Refocusing... Bavaria in sight!

[Chris Boonzaier]

As some of you know, I have had to take a bit of a time out from the hobby and have not had much time to update the site and work on my various projects…. I am happy to announce I am more or less “back”…
I had the intention of doing a volume covering German Iron Cross documents 1914-1918 and invested many hundreds of hours in this project over the last few years.
It has been a long path that has provided me with much pleasure as I have enjoyed the work. However, reality bites and I have decided to shelve that project for numerous reasons and shift my goals.
My main interest has been award documents and photos to the various Bavarian infantry regiments and Alpenkorps, and I have decided to tackle this subject as it is a more realistic goal.
My intention is to do a Bavarian volume covering:
1) Iron Cross documents
2) Militärpass
3) Photos
4) Postcards
5) Related militaria (Shoulder boards, headgear, Medals, unit related badges etc)
I would like to cover Bavarian Infantry, Bavarian Reserve Infantry, Alpenkorps (Bavarian and non Bavarian Jäger)
I believe the project will have realistic limits and hopefully be of interest to enough collectors to warrant the effort.
I am exchanging ideas with a gentleman who has quite some experience in this field and hope to get him OB with the project.
I would welcome any comments of thoughts the community may have about the project… worth doing?

[IrishGunner]

Chris, I would think anything Bavarian would garner some interest, but do you think the entire Bavarian infantry might not be too broad?  It seems to me that the Alpenkorps alone would seem to be an area you could really drill down and focus and actually might have a wider audience.  Alpenkorps would attract Bavarian, infantry, Jäger, and mountain interests.  The mountain interest would even attract non-infantry guys like me that have a side interest in mountain troops.  I've followed your posts/comments on the Alpenkorps with considerable interest.  You could maybe even do two volumes.  One on Bavarian Inf/Res Inf and one on Alpenkorps Jäger.  I really think the two volume approach would broaden appeal to other groups.

[Dave Danner]

Focussing on the Alpenkorps alone, you would have to take into consideration that about 1/3 of the infantry was not Bavarian. Many of the MG and artillery units were also Prussian. 

[Bayern]

Hello I agree , Not all the mountaineers were bavarian , Think f example in the Wurttemberg Mountain Bataillon

[Dave Danner]

I do think the Alpenkorps is a worthy subject. I just think that to do it justice you need to address the Mecklenburger and Goslarer Jägers, among others. I know Chris's primary focus is Bavaria, though. 

Besides Bavarians like Ferdinand Schörner and Württembergers like Erwin Rommel, a number of Goslarer Jäger who served in the Alpenkorps, such as Hermann Balck, Ernst Haccius and Heinrich Kirchheim, went on to serve as generals in World War Two, so there could be additional interest from people whose interest is in WW2. 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Guys,

thanks for the comments, all valid points indeed... so here are my thoughts....

I shelved the EK book project because there are simply not enough EK doc collectors to justify the project. The work would have needed to include the Iron Crosses as well, but then it becomes a multi volume work and it is a thankless, impossible task to go it alone.

So I decided to concentrate on the Bavarian Infantry (Active and reserve for now)...

Logically I included the Bavarian Jäger (as light infantry)  and that means half of the Alpenkorps infantry is already included... Although not Bavarian I think we can agree that few people would complain if the rest of the Alpenkorps Infantry and a couple of other Mountain troops were included as an annexe.

I think it is dooable in one big volume, at a push maybe in 2 smaller volumes... I need to see what form it takes.

The secret is finding a happy medium, that there is enough variety to attract people with different intrests, and meat on the bones to give those people enough of what they want in their field of intrest... so I hope for the following...

 

Photographic: - No Matter how much we like history, it is the illustrations that make a buyer decide, so....

- A wide range of variation as far as Bavarian award document/Militärpass etc go

- A good selection of Period Photos

- An interesting but not overpowering/exhaustive selection of bavarian Militaria

Text: - a support function

- Basic info which helps a collector understand what he is seeing

- an annex that provides the reader with an overview of the actions that the various divisions took part in

- for selected documents some deeper research about the man and his part in the war.

 

At the moment

- I have a potential co-author who is very interested in the Bavarian angle, especially Alpenkorps

- I am tossing up whether it is better to look for a publisher or Self Publish and maintain flexibility

- I am looking for a volunteer who may be able to help with layout (if there is anyone out there... :-)

That be my thoughts of the day....

 

 

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[Paul C]

Good Luck to you. One word of advise. However much time you think it will take to complete the project, double it.

[Chris Boonzaier]

For sure.... the EK Book? I had planned 2 years... used up over 10 before I reaslised it was not going to happen.

I think the Bavarian one is more realistic... I am planning 6 months, hope to have it done in a year :-)

[Ulsterman]

Good Luck. You know, I reckon a trip or two to the Bavarian Army Museum would be time well spent. You also could do what a lot of my colleagues are doing- write a shorter, (250 pages) book with a website adjacent for additional information or expansions if topucs- a sort of hybrid. Why you could even attach it to GMIC. 

Edited September 22, 2018 by Ulsterman