The Prussian Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 (edited) Hello friends! What do you think about this photo? We see a soulder strap with MW 13. Minenwerfer-Kompanie 13. Really? The MWK13 belonged to the 13th Inf.Div. That only was in action at the western front. These guys wear mountain-trousers with leather patches. Units of the ID13 haven´t recieved those uniforms I assume we have the Sturmkompanie 13 and this is the MW-platoon. What do you think? Photo is dated july 1918 Edited March 7, 2015 by The Prussian
Chris Boonzaier Posted March 8, 2015 Posted March 8, 2015 Its a hard call.... there are many things we will never know when looking at a photo... could be a tailor in the town they were in sewed on leather... could have been repairs.... Its very hard to say.... and did Sturmkompagnie have their own detached MW? Or did they use the MW of troops they were fighting with... for me a "We will never know" photo...
The Prussian Posted March 8, 2015 Author Posted March 8, 2015 Hi Chris! You might be right with "We´ll never know", but we have a few facts and a few questions... The Sturm-Kompanie 13 was set-up 28.12.1916 by Gen.Kdo. I.AK. The Ersatz was: II.Ers./Gren.Rgt.4 (for Staff and storm-company) 4.Ers.MGK/I.AK (for machine-gun section) Pi.Ers.Btl.18 (for trench-mortar section) Well, we know, regular storm units wore their own numbers upon the shoulder straps, in this case a 13, BUT, if this is the regular Minenwerfer-Kompanie 13 (13.Inf.Div.), the would have been taken in the west. Please don´t laugh, but to me the straw-hats don´t look like western... The I.AK in july 1918 was in Ukrania. Another fact is, that the Minenwerfer wore the uniforms of the regular Minenwerfer.
The Prussian Posted March 8, 2015 Author Posted March 8, 2015 By the way... I have a postcard exactly from that unit...
The Prussian Posted March 8, 2015 Author Posted March 8, 2015 I found the army-odre in the book "Deutsche Sturmtruppen - Troupes d´assault allemandes" (Jean-Louis Lacarde) Point 1b says, that the MW troops wore shoulder straps with MW and the number!
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