Citizen Of The World: Bezirksfeldwebel Heiden

[Guest Rick Research]

When is a Feldwebel NOT a Feldwebel? When is a Hohenzollern Fusilier NOT a Hohenzollerner? Why is the sky blue, mommy?

Well, some of these can be answered.

Here is an appointment (Bestallung) for SERGEANT Gustav Karl Willy Heiden of the 11th Company/ Hohenzollern Fusileer Regiment 40 to be... a BEZIRKSFELDWEBEL.

Signed off on by Oberst-and-Regimental-Commander "Scribble" at Brigade in Freiburg on April Fool's Day 1911.

This is rather appropriate, since I can't match that rank and anything approximating the scribble to either brigade regiment's Colonels.

Notice that Sergeant (the Imperial German army rank title NOT an English translation!) Heiden was born in Hamburg on 26 April 1886-- so he was weeks short of his 25th birthday.

[Guest Rick Research]

So what's a nice ambitious fellow from Hamburg doing in a Hohenzollern regiment in Baden?

Dunno.

But he was ACTUALLY a Mecklenburg-Schweriner!

Why? "By reason of origin." This attests that Bezirksfeldwebel Heiden in Waldshut-- his job's location NOT having been given on the appointment above-- was declared a citizen of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 30 October 1911.

Obviously his PARENTS were Schweriners, and being born within the gates of the great Hanseatic City didn't even count.

(At least not as far as surviving paperwork indicates, anyway. )

[Guest Rick Research]

But no no no NO. The Hamburg Schweriner detached from Hohenzollern in Baden had other plans:

Here he has RENOUNCED his Mecklenburg citizenship and is granted PRUSSIAN citizenship, as inexplicably attested by Berlin Police headquarters on 6 December 1911.

This was due to his service as a career enlistment non-commissioned officer, presumably. Prussian citizenship would have vastly improved his post-discharge options for civil service jobs and so on.

Sadly, this is where the saga of our Hamburg-Mecklenburg-Hohenzollern-Baden-Prussian ends. These papers were lovingly cared for... but there are no others.

As a member of Fusileer Regiment 40 in 1911, he would presumably have been awarded the Hohenzollern 1911 Jubilee medal--even if he WAS a Hamburg Mecklenburger on detached assignment in Baden. He wore the regiment's uniform, after all.

By 1914, at 28, he'd undoubtedly have earned the IX years service brooch/medal. If he survived, he'd have been a Vizefeldwebl, and soon enough an Offizierstellveretreter and been discharged as a Leutnant aD if he saw the Armistice.

He does not appear in Hohenzollern's WW1 award rolls. Mecklenburg wouldn't have given a EX citizen anything. Hamburg already didn't claim him. Maybe he got something from Baden-- after all, he worked there.

When we find odd groups, remember this thread and the sort of odd person who might account for something out of the usual--like Bezirksfeldwebel (Sergeant) Heiden.

[Glenn J]

Rick

perhaps the Bezirksfeldwebel Bestallung was signed off by Oberst Paul Weese of I.R. 113.

Regards

Glenn

[Chris Boonzaier]

Is Bezirksfeldwebel a rank or a position?

Same way in the French army each company has a "Duty sergeant" and Duty caporal", but the function of Duty Sgt can be fulfilled by a Caporal-Chef and a PFC on occasion can stand as Duty Caporal.

[Glenn J]

Chris,

I may part company with Rick on this one but it is my firm understanding that the Bezirksfeldwebel was a substantive rank. Like the "Etatsm??iger" in a company/squadron/battery, he wore the two cuff rings. Each company sized district within a Landwehrbezirk had it's own company sergeant major or Bezirksfeldwebel. See this page from the 1914 edition of F?hrer durch Heer und Flotte which lists army ranks or Dienstgrade and terms of address.

Regards

Glenn

[speedytop]

Die Geschichte des deutschen Unteroffiziers, published by "Reichstreubund ehemaliger Berufssoldaten", Berlin 1939, page 421 and 423:

"Laufbahn", "Bef?rderung": it is a rank.

Regards

Uwe

[Naxos]

Is Bezirksfeldwebel a rank or a position?

Same way in the French army each company has a "Duty sergeant" and Duty caporal", but the function of Duty Sgt can be fulfilled by a Caporal-Chef and a PFC on occasion can stand as Duty Caporal.

According to Speedytop's document (if I understand it correctly) -Bezirksfeldwebel it is a position available to suited NCOs - The rank is that of a Feldwebel .

Edited February 28, 2009 by Naxos

[Guest Rick Research]

Ah, WEESE! Thanks Glenn-- no way my brain would get a "W" out of that, but by squinting and performing certain arcane rituals....

As Glenn says, a Bezirksfeldwebel is the same as what the Wehrmacht called a "Spiess"-- a 2-ringer. I've seen photos of Wehrmacht "Spiess" who were as low-ranking as Unteroffizier but were still top NCO in their assigned position.

Heiden would have worn the uniform of a Sergeant with 2 sleeve rings, then. Practically, this would have made him indistinguishable from a "real" Feldwebel unless (and I doubt it, but am wandering into obscure uniform regulations unknown to me here) as only a Sergeant he would NOT have worn officers' cap cockade and side arm knot.

But assuming he went back to his unit, he'd have STILL been a "Sergeant" (have to keep saying I am using the Imperial German army title and NOT the English translation--awkward but need to be clear) and would have lost the two rings of his PLACE.

His rank was entirely LOCATIONAL.

There were no Bezirksfeldwebel in troop units.

This came to mind over recent discussion about the two "grades" of Offizierstellvertreter when that was only a single rank-- but had two ranks of NCOs who filled those positions.

Here is another example--

"Bezirksfeldwebel" Sprungmann, here receiving a Prussian War Effort Cross (also received a "white-black" Iron Cross 2nd class --and can be found elsewhere concerning his saving the Hamburg Reichsbank during the 1943 Fire Storm air raids)

had only joined the army in 1913! I have not got his Milit?rpa? to see his actual promotion dates, but he cannot have been higher ranked than a substantive war-merit promotion Unteroffizier when assigned to the Bezirksfeldwebel job. He was NOT a career NCO-- just an unlikely draftee from the final peacetime intake kept on and on through the war years.

[joerookery]

These are the kinds of discussions I love, absolutely love! I do not pretend I know the final word on any of this but I have some more wood or sand to throw on the fire.

The movement of the individual. I don't have any real problem with internal migration, as there was a lot of it but there are a couple of interesting tidbits based on the documents. This guy is 25 and was a sergeant, which would regularly mean that he enlisted in the unit that he reported into. F?silier-Regiment F?rst Karl-Anton von Hohenzollern (1. Hohenzollernsches) Nr.40. It is not clear to me whether this individual lived in the regimental area in Baden or if their regiment recruited in the area where the individual lived. An option is that this individual was 25 years of age and in order to have completed seven years of Dienstpflicht and Enter the Landwehr at that young age. He would have had to have started Musterung at age 18, probably as a multi-year volunteer. That would square with the rank. However, if he was a volunteer he could have chosen the regiment, regardless of his geographic location. He was in the Landwehrbezirke for Brigade 57 which is located in Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen-a Prussian enclave, which for some reason soldiers from Baden Infantry Regiment 114 guarding the castle. This is geographically far away from where regiment was stationed in Baden.

Rank or position. My understanding based on the research of Stubbs, is that any NCO could be named in this position, but the promotion to the rank of Feldwebel did not happen until mobilization in the Landwehrbezirke. My understanding is that this was not full-time employment. Certainly on the pay of a sergeant you could not go far nor raise a family.

Citizenship. I don't believe that the document grants citizenship to Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Rather, I think it is a document, which characterizes the individual as coming from Mecklenburg-Schwerin and these passports were used extensively as a requirement for jobs. No passport equals no job. Citizenship in Mecklenburg-Schwerin I understand was very very difficult and quite different

Mecklenburg was the closest thing to medieval serfdom in Germany. Serfdom was eliminated in Mecklenburg in 1820. However, it was replaced by a citizenship system that was very similar to serfdom. Under the concept of serfdom, landowners were responsible for the workers when they became old or disabled. Under the new system landowners were only responsible to those workers who had been granted a "right of establishment" by the landowner. As a result, landowners kept few permanent workers, and granted the right of establishment to few. It was not a right of all residents of Mecklenburg, but rather a privilege granted by the landowner. A side result of this was that residents were not citizens of Mecklenburg as much as they were citizens of this city or village in which they got their right of establishment. Residents who did not have the right of establishment could not get married, start a permanent home, or have children. A large part of the population that was temporary laborers was refused the right of establishment by the ruling class for their whole lives. They were given only a limited right to residence - only for as long as they had work. As a result, it was fair to say that many Mecklenburgers were homeless inside their own country. The byproduct was that Mecklenburg had the third highest emigration rate in Europe. 261,000 Mecklenburgers left their home country (the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz) between 1820 and 1890. Without the right of establishment the lower classes did not have any prospects for the future in Mecklenburg.

Between 1850 and 1890 approximately 146,000 Mecklenburgers emigrated overseas, most going to the United States of America. This loss of population was most prevalent from the rural farm land. 88.5 percent of all emigrants came from rural areas. Most of them came from the manor houses of noble and titled big land-owners. Despite the emigration there still was a total population growth between 1830 and 1850. However, new births could not make up for the high number of emigrants between 1850 and 1905 and the population in the rural areas dropped by 25,000. After 1871 the number of people that moved overseas decreased and internal migration increased. More people that were willing to emigrate went to cities and industrial towns outside of Mecklenburg, such as the areas of Berlin. Almost 1/3 of the people, who were born in Mecklenburg, lived outside of their home state. There were 648,000 people living in Mecklenburg in 1914

Of course all of this could be just dead wrong! I find myself thanking Rick and others are participating in these discussions. If Rick had not posted these items I would not even get an intellectual stimulus this Saturday morning. So thank you all!

[Guest Rick Research]

This sort of odd paperwork rarely turns up, but does make social statements of a time within the living memory of people who I remember. (Sweden did not abolish serfdom until 1882 and had a few years of involuntary deportation of mental defectives and criminals ? la Cuban Communist "boat people" which was rather worrying as I did my own famly tree.... )

If you REALLY want Epic Documentaary Weirdness, let me fire up the old Epson for 19th century marriage regulations-- and a civil service "major" who had to have the Permission of his FATHER as "head of family" to marry-- as an adult.... even though Papa was a retired civil service "sergeant major." The Nazis had nothing on Second Reich Prussian pre-procreation paperwork!!!!!!! :cheeky:

[Glenn J]

The non-commissioned officer and private soldier personnel posts of the Landwehrbezirke were generally filled by re-engaged volunteers (Kapitulanten). The posts were advertised in the military press and suitable candidates were selected. My impression is that the Bezirksfeldwebeln would then generally be promoted from NCOs with experience in this field of work.

Regards

Glenn

[joerookery]

Glenn,

Is it your thought that these Kapitulanten could join the Landwehrbezirke before they passed into the Landwehr themselves? As these positions were advertised, what did they say about "full-time employment" and pay? Based on the pay tables that I have there was no difference between the pay of a sergeant Kapitulanten or not. There was a huge change in the pay for a Gefr. Based on the pay table alone, a full-time sergeant would make less money than a temporary worker in the proletariat. Not much of an incentive to take the job, unless it was a bonus. Sort of like being in the American reserve where you would also have a full-time job.

[speedytop]

Hi,

I think, that there is something to be explained.

A Bezirksfeldwebel is a rank in a seperated career.

And I think, it is not a "Spie?".

It is a "Feldwebel" with the special name "Bezirksfeldwebel", for another career the name is e.g. Zeugfeldwebel.

There are several different careers (Laufbahnen) for NCOs, according to the qualification.

Feuerwerker, Zahlmeister etc.

Please see here, b) Unteroffiziere:

http://www.agw14-18.de/selbzeug/dienstgrade.html

He was promoted from Sergeant to Bezirksfeldwebel, see Post 1.

Especially a "Bestallung" (appointment) is a "Bef?rderung" (promotion/advancement) or "Ernennung" (nomination) to the next rank for a man.

It is not only a nomination into a position for this man. It is both, a new rank and a new position

But I agree with Glenn, this is for "NCOs with experience in this field of work".

It is a promotion with the signature of a brigade commander, see the document "I. A. d. B. K.", "Im Auftrag des Brigadekommandeurs".

I know, that this is very difficult, not only for foreigners, also for Germans .

Here is an example for a separated career (Sorry Rick, it is your thread ).

Zeugfeldwebel Kiele, Offizier-Stellvertreter bei der Feldzeugmeisterei, is "in Ansehung seiner guten Eigenschaften" (in credit of his good characteristics) promoted to the new rank Zeug-Leutnant.

In simple words, a fine career, from Feldwebel to Leutnant. But in a special career (Laufbahn):

Regards

Uwe