Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Okay, this guy was in one of the famed Austrian Heavy mortar units...Can anyone make head or tail of these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 Okay... here is the weapon.... horrible thing !anyone have an idea where the unit served?http://www.moesslang.net/WW1%20Fortification%20History.htmThanksChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulsterman Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 (edited) Well, KuK Lt. in 30 and a half? Mortor Bttn. 6?By the way Chris, where was the Hungarian medal certificate issued? Wien?Also, what's the date and number? I am interested in these.Ta, Edited January 7, 2006 by Ulsterman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregM Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 That is quite a piece of equipment. I would get back in to modeling if someone offeredkits of these kind.Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gregory Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Very nice. That is the stamp that I failed to recognise from the poor quality image shown by the seller.Glenn J will almost certainly be able to tell you more about the unit and its whereabouts.Definitely worth discussing over a meal and few beers in a couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 That is one evil gun......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 He was in "30.5cm M?rserbatterie No 6 d. 6. Festungsartillerie Bataillons 11(th? onbscured)-6," which must have made answering the feild telephone rather a chore. "Festungs" would seem to indicate rather immobile, and part of one of the great fortress cities BUT I have a German document for the exact same monster mortars and HIS outfit[attachmentid=21928]while originally intended for sinking enemy battleships foolhardy enough to be inshore too close, actually ended up being carried around pulverizing the RUSSIAN fortress cities on the Eastern Front. Given their lack of "portability" I would venture that these monster mortar units were controlled at ARMY level, so they won't turn up in divisional Orders of Battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 Here are his post war docs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 can anyone post what this medal looks like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 Red face for the spell checker ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 Just what is it with that word ?? In berlin they dont get it either !!Here is the doc for the hungarian medal inviting all any everyone who ever knew anyone who may have seen a war movie on TV to apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Your Oesterreich Kriegserrinerungsmedaille is simply the common WW1 Austrian Commemorative Service medal... Let me know if you still need a pix! ;>) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 David pointed me to an online photo of him.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 What does a man like this do in an Artillery unit?Aladar Skita (1876 Wien - 1953 Baden-Baden) hatte 1900 in Heidelberg promoviert und war 1903 bis 1905 Chemiker bei den Farbenwerken in H?chst/Main. Am 1. Oktober 1905 Assistent am Chemische-Techischen Institut der TH Karlsruhe, habilitierte er sich am 20. Juli 1906 und wurde am 22. Dezember 1911 a. o. Titularprofessor. In gleicher Stellung war er vom 1. April 1914 an der Universit?t Freiburg t?tig. Seit 5. Februar 1921 in Kiel, ab 1. Oktober 1923 als nichtbeamteter a. o. Professor und Leiter der Organischen Abteilung des Chemischen Instituts mit Lehrauftrag f?r Organische Chemie. Am 1. Oktober 1924 wechselte A. Skita als o. Professor und Direktor des Instituts f?r Organische Chemie an die TH Hannover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 (edited) What does a man like this do in an Artillery unit?Aladar Skita (1876 Wien - 1953 Baden-Baden) hatte 1900 in Heidelberg promoviert und war 1903 bis 1905 Chemiker bei den Farbenwerken in H?chst/Main. Am 1. Oktober 1905 Assistent am Chemische-Techischen Institut der TH Karlsruhe, habilitierte er sich am 20. Juli 1906 und wurde am 22. Dezember 1911 a. o. Titularprofessor. In gleicher Stellung war er vom 1. April 1914 an der Universit?t Freiburg t?tig. Seit 5. Februar 1921 in Kiel, ab 1. Oktober 1923 als nichtbeamteter a. o. Professor und Leiter der Organischen Abteilung des Chemischen Instituts mit Lehrauftrag f?r Organische Chemie. Am 1. Oktober 1924 wechselte A. Skita als o. Professor und Direktor des Instituts f?r Organische Chemie an die TH HannoverChris, this is a guess.... think about artillery units and the how gas shells were used. The guy could have been a specialist or staffer attached to the unit (especially if it were a heavy mortar unit on a army level TOE) that did something related to gas shells. He might have inspected them, oversaw how troops used them, dealt with decontamination proceedures, etc. He might have also dealt with expiremental matters or field trials, that combined certain chemicals, shells, etc?Normally gas shells were small to mid caliber size, and not associated with the real big items like siege mortars. His checmistry background would have touched on mathetmatics and physics (to a degree), and in a pinch he could have been taught the rudiments of artillery and fire-control, calibration/ragning and related proceedures associated with artillery, but his specialties would likely have been noticed and used in something more related to his abilities...which is why I'm guessing a poison-gas/artillery connection.Les Edited January 7, 2006 by Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 I was leaning that way as well. I guess more that way than a regular troop officer.bestchris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn J Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Dr. Aladar Skita was certainly a late starter; over forty when he was commissioned as a Leutnant in der Reserve in Festungsartilleriebataillon Nr. 6 on the 1st of February 1917. His only award shown in the 1918 k.u.k. Rangliste is the Karl-Truppenkreuz.RegardsGlenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 Hi,he also had a late 1918 EK2 :-)Any idea where they served?ThanksChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Aside from his "Count Alucard" anagram name, QUITE interesting that he was apparently BInational: born in Austria, served in the Austrian army, but in 1935 got the Hindenburg Cross which was not (normally) given to non-Germans! From the 1935 "Wer Ist's?"