The best unit in WW1

[ccj]

Interesting I wasn't aware of the ack of requirements to earn the TWM.

[Chris Boonzaier]

I think Max Bayer got one along the same lines. He discussed militarising the Turkish boy scouts, but his trip to Turkey to oversee it all was cancelled, he still got a star.

9 hours ago, ccj said:

I'm about to throw the set in the dumpster. There's not much of any value.

Yeah... sounds right.... drop me a line about which dumpster....

I want to avoid some street bum wearing it and being shot at by the Belgians!

[ccj]

Too late, it's toast.  I got rid of it as soon as you and Chip started on your anti marine rant. 

 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Dang! At least you burned it, that way there is not some wino who fished it out the dumpster doing a "stolen Valor" thing !!!!

[ccj]

Yeah, that POS outfit is gone... Don't know why I bought it so its out in the bin and another tunic in its place.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Lets see the next one then... maybe it is an OK unit......

[The Prussian]

As I asked in #23:

Which criterions must a unit fulfil to be a good (or the best) unit? It´s really hard to say.

A brilliant unit on the western front could fail in the mountains of Tyrol.

The best marksmen in the pre-war era was the 5./Inf.Rgt.31. They recieved the Kaiser-Badge each year from 1898-1904. Seven times in sequence. But do we hear a lot of that unit in the war?

What about Inf.Rgt.146?

They did see everything, but the western front. So they are not mentioned according to the "Great" battles like Verdun or the Somme.

1914: East-Prussia, south and north Poland

1915: Galicia, Poland and Serbia

1916: Macedonia

1917 and 1918: Palestine and Syria

So again my friends: What is a good unit?

To me the best unit would be a unit with the most engagements and the least casualties OR the unit with the most awards in the war.

But who is able to count?

I can recommend a book (but it´s about WW2):

Martin van Creveld: Fighting Power ( https://medium.com/@bayobatt/book-review-fighting-power-4a9a8076b5e#.a9nff0beq )

Edited June 10, 2016 by The Prussian

[ccj]

Here's the next "one of the Best units"

LGR100 

[The Prussian]

35 minutes ago, The Prussian said:

As I asked in #23:

Which criterions must a unit fulfil to be a good (or the best) unit? It´s really hard to say.

A brilliant unit on the western front could fail in the mountains of Tyrol.

The best marksmen in the pre-war era was the 5./Inf.Rgt.31. They recieved the Kaiser-Badge each year from 1898-1904. Seven times in sequence. But do we hear a lot of that unit in the war?

What about Inf.Rgt.146?

They did see everything, but the western front. So they are not mentioned according to the "Great" battles like Verdun or the Somme.

1914: East-Prussia, south and north Poland

1915: Galicia, Poland and Serbia

1916: Macedonia

1917 and 1918: Palestine and Syria

So again my friends: What is a good unit?

To me the best unit would be a unit with the most engagements and the least casualties OR the unit with the most awards in the war.

But who is able to count?

I can recommend a book (but it´s about WW2):

Martin van Creveld: Fighting Power ( https://medium.com/@bayobatt/book-review-fighting-power-4a9a8076b5e#.a9nff0beq )

By the way. Here is the 5/31 in 1902

(Company leader: Hauptmann v. Keyser. The officer in the centre of the photo with the bright coat near the bicycle)

Edited June 10, 2016 by The Prussian

[Chris Boonzaier]

"What about Inf.Rgt.146? They did see everything, but the western front."

Thats a bit like saying "Its the best Rugby team in the world, but they did not play an international match" :-)

But yes, an interesting unit, I have a nice EK1 group to an officer who was awarded the EK1 in the middle east.

[Chris Boonzaier]

"So again my friends: What is a good unit?

To me the best unit would be a unit with the most engagements and the least casualties OR the unit with the most awards in the war.

But who is able to count?"

 

That is a very good question....

There is the Subjective way of seeing it.... I think the 2nd Bavarian Jägers are better than the 1st Bavarian Jägers because I live 8km away from where the 2nd Jägers were based.

The pessemistic way ... There was no way for a unit to control its losses or succeses... if they were sent to a sector the best they could do was to fight like hell... no amount of skill, training or bravery could cancel out a surprise enemy bombardment or a hidden enemy MG Bunker. The only way for a unit to be great is doggedly attack and defend.... often glory and capturing the nemy fort was simply a question of luck and chance.

The Objective way .... have confidence that the German High command had a good overview on the values of its divisions, and used the right tool for the right job... i.e. if a Division was shunted from one sector to the other to take part in attack after attack.... it was because this division was good at it, not because the Kaiser did not like the commander.... :-)

[ccj]

Honestly,  I feel the best unit would be the one that the German I command or the local army commanders would use for assaults and for breakthroughs by enemy forces. 

My original intention starting this thread was to get as much information on the battle record of the Seebataillon as possible.  So far not much luck... like so many other attempts.  Turns out all that come about was a fireball

I think IR 115 and 116 did well.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

Seebataillon are a pain in the Butt. I have a number of EK docs to them, but hard to find any info, although there is a regimental history for one of them.

Maybe someday someone does a good history of the units, but I am not betting on it.

The sad fact of the matter is, a unit can fight gloriously and bravely in a sector, but if that sector is not one of the "biggies" noone will ever notice.

IR115 and 116 were at Verdun... so they were in a "biggie" :-)

[ccj]

Yes, that's why I'm so proud to own this IR116 uniform. 

Hessen helmet under the cover. The cover is a little loose so I'd love to find a smaller one. This regiment and the Corp is belonged fought well  

[Chris Boonzaier]

That is pretty cool... was that not the unit that removed the spikes at the start of Verdun, all the spikes were collected by the units then lost.... when the kaiser came to visit they had to carve potato spikes and put them under the helmet covers.

[ccj]

Wow, so if I find a Hessen Pickelhaube without its spike it may have been removed it may have been by the soldier himself. Any known photos of this unit at Verdun and without their spikes?

[Bayern]

ccj .: The german seebataillons under Admiral Von Schroeder fight with courage and profesionalism their record is not very known . their french opponents and counterpart were the fusiliers marins under rear admiral R onarch in the muddy trenches of Flanders . The Marinekorps Flandern fought in the siege of Antwerp , the second battle of Flanders ,the battle of the Somme , the offensives of March 1918 and ... the Marine detachement Skutari of the seebataillon ,after return to Germany in August 4 1914 was later transferred to the Breslau light cruiser and the cruiser gos to Turkey . The Marine Korps in four years lost 10000men of around 60000 . After the armistice members of the korps formed the Freikorps Lutzow and the Freikorps Schwarze Jaeger . 

[ccj]

Thank you sir. Im still looking for a desent book in english about the seebataillons in Marinekorps Flandern is WW1.

On 6/5/2016 at 10:07, ccj said:

 

[Bayern]

ccj Always at disposition . certainly the books about the marine korps are mostly in german but i have found for you the following in english : Wielding the dagger : The Marine Korps Flandern and the german war effort 1914 18 . author :Mark D Karau , edited in Westport Ct by Praeger .Good luck ! 

[ccj]

Thank you, that's a fairly expensive book. I wonder if any here have read and would offer opinion. 

[ccj]

Time to update.... finally found a belt that fits.

[Bayern]

Congratulations !

[Chris Boonzaier]

byoootiful..... a superb tunic!

[ccj]

Thank you all