar Regiment 12 in September 1914.

He was appointed Leutnant in that regiment without permanent seniority (ernannt rather than patentiert) 30 July 1915 (wartime Seniority Lists--unchanged at war's end).

He was still with HR 12 in 1916 when he received his GSF3bX (award roll published last year ).

After that he seems to have wandered around in Adjutant type positions-- he claimed as far afield as the Turkish War Ministry.

All while style plain old "Ribbentrop."

Discharged as charakterisiert Oberleutnant aD.

[George Anderson]

Many thanks.

[bob lembke]

He was appointed Leutnant in that regiment without permanent seniority (ernannt rather than patentiert) 30 July 1915 (wartime Seniority Lists--unchanged at war's end).

Discharged as charakterisiert Oberleutnant aD.

Rick;

I have a fair research library, including 20+ Ranglisten, and some other such items, and was poking in my 1918 preuss. Dienstaltersliste and noticed that the description of officers' seniority changed mid-war. From what you said above, I guess that the "powers that be" grew alarmed at the greater and greater number of officers and wanted to decrease the number that had permament rights, benefits, etc. post-war. I guess "ernannt" implies that the holder has been appointed Oberleutnant or whatever, but was not given a Patent" or certificate of permament seniority. Earlier in the war, weren't officers appointed to a rank, and the Patent came later, with a different effective date?

Is this sort of stuff, so wonderfully complicated, which makes this stuff so much fun, explained nicely somewhere? In English or German. (French? My wife has some Old Norse.)

Many thanks for your labors over the years.

Bob Lembke

[Guest Rick Research]

No, I expet it was the opposite. They were overwhelmed by the numbers commissioned during the war-- and what was the point of bureaucratic nitpicking about who had seniority over whom when 80% of them were likely to become casualties? They DID slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly get around to Patents during the war, but I suspect this was simply not a priority.