[attachmentid=22012]Born 18 February 1876 in Vienna, son of Prokurist Ludwig Skita and mother identified only as "n?e M?ckle." "Aryan, Protestant."He married Elsbeth von Lilienthal, daughter of Proffessor (dam it now I'm doing it) Proffessor Karl vL, who taught German penal law at Heidelberg. Aladar and Elsbeth had:Gretl 9.7.04 and Richard 15.1.07 who died 16.9.28.Technical High School Vienna, Universities of Heidelberg and Berlin, Dr. phil. nat. 00..."in the war Aust. Art.-Lt. w. 30 1/2cm Mortar Bty in Germ. 'Vorlde.' {{your guess is as good as mine!}} on. Ital., Russ., & French fronts..."Specialist in organic chemistry. Member of the German Chemical Society, Academy of Science in Halle andthe Imperial Yacht Club in Kiel."EK, Franz-Jos.-O." sole awards he listed. In 1935 living in Hannover at Lortingstr. 2.BTW, the Police President of Hannover will probab;y be an intersting autograph, but all I get is the initial "H." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 Possibly on the French front in the St Mihiel pocket? Its about the only Austrians I find there that late in the war.The German report says it crumbled fast because of the low quality troops that were there, esp. the Austrians (according to the report) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Possibly on the French front in the St Mihiel pocket? Its about the only Austrians I find there that late in the war.The German report says it crumbled fast because of the low quality troops that were there, esp. the Austrians (according to the report)Chris,Post-war accounts (particularly the Bundesarchiv series) which started appearing after the war, often tried to point fingers and come up with reasons (often wrong, or politically motivated) why the Germans lost a particular battle, the war, etc. Under the Nazis and their ilk, finding others to blame became a passion, if not a way of life.Perhaps, the report fails to mention that Ludendorf anticipated the American attack at St. Mihiel and started pulling back the units in the sector as the attack developed. There were Austrian in the lines, but there were far more German units which did not seem to hold back the Allies either, and did their fare share (if not more) in falling back or giving up under Allied pressure. Austrian troops also served elsewhere in 1918: the k.u.k. 106th Division were in line on the Heights of the Meuse, and the k.u.k. 32nd Division was across the river from them in the Argonne. Both units fought against the Americans during the September/October 1918 Meuse-Argonne offensive, and did well holding back the Americans. One Austrian regimental commander did well enough that he was nominated for, and received the Pour le Merite (last name Poelpelka if memory serves me correctly) during October 1918.A total of five divisions were sent to France during the summer/fall of 1918: four served in the lines, and a fifth that was not deployed because it arrived too late to be deployed due to the armistice.Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 9, 2006 Author Share Posted January 9, 2006 Hi,Sure, I agree, there are many factors that come into it. The wire and defensive positions had not been maintained for months. The ?Good? divisions were long gone out of the pocket, when you read the German order of battle and compare the German divisions there to the allied ratings in the 252 divisions and you will see that even before the pullout the troops that were there were lower lineholders.Also of note, by the time of the attack most of the heavy arty was gone and even the field arty was on the road out of the pocket, so I assume that the chances that a 30.5cm battery was still there are kind of slim. (I am not knocking the Austrians as a whole (my own distant relatives were in the Austro Hungarian Army), but for many of the units the fighting qualities were not that highly rated, and this late in the war even less. Paschell (sp?) has good coverage of this sector in his book.)It could of course be that his unit was sent to France for the prep barrage for the Grosse Schlacht, it would be very interesting to find a list of Austrian arty units and where they served. I mean, these things fired almost 400kg shells! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webr55 Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 BTW, the Police President of Hannover will probab;y be an intersting autograph, but all I get is the initial "H."That is Johann Habben, Polizeipr?sident of Hannover from 1933-36. Replaced by SA-Brigadef?hrer Waldemar Geyer in 1936. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 The EK Doc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Chris, this is a guess.... think about artillery units and the how gas shells were used. The guy could have been a specialist or staffer attached to the unit (especially if it were a heavy mortar unit on a army level TOE) that did something related to gas shells. He might have inspected them, oversaw how troops used them, dealt with decontamination proceedures, etc. He might have also dealt with expiremental matters or field trials, that combined certain chemicals, shells, etc? All possible, especially as I saw a google reference that he knew Fritz Haber before the war Best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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