Thomas W Posted November 5, 2011 Posted November 5, 2011 Grenade bags, P08 pistol tucked in his belt and attached to a lanyard around his neck. Looks like an infantry assault trooper, but he isn't.
Chris Boonzaier Posted November 5, 2011 Posted November 5, 2011 Well, if you wanted to get from our kitchen to the front door with a couple of bags of candy... and make it past out 3 year old... this would be the only way to do it... although I would sunstitute pepper spray for the 08..... :-)
Thomas W Posted November 5, 2011 Author Posted November 5, 2011 So, no guess on what he does? Hint: It's the only such photo I've ever seen.
Chris Boonzaier Posted November 5, 2011 Posted November 5, 2011 Its a good question.... I am of the firm belief that by 1918 wearing sandbags had become a fasion... anyone wanting to look cool would get himself photographed wearing them... Give us a clue... does he need this get up for his job, or is he just posing "cool"?
Thomas W Posted November 5, 2011 Author Posted November 5, 2011 (edited) Give us a clue... does he need this get up for his job, or is he just posing "cool"? The answer is: He sometimes had to use grenade bags for his job, but mostly he didn't. Another hint: Look carefully at the shoulder straps. Edited November 6, 2011 by Thomas W
Chip Posted November 6, 2011 Posted November 6, 2011 Man, if you can make anything out on those shoulder straps, you have a pretty good imagination! Of course, if you have the answer, then perhaps there is something that becomes apparent, but without that knowledge, it looks like nothing. Chip
Thomas W Posted November 6, 2011 Author Posted November 6, 2011 It's the shade of the shoulder strap, compared to the rest of the uniform, that gives it away. And yes, I have the answer.
Chris Boonzaier Posted November 6, 2011 Posted November 6, 2011 Seeing who posted it, and a jump of imagination... I imagine it is a "V" and that this is a Versuchs Pionier or something along that line. Best Chris
Thomas W Posted November 6, 2011 Author Posted November 6, 2011 (edited) Nope. That, my friend, is a crewman of A7V Tank 501 "Gretchen." He's training in Stosstrupp tactics at Beuville, under the tutelage of Sturmbataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr). It's the only photo I've ever seen of a tanker wearing grenade bags. His shoulder strap is light gray, with a red "K" on it. I won't post the rest of the photo, because it's in my book that Schiffer is about to publish, but the tanker sitting in front of this guy has an "S" for Stosstrupp on his upper left sleeve. I knew that tankers were trained as shock troops, but it's nice to finally have photographic evidence of it. Edited November 6, 2011 by Thomas W 1
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