Mystery Bavarian Jäger...

[Chris Boonzaier]

I dont find this dude on any of the Jäger casualty lists... does anyone have an idea?

[Chip]

I didn't find him in the two Bavarian battalions of the 3.Jäger Rgt. either.

Chip

[KIR]

I didn't find him in the two Bavarian battalions of the 3.Jäger Rgt. either.

Chip

... I can't find a Johann in any bavarian Stammrolle! Just a Anton from Kleinkötz!

[Chris Boonzaier]

The strange thing about ancestry.com... I saw all the branches of Service they were scanning for the Bavarian records... but for some really strange reason they forgot "Jäger" on the list...

I really hope they are not going to overlook them...

I did not find any contact adress or email on the site to allow me to question this.

[Dave Danner]

Ancestry.com says they are just adding the records as they get them, so probably the one to contact is the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, custodian of the Kriegsarchiv records.

Tel. 089/28638-2596

Fax 089/28638-2954

E-Mail: poststelle@bayhsta.bayern.de

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here is another Mystery man... either the Regt does not fit... or the division...

[Dave Danner]

The regiment fits. From the RIR 18 Kriegstammrolle:

[Dave Danner]

Second half below. There are a surprisingly large number of Franz Xaver Wiesers, Xaver Franz Wiesers and just Franz Wiesers.

[Dave Danner]

The division is right too. According to this excerpt, they were under the Alpenkorps in November 1916:

[Chris Boonzaier]

Thanks Dave,

So he was killed in a sector that the Alpenkorps was fighting in and the family made a slight error when ordering the death cards by making his regt part of it.

I would have thought it was a rarer name.

Best

Chris

[Dave Danner]

We appear to have posted at the same time :beer:

[Chris Boonzaier]

Ooops... Did not see your last post.

I assume they were under the command of the Alpenkorps, without being "in" the alpenkorps? I think the 187 IR had the same deal in this sector.

Same as at Verdun at the end, the Alpenkorps was there till a certain date, but their Regiments had left a month earlier and there were a couple of other regiments fighting under the Divisions staff.

best

Chris

[Chris Boonzaier]

Check out the first dude here... from where HE died, at that date,,, he could not have been in any of the ABvarian Jäger Battalions (1, 2 or 1. Res, 2. Res.)

http://www.kaiserscross.com/69501/352901.html

[Chris Boonzaier]

Back to the 18th Reserve...

I wonder if being attached to the Alpenkorps for a month qualified you for the Edelweiss?

[Chip]

It appears that the earlier restrictions for wear of the Edelweiss were being ignored and finally, in March of 1918, a new order appeared limiting the wearers only to those who had appeared on the Kriegsstammrollen of the unit. This was supposed to curtail unauthorized wear.

Chip

Edited June 13, 2011 by Chip

[Dave Danner]

Regarding the guy who started the thread (Schmalberger, not Boonzaier):

Johann Schmalberger was in the 1. Komp., I. Btl., 1. Jäger-Regiment

geb. 24.12.1899 in Kleinkötz

Son of Bauer Michael Schmalberger u. Amalie, geb. Fritz [i hope she didn't have a sex-change!]

2.6.17 als Ldst.Rekr. z. 4./II.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl.

14.7.17 vereidigt

24.8.17 z. 3./II.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl.

26.9.17 z. 1./II.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl.

15.11.17 z. 1./I.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl.

6.12.17 z. 5./I.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl.

19.2.18 z. Feld-Rekr.-Dep. Alpenkorps

21.2.-24.5.18 Stellungskämpfe in Lothringen

14.6.18 eingetr., zum I./1. Jäg.-Regt. versetzt

11.9.18 i. Inf.-Gefecht durch Granatgeschoss verwundet

13.9.18 im bay. Feldlaz. 44 gestorben

14.9.18 auf dem Heldenfriedhof Malicourt, Grab 165, beerdigt

Probably because he was killed, the record-keeper didn't bother to update Schmalberger's "mitgemachte Gefechte" to include his time in the regiment, but presumably it was where his company was at the time. The intro to the Kriegsstammrolle says "8.8.18-25.9.18 Abwehrschl. a. d. S." [somme?].

Also, call me ignorant of the basic stuff, but how did recruit training work in this period? He appears to have entered service in June 1917 and spent over two months in the 4th Company of the 2nd Replacement Battalion, then one month in the 3rd Company, then almost two months in the 1st Company. I assume that was basic and advanced infantry training, but three years into a costly war, even that seems like a long time. Then he goes over to the 1st Replacement Battalion, spending a few weeks in the 1st Company and three more months in the 5th Company. I would guess that was unit-level training, to integrate the new soldiers together and practice section, platoon, and company operations. Then it's off to the Field Recruit Depot for another four months? I assume the credit for "Stellungskämpfe in Lothringen" means the Field Recruit Depot put the new soldiers in the line in a quieter sector to season them before sending them on to their front-line unit?

So basically it was a full year from enlistment to his actual unit?

Oh yeah, they finally added the Jäger records. :beer:

[Chris Boonzaier]

Magic Dave! Thanks!

I assume that after his basic training he joined the Feld Rekruten, the Alpenkorps was in Lothringen at the time. They may have been up to strength, or it was jusdged that the new guys were not ready enough for the Offensive, and that the replacements only joined the Battalions after Kemmel and Armentiers when they needed replacemtns...

It is indeed an unusually long time.........

[Chip]

Oh yeah, they finally added the Jäger records.

Dave,

Who is "they"? Could you give us a link to the website?

Thanks,

Chip

[Dave Danner]

Dave,

Who is "they"? Could you give us a link to the website?

Thanks,

Chip

The Bavarian military records on Ancestry.com or Ancestry.de

It is a subscription service.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The Bavarian military records on Ancestry.com or Ancestry.de

It is a subscription service.

Strangely, the .de does not have the German records!!! You need the .com (At least, so I am told)

[Chip]

The Bavarian military records on Ancestry.com or Ancestry.de

It is a subscription service.

Thanks Dave. I have that service, but did not realize that such records were available there.

Regards,

Chip