Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 213

[Brian R]

Hi Guys - As part of my never-ending confusion with Imperial German units, allow me to ask this question... there is a reference on a dealer site of an EK awarded to a member of III. 213. I'm assuming this is III. Battalion of Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 213, 46th Reserve Division (formed in Mecklenburg and the Hanseatic Cities). Is this correct? According to "251 Divisions..." the regiment was with the division through 1916.

Thanks!
B

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

 

is indeed 3rd Battalion

[Brian R]

Hi,

 

is indeed 3rd Battalion

of 213. IR. I guess this is where I get confused - if there was an IR and a RIR.

 

I'm spoiled by the Lexicon der Wehrmacht  (and other references) for matching units during the Second World War. Determining which unit goes with what in WWI continues to be a challenge. Any good recommendations for a general source?

[Dave Danner]

Regarding IR or RIR, It can be confusing for lots of regiments, but in this case it is easy.  There were no IRs or LIRs numbering in the 200s.  All the 200s were RIRs.  RIR 213 was raised in Schleswig-Holstein (Rendsburg, Schleswig and Flensburg).  III./RIR 213 was raised by the Ersatz-Bataillon of FR 86.  RIR 214 was a mostly Mecklenburg regiment and RIR 216 was mostly Hamburg, but all the regiments in the 46.RD had a mix of soldiers from the entire region, including Prussian provinces of Schleswig-Holstein and Hannover, the two Mecklenburg grand duchies and the Hanseatic cities.  

Here are the units RIR 213 was under and its attachments and detachments, from the Handbuch der Verbände und Truppen des Deutschen Heeres 1914-1918, Teil VI: Infanterie, Band 2: Reserve- und Landwehr-Infanterie (2012), by Gerhard Bauer and Jürgen Kraus.

[Brian R]

"There were no IRs or LIRs numbering in the 200s"

This is very helpful, Dave. Thank you. I will remember this rule and I will have to put the Bauer and Kraus book in my queue.