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    Flammenwerfer! Flames, skulls and stuff


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    If the FW troops felt that a totenkopf should be adopted by them as early as 1914, maybe the later 'approved' insignia just happened to be the Prussian type because of its old associations with the Crown Prince and his Leibhusaren.

    In other words, the KP was 'rubber stamping' what the FW troops wanted, using his own preference of TK.

    That's the theory of the Webmaster. Personally, I don't think the chalk signboard in question refers to the troops' preference for a symbol. For example, there are lots of chalk signboards with drawings of pistols, grenades, horseshoes, trench guns, etc. The flamethrower pioneers had their dedicated unit since October of 1914, but they didn't received the sleeve badge until July of 1916. That's quite a long time to go without having any special insignia, particularly since hand-grenade throwers and shock troops had been wearing their own informal badges since late 1915 or so.

    I think when the Crown Prince recommended the Totenkopf to the Kaiser, the two of them were making an extremely Prussian statement about their own patronage of this regiment. I think the Prussian Totenkopf represented the elite status of the unit rather than its dangerous missions. On the other hand, I think the chalkboard Totenkopf drawn by the men of Flammenwerfer-Abteilung Reddemann is the equivalent of a skull-and-crossbones on a jar of rat poison or a sign on a minefield.

    I have lots of photos of flamethrower pioneers taken prior to the awarding of the Prussian Totenkopf. You'd think that if they wanted to be identified with a Totenkopf at least a few of them would have put one on before July of 1916, especially since so many other assault troops were wearing unofficial badges by then. But so far the 1914 photo is the only one I've seen associating flamethrower pioneers with a Totenkopf before the official badge was awarded.

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    That's the theory of the Webmaster. Personally, I don't think the chalk signboard in question refers to the troops' preference for a symbol. For example, there are lots of chalk signboards with drawings of pistols, grenades, horseshoes, trench guns, etc. The flamethrower pioneers had their dedicated unit since October of 1914, but they didn't received the sleeve badge until July of 1916. That's quite a long time to go without having any special insignia, particularly since hand-grenade throwers and shock troops had been wearing their own informal badges since late 1915 or so.

    I think when the Crown Prince recommended the Totenkopf to the Kaiser, the two of them were making an extremely Prussian statement about their own patronage of this regiment. I think the Prussian Totenkopf represented the elite status of the unit rather than its dangerous missions. On the other hand, I think the chalkboard Totenkopf drawn by the men of Flammenwerfer-Abteilung Reddemann is the equivalent of a skull-and-crossbones on a jar of rat poison or a sign on a minefield.

    I have lots of photos of flamethrower pioneers taken prior to the awarding of the Prussian Totenkopf. You'd think that if they wanted to be identified with a Totenkopf at least a few of them would have put one on before July of 1916, especially since so many other assault troops were wearing unofficial badges by then. But so far the 1914 photo is the only one I've seen associating flamethrower pioneers with a Totenkopf before the official badge was awarded.

    You could be right, Thomas.

    It's just interesting to see the use of the TK by FW troops verified as early as 1914.

    There could be other photos lurking around showing similar (even black!) TK use by them pre- the official TK.

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    There could be other photos lurking around showing similar (even black!) TK use by them pre- the official TK.

    Absolutely. I just think that the specific context of this Totenkopf is "BEWARE! POISON! DANGER!" rather than a connection to any other unit or tradition, especially since it's such a sloppily drawn image.

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    I just think that the specific context of this Totenkopf is "BEWARE! POISON! DANGER!" rather than a connection to any other unit or tradition, especially since it's such a sloppily drawn image.

    And they were still drawing the 'official' version sloppily in 1917 !! :)

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    Every single photo except for one is mine. That's okay. Public forum and all that. I'll bet Chris Boonzaier did it.

    I would have put better music......

    Its irritating, but I always see it as follows.... the guy who did this this is a ######, you can see that right off the bat, secondly, although choosing a really crap song, he is probably not german "Fuhrer" ?? The problem (for me) is not that he scammed the photos, but to be associated with an idiot like him.

    But... its like advertising, if nothing is done to bring outsiders in and interest them in our parts of the hobby, then in 10 years time it will be the same 5 of us interested in this kind of stuff sitting here measuring willies.

    Maybe a complaint to youtube will get it erased? His screen name should be enough. How did you find it??

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    How did you find it??

    I've got my own private thread going here:

    http://1914-1918.inv...howtopic=175244

    I was searching YouTube for WWI flamethrowers and up popped that video with all my photos. And a photo of your original Totenkopf badge.

    It has less than 100 views, so in a sense YouTube has already taken it down.

    Edited by Thomas W
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    By the way, since this is the Flammenwerfer-Totenkopf thread, in case anyone is interested I recently discovered that I have in my collection a photo of the father of one of the people who sometimes comments here, Bob Lembke.

    Bob confirmed that this is indeed his father, Pionier Georg Lembke, 2. Kompagnie, Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment. I never forget a face, and Bob had sent me an image of his father years ago. My photo shows Bob and the 1st Platoon of his company about to go into battle at Verdun, very likely on December 28, 1916, the day Bob's father was terribly wounded on the Dead Man.

    My photo is on the left, and Bob's is on the right, taken two years later.

    Edited by Thomas W
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    • 2 weeks later...

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