The elusive 20th Pionier Batl....

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

I may be looking in all the wrong places, but does anyone know where the 20th Pionier Battalion belonged? I have a feeling they were corps troops and not attached to a division.

I have a reference to them being at Verdun in 1916, but nothing more...

Originally from the XVI AK area in Germany.

Thanks

Chris

[Glenn J]

Chris,

according to H.R. v. Stein in a series of articles in the 1976 Zeitschrift für Heereskunde, the battalion was uplifted to regimental strength at mobilization as Pionier-Regiment Nr. 20 and was subordinated to 5. Armee. It was certainly with that army at the siege of Longwy in 1914.

Regards

Glenn

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Glenn,

thanks, the 5th Army link seems to be the way to look... it was at Verdun and in the Argonne, so I think that nailsit !

Muchos Gracias!

[Thomas W]

Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 20 attacked Fort Vaux with Brandröhre (not flamethrowers) on June 2, 1916. The unit had been parceled out the night before and could not dispatch a unified task force against the fort. Men armed with Brandröhre joined with men of Infantry Regiment No. 158 and, led by Lt. d. Res. Ruberg of the 1st Reserve Company, Pionier Bataillon Nr. 20, attacked the northwestern gallery. At the start of the battle in February, the 2nd Reserve Company of Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 20 was in the Corps Reserves of the III Army Corps. The target was Herbebois. The Staff of the 2nd Battalion, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 1st Reserve Companies of Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 20 were Corps reserves for the XVIII Army Corps. The target was Caures Wood.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Tom!

Thanks for that. The reference I had had them involved in the fighting for the Souville Nase later that year, but that places them there right at the start.

Perfect!

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here is the tag that prommpted the question... thanks for the info guys!

[Chip]

Chris,

I could use that tag.

Chip

[Chris Boonzaier]

ahhhh.... I could use that shoulder board!!! :-)

[AOK4]

I doubt that the guy was in Verdun in June, since he was born in 1897 and has quite a hight company roll number. He would normally be called up only in Spring 1916 and wouldn't be in a frontline unit probably until late 1916...

Edited December 20, 2011 by AOK4

[Chris Boonzaier]

I doubt that the guy was in Verdun in June, since he was born in 1897 and has quite a hight company roll number. He would normally be called up only in Spring 1916 and wouldn't be in a frontline unit probably until late 1916...

Hi,

you are probably right. I took 2 random references of guy born in the first 2 months of that year, one finished traing and went to his unit in July, the other in November... So the early attacks are unlikely. There is an off chance he may have been at Souville in August 1916, but maybe not not.

Still, a nice tag :-)

[Thomas W]

Pionier Faschinski, Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 20, in Metz, 1917.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Thomas W