The best unit in WW1

[ccj]

This is an oberleutnant tunic with officers Shako with cover for the best unit on the western front during WW1.

The Marinekorps Flandern... the ultimate soldiers in WW1

[Chris Boonzaier]

ooooooohhhhh.... dangerous claim!!! :-)

[Chip]

Very dangerous and probably wrong.

 

 

[ccj]

Who can prove otherwise? I'm open to others to prove otherwise...

Post the combat records of the Marine-Infanterie (Seebataillon) units and we shall see! 

 

[Chip]

Well, you can't go by casualties, because even poor performing units could have high casualties. I think you can go by where a unit was sent and what tasks they were required to carry out. The naval ground forces had a fairly quiet front compared to many others. They never saw Verdun. They never went to the mountains, to Italy, to Romania, to any of the famous battles. No, I think they are far from the best unit in the German army.

[Chris Boonzaier]

I like my Naval infantry unit documents, but there are a number of Divisions who were really the "bruisers"... Divisions which were earmarked for offensive operations and were sent to fight at Verdun, Champagne, the Somme and Flanders.

I think the Marine Divisions were largely static?

[ccj]

Psshhhh...

So, what are you tryin to say?

Does anyone have the battle records of the 3 divisions? 

 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here you go....

http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/germanarmywwi.pdf

 

It has the allied rating of the units

Makes no difference though, I would love to have the tunic and tschako.

Even lower rated divisions went through hell we cannot imagine today...

[ccj]

I'm not a fan of 251 divisions...  Surely there's better.

[Chip]

The tunic and Tschako are excellent and Chis is right saying that about all units that had to serve in the front lines.

Charles,

You did make the claim. It's your obligation to prove what you say, not ours to disprove it.

[ccj]

Oh Chip, that's the oldest trick in the book. I'm like many young Americans now days whereby facts, evidence, proof, etc., have nothing to do with my reality. And I see no factual evidence that disproves my claim so far... Bwahahaha...

Actually, if hard to find anything of value relating to this topic in English. That why I started the thread with the title as most people seem to pass of the subject.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The bavarian 1st, 2nd and 2nd Reserve Jäger served together in the same regiment from the formation of the Alpenkorps.... there is no indication that any of the battalions was better than the others.... but you will never convince me that the 2nd battalion was not the best :-)

And its the same if I said sweaty girls with copius amounts of underarm hair were the best... it is not really easy to prove me wrong...

However, maybe the best indicator for divisions is seeing how the germans used them, and who the neighbours were. Alpenkorps, 10th Reserve Division, 1st garde Division... always rushed where the heavy combat was....

Naval divisions... holding the line next to landwehr divisions.

For them to be the best we would have to believe the Germans had simply overlooked them when they needed the combat studs! ;-)

[ccj]

No amount of common since can affect my sound and unwavering decision to opine that the Naval Infanterie were superior.

So superior in fact that the Allies seldom dared to attack the Naval Infanterie's sector. Oh, I said it... ;-/

Edited June 5, 2016 by ccj

[Chris Boonzaier]

The glass is never half empty, always half full! You old optimist you!!

[ccj]

Well, does anyone know how many PlM, HHO, and GMVK were awarded to members of the Marinekorp Flandern Seebataillon?

[Chris Boonzaier]

0 - 0 - 1 I think?

I think we probably need to go by Division as opposed to the Corps as a whole? :-)

[Paul C]

Are we only talking about German unit?

[Pickelhaube]

Best unit or not, the tunic is a killer.

Greetings

Pickelhaube

[dond]

IR 180 (26 RD) would be a good pick.  Even though most of their war service was not notable, they shut down the British attack on Day 1 of the Somme. 

[Chris Boonzaier]

38 minutes ago, dond said:

IR 180 (26 RD) would be a good pick.  Even though most of their war service was not notable, they shut down the British attack on Day 1 of the Somme. 

Hi,

I am working on a section on the somme for the next Kaisers Cross update. I would say the 180th was one of 4-5 Infantry Regiments that helped shut down the 1st day, but in the fighting in the weeks that followed Jack Sheldon in his book on the Germans on the somme rates them as maybe the best unit in the both, all sides included.

[ccj]

15 hours ago, Chris Boonzaier said:

0 - 0 - 1 I think?

I think we probably need to go by Division as opposed to the Corps as a whole? :-)

Hehe, well that funny...

[ccj]

Can a brother get some data on the Seebataillon during the war? I'm about to throw the set in the dumpster. There's not much of any value. I have seen photos of a few officers wearing either the HHO or the Crown order in the button hole. 

[The Prussian]

Question:

WHAT is a best unit?

The one, who killed the most enemies?

The one, who suffered less than the others?

The one, who conquered the most places or kilometres?

The one, which commander had the most medals?

The one, with the best equipment?

The one, who won a battle with the best ratio? Maybe 1:2 or 1:3?

[ccj]

Actually just hoping someone could help me find some good information in English about their wartime efforts. Heck, it's sparse...

And, I have yet to learn whether or not  a seebatalion officer would have earned  Turkish war medal. 

that old raggedy uniform looks okay

[The Prussian]

Why not? You didn´t had to fight in Turkey to recieve that star. Willi Rohr (Sturmbataillon Rohr) recieved it, just because talking with Enver Pascha about stormtroop tactics...

But the units of the See-Bataillon never fought in Turkey. All three Marine-Divisions fought in the western theatre.

But an officer of those divions could be attached to the military-mission in the Turkey. That was possible.

Edited June 8, 2016 by The Prussian