Artillery Sleeve Insignia

[Chris Boonzaier]

I assume this is a Gun Layer or whatever the arty guys call themselves?

[IrishGunner]

The term in German is "Richtkanonier" - the cannoneer who aims the weapon. (Kanonier, der das Geschütz in die zum Treffen eines Ziels erforderliche Richtung bringt.)  In English, simply the gunner or gun-layer as you note.

However, that is not the Richtkanonier abzeichen, which is sort of a bomb with wings for Feld-Artillierie and just a bomb for Fuss-Artillerie.  They look similar to the shoulder strap bomb, but just a little more ornate.  I verified in my my copy of the Leitfaden für den Unterricht der Kanoniere und Fahrer der Feldartillerie. Ausgabe 1915.  The reference and CDV are dunkelblau, but I don't think there was a change.  I believe the Wehrmacht abzeichen was similar.

I don't think I've seen your sleeve abzeichen before.

Here's a photo of a Richtkanonier from FAR 18.

 

Edited March 3, 2016 by IrishGunner

[Chip]

I've not seen that before either. It's a bit hard to tell, but they do look like cannon barrels. The only metal insignia that I know of like this was for the soldiers and officials of the technical institute, but it was worn on the officer type shoulder boards. Perhaps this is just something unofficial for enlisted men assigned there.

Chip

[IrishGunner]

Well, if Chip hasn't seen this badge either, I'm really curious now...

I have an officer's shoulder strap from the Technische Institut der Artillerie with those crossed cannons (which Chip helped me identify in a GMIC thread), but can't find the images of it on my hard-drive at the moment.

Edit: I found the previous thread, but I used the seller's image.   Apparently, I never scanned the item myself.  Maybe I'll open a beer later tonight and do that...  Just for comparison of the cannons.

Edited March 4, 2016 by IrishGunner
Additional info

[Chip]

IG,

If you can't find yours, I can scan my example.

Chip

[Chris Boonzaier]

For some reason i thought I had seen one like mine in the Kraus Books, but I probably looked wrong,

[IrishGunner]

Chip, it's right there in the drawer.  But instead of opening one beer, my wife and I opened two bottles of wine.  Enough said.  Scan did not get done last night.

[The Prussian]

Hello!

I´ve seen those crossed symbols on an saxon infantry uniform (Crossed rifles)

We assume it´s a Waffenmeister-Gehilfe.

Maybe the artillery had similar branches?

[IrishGunner]

This is a fast (and terrible) scan of the cannons on my Technische Institut der Artillerie  strap.  The shape is very similar to the one on the sleeve in Chris' photo.  However, the sleeve device appears a bit larger.

Nevertheless, it gives some credibility to Andy's theory that there is some relationship to a Waffenmeister.

Edited March 6, 2016 by IrishGunner