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    Flammenwerfer! Flames, skulls and stuff


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    • 1 month later...

    Pionier of Pionier-Regiment 35, one of two poison-gas regiments, wearing some kind of sleeve badge. Looks like a dark skull-and-crossbones to me.

    Thomas, thanks again for posting such a nice photo!

    That detail looks really interesting to me. You said, the badge in the photo is a poison-gas sleeve badge?

    Do you have more informations about the Regiment?

    Edited by Sergeant 08
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    Thomas, thanks again for posting such a nice photo!

    That detail looks really interesting to me. You said, the badge in the photo is a poison-gas sleeve badge?

    Do you have more informations about the Regiment?

    According to writing on the back of the card, this Pionier is a member of 15 tum.(?), II Batl., 6th Comp., Pionier Regiment 35. The card is dated May 29, 1915, and says "Greetings from Flanders."

    Pionier-Regiment 35 was established March 29, 1915. It had two battalions of 3 companies each. Pio-Reg 35 carried out its first gas attack April 22, 1915, north of Ypres.

    The second gas regiment, Pionier-Regiment 36, was established in May of 1915. In August of 1917 both regiments were dissolved and replaced with Pionier-Bataillone 35-38. In February of 1918 Pionier-Batailon 39 was added, and in June Bataillone 94-96 were added. By the end of the war there were eight gas battalions.

    This sleeve badge must be unofficial. I have identified about 15 different unofficial sleeve and shoulder-strap badges for assault troops. I have never seen them in other books or photos, so now I think there is a real chance that Robin's badge is authentic.

    You can see that in this photo the skull(?) has a very crude shape. It seems likely that by the end of the war the gas troops would want a nicer badge. They probably knew about the flamethrower badges, so maybe somebody decided to copy the flamethrower badge in black.

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    According to writing on the back of the card, this Pionier is a member of 15 tum.(?), II Batl., 6th Comp., Pionier Regiment 35. The card is dated May 29, 1915, and says "Greetings from Flanders."

    Pionier-Regiment 35 was established March 29, 1915. It had two battalions of 3 companies each. Pio-Reg 35 carried out its first gas attack April 22, 1915, north of Ypres.

    The second gas regiment, Pionier-Regiment 36, was established in May of 1915. In August of 1917 both regiments were dissolved and replaced with Pionier-Bataillone 35-38. In February of 1918 Pionier-Batailon 39 was added, and in June Bataillone 94-96 were added. By the end of the war there were eight gas battalions.

    This sleeve badge must be unofficial. I have identified about 15 different unofficial sleeve and shoulder-strap badges for assault troops. I have never seen them in other books or photos, so now I think there is a real chance that Robin's badge is authentic.

    You can see that in this photo the skull(?) has a very crude shape. It seems likely that by the end of the war the gas troops would want a nicer badge. They probably knew about the flamethrower badges, so maybe somebody decided to copy the flamethrower badge in black.

    Thomas.

    This is REALLY good information.

    Many thanks for posting it.

    I am sure in my own mind that the black skull is original (I would ditch it otherwise) .......... and this is a good potential explanation for it.

    So far as I know, there are only two examples of this black skull known, both from the same source.

    Thanks again.

    In the photo .......... is the skull on the lower sleeve?

    Edited by Robin Lumsden
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    In the photo .......... is the skull on the lower sleeve?

    Upper. The problem is that the man moved as the photo was being taken. His friend is standing perfectly still, but the man with the sleeve badge was swaying, and the image is just blurry enough to make it indistinct.

    As I said before, I've identified 15 different unofficial shock-troop badges. I haven't seen any other photos of them or seen any mention of them in any source.

    Your badge is almost certainly unofficial, Robin, so it wouldn't be found in any regulations.

    post-3717-077061800 1294608932_thumb.jpg

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