Which Bavarian Shoulder strap?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

 

can anyone guess this one?

 

Thanks

Chris

[IrishGunner]

Okay, I'll play.  The way you write the question, I suspect you already know the answer.  So, it might be a unit in your field of interest.  But it can't be an obvious one or you wouldn't have fun with the guessing game.  On the other hand, I'm going to take a wild guess in the other direction.  It looks a lot like Königlich Bayerisches 7. Feldartillerie-Regiment „Prinzregent Luitpold“.  Of course, I only say that because I have the regimental history and it is similar to the cover.  And the crown being a different (darker) color has me scratching my head.  But hey, it was worth a Euro to play the game. 

 

Now tell us the answer ... and the story.

 

From the cover of the bFAR Nr. 7 history:

[The Prussian]

Hello!

I agree!

Bav. 7th FAR

[IrishGunner]

1 hour ago, The Prussian said:

Hello!

I agree!

Bav. 7th FAR

Well, if Andy agrees with me, I win!

[Chris Boonzaier]

Damn.... I was scratching my head looking at the infantry straps :-(

[Fritz die Spinne]

Chip would have guessed with his eyes closed.

That darker crown is a mystery, though. Is it metal, or felt with a slightly different pigment that shows darker, perhaps?

[IrishGunner]

The swirls on the lower left of the cypher sill don't match exactly to bFAR 7.  So, it's only about a 90% accuracy in my opinion.  And as noted, that darker crown is a indeed a head scratcher.

[KMB]

Possibly same unit? He has a Bergmuetze on (most likely private purchased)

[The Prussian]

Hello!

That is a brilliant photo! Superb!!!!!

The grenade on the Bergmütze proofs that the shoulder board is artillery.

The first photo (from Chris) probably shows a red shoulder strap, worn with the Bluse 15.

[GreyC]

Agree. Great photo!

GreyC

[Chris Boonzaier]

Fantastic photo with the bergmütze!! Here his mine with his beautiful bride :-)

[IrishGunner]

Wow, I am so jealous of that photo with the Bergmütze/Granat.  I will have to go back through the bFAR 7. regimental history and see if there are any similar photos.

Chris, don't forget that Bavarian artillery wore the spiked Pickelhaube (instead of the Kugel) until March 1916.  Maybe that's what threw you off into looking at infantry regiments.

[The Prussian]

Nice photo, Chris!

Note the square visor, worn by bavarian field-artillery!

[KMB]

Close up of the Bergmuetze, defiantly private purchased. The Richtkanonier patch is that of a private purchased style as well.  

[Chris Boonzaier]

Waht was the connection between the bFAR7 and mountain troops?

[The Prussian]

I couldn´t find a connection. According to ,my sources the regiment hadn´t been in action in any mountains.

Maybe the Leutnant serced with a mountain unit and came later to the 7th. and kept his hat...

[IrishGunner]

Andy's sources are always great.  As I said, I have a first edition original hardback regimental history.  It's 435 pages (of tortuous Fraktur), so I haven't read it all, but a check of the Table of Contents shows nothing related to the mountains.  7. bFAR spent its entire time on the Western Front, mainly in the Marne/Champagne areas.  Farthest south was Lothringen at the start of the war and later Verdun.  I also checked the page which lists units set up from the Ersatz Battalion; no mountain units.  If we had the Leutnant's name, that might help...

Just a run of the mill Bavarian FAR, albeit one of my favorites.

Edited August 5, 2018 by IrishGunner

[KMB]

I would agree with the being moved from a Gebirgs Artillerie unit to a basic Artillerie unit. If I remember correctly it was common for NCO's and Officers from other units to be moved to other units. Here is a example, Hauptmann Carl Rose. He was in Prussian FAR 7 then moved to Prussian Fussartillerie Batterie Nr 102 under the Alpenkorps. He was then later moved to a FAR under the 117th ID in 1917 or 1918. Here is a photo below of him in May of 1915 (He wears the mourn band for his father's death) He was with Batterie Nr 102 during this time. His Bergmuetze is very stylish, most certain it is private purchased since his unit wouldn't have been issued them. 

.

Edited August 5, 2018 by KMB

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Yes excellent pic KMB