Bavaria Bavarian Leib Officer?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

I think this is Leib Rgt?

[Dave Danner]

There was a Karl Laber, born 16 May 1882, in the ILR. He was promoted Leutnant der Reserve on 5 July 1916.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Magic, thanks, thats a keeper then :-)

[ccj]

Is that a 1916 Bavarian Litewka in feldgraue? It looks for me with the one pocket fron and the buttons

Hi,

I think this is Leib Rgt?

[Chip]

Charles,

It is a Bavarian officer's Litewka. These came in the same colors as the officer's prewar colored Waffenrocks, so they could be light blue, dark blue, steel green or gray green. They were never supposed to be in field gray. They were ordered replaced with the introduction of the new uniforms in (Bavaria) 1916. From that point, Bavarian officers were to wear the Kleiner Rock in its place.

Chip

[ccj]

So this can't be the man they say. A man made LdR in 1916 wouldn't have a prewar tunic.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

is there any chance a newly minted Officer recycled a tunic previously worn by someone else?

Best

Chris

[ccj]

I doubt it

[ccj]

It may be a field grey tunic cut like the old style

[Chip]

The Bavarians wore these by regulation up until the Kleiner Rock was introduced to them in 1916. And who's to say that they didn't continue to wear them, especially for studio photos, where they might have preferred their old distinctive jacket.

Chip

[Chris Boonzaier]

I really think we underestimate how much "old clothing" was worn.

I dont think in the war that a lot of people hung clothes up for the duration. As clothes were "worn out" before replaced, and I have photos of men in Ersatz battalions using prewar Blue tunics with large patches on the shoulders where they were worn through, I am guessing it was probably the exception to "retire" clothing before the end of the war.

I do have a few "closet stuffers" from men killed in the war, but assume if he had a brother or cousin in the army these would probably have had a good chance of being used again.

This especially true for lower ranks and lower ranking officers.

Best

Chris

[ccj]

Personally, I imagine all sorts of tunics were worn off duty or behind the lines. Prussians are often seen in Uberrocks and we see photos of Bavarian Litewka being worn. I don't know how long the pre-war colored type were worn or how often an officer had a field grey version made but I would imagine it was more often than photos suggest. We can hope someone finds a nice Bavarian officers personal photo album showing the litewkas in wear.

The french had all sorts of tunic styles made during the transition from per-war to horizon blue as many offices assumed the regs would keep the same style but in Horizon Blue. I would imagine the same may have happened in 1915-16 when regulations were changing in Prussia and the Bavarians were making their own regs.

[ccj]

I have seen many examples of this pattern in photos in what appears to be field grey. Interestingly by Bavrian and Prussian officers