Please help to ID shoulder straps!

[Freiwillige]

Could you please help to identify the Infantry Regiment this Soldier served in?

According to the place of the photo atelier (Torgau) I suppose it should be 4.Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.72, but I can't find matching shoulder straps in the Internet sources  Those belonging to IR72 look different...

If it's not IR72 that means that young man went to his hometown Torgau being on leave where he made that photo as a remembrance for his relatives - in that case it could be another regiment I'm again not able to identify because of the strange cypher...

Thanks in advance!

[Chip]

It's IR.72. Here is the regimental shoulder strap. It's the cypher of the king of Bulgaria, Ferdinand.

Chip

Edited May 30, 2010 by Chip

[Freiwillige]

Thank you very much for the info, Chip!  :beer:

[Freiwillige]

Two more questions regarding this portrait:

- what is the correct rank of this soldier - Musketier, Fusilier, Schuetze? 

- What about the Landeskokarde he is wearing? Should it be Prussian one?

[Chip]

I think "Infanterist" would make sense, and the Germans seemed to be fairly liberal with the term "Musketier". "Füsilier" is more specific and usually connotes either someone from a Füsilier regiment, or from the Füsilier battalion (normally the third battalion of the regiment).

The cockade should be Prussian.

Chip

[Freiwillige]

Thanks again, Chip!

[Historyfan]

Hello,

I'm not familiar with the ranks of the Old Army but in later times, the basic grade in an infantry regiment was "Schütze". "Infanterist" may be a function but it is not a grade. If there were different types of battalion or company in that regiment there may have been other ranks. And maybe the thuringian forces had even other ranks.

The cockade represents the state so it must be that of one of the many thuringian states. You'll already know that the contingents of the smaller states were combined to form the necessary troops. There may have been battalions with all different companies. (If you know what I mean.)

Winfried