Five relate mystery images

[Wyomingguy]

So I purchased five photographs on ebay for my personal collection. I found them to be interesting on-line but when they arrived  was really stumped by them. The five images were all taken in 1912 and the images (an odd oversize cabinet photograph that is very narrow) come from a Berlin photographer. 

The first mystery is this United States artillery officer!!! What is he doing with this group

 

So I would love to know who they are, where they are from and what they were doing in Berlin that warranted this series of photographs. 

 

[Glenn J]

Hello,

the French colonel is Maurice Pellé, the military attaché in Berlin. I would assume the other four are the attachés from their respective countries.

Regards

Glenn

[Trooper_D]

What a great buy you've got there, Wyomingguy!

To add to what Glenn has said, I would bet that the American officer is Capt. Samuel G. Shartle, an artilleryman who was US Military Attache to Berlin at the time. Ulsterman made a good post about him on this very Site,

https://gmic.co.uk/topic/64979-colonel-tamura-okinosuke-a-quiet-bookish-man-in-the-center-of-history/?do=findComment&comment=612527

Further down in that thread, Ulsterman shows the back of a postcard he found on the Internet written by Shartle to his wife and sent on 9 Sept 1910, which shows a number of signatures of fellow military attaches. It is worth visiting the blog post the image came from because most of these names have been deciphered, including that of Pellé, who Glenn identified!

http://postcardparadise.blogspot.com/2011/02/kaisers-military-manoeuvres-elbing.html

I imagine that, with a bit of research into the other names, you should be able to identify all the photos.

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by Trooper_D

[Wyomingguy]

Thanks so much to both of you. That would make sense as the cards of high quality so possible sets were made for each of them. I will dig into this more!!!!

 

One never knows what you find on eBay!

 

Peter

[Glenn J]

Peter,

Trooper D has already mentioned captain Schartle. 

The following military attachés to the German Empire were listed in the 1912 edition of the "Gothaischer genealogischer Hofkalender nebst diplomatisch-statistichem Jahrbuch".

USA: Captain S G Shartle
Argentina: Major B B Pertiné
Brazil: Colonel Fr E Jullien
Bulgaria: Major Gantschew
France: Colonel Pellé
Great Britain: Colonel A Russell
Italy: Colonel Count Calderari di Palazzolo
Japan: Lieutenant-Colonel Count Sano
Austria-Hungary: Major Freiherr von Bienerth
Persia: Major Mirza Mehdi-Chan
Rumania: Major L Mircesco
Russia: Major General von Tatischtschew
Sweden: Major Count de Schenfelt
Siam: Lieutenant-Colonel Bhra Songsuradej
Spain: Colonel J Sanchis
Turkey: Major Enver-Bey

I would surmise top to bottom:

Russia
USA
France
Brazil
Spain

Regards

Glenn

 

[Trooper_D]

3 hours ago, Glenn J said:

The following military attachés to the German Empire were listed in the 1912 edition of the "Gothaischer genealogischer Hofkalender nebst diplomatisch-statistichem Jahrbuch".

Many thanks for pointing us to this resource, Glenn, which I personally was not aware of. I discover that archive.org has a number of volumes - but not 1912, it appears. It does have 1917, though, which might be useful for someone,

https://archive.org/details/gothaischerhofka1917gothuoft/page/n6/mode/1up

Edited November 29, 2020 by Trooper_D

[Bayern]

7 hours ago, Glenn J said:

Peter,

Trooper D has already mentioned captain Schartle. 

The following military attachés to the German Empire were listed in the 1912 edition of the "Gothaischer genealogischer Hofkalender nebst diplomatisch-statistichem Jahrbuch".

USA: Captain S G Shartle
Argentina: Major B B Pertiné
Brazil: Colonel Fr E Jullien
Bulgaria: Major Gantschew
France: Colonel Pellé
Great Britain: Colonel A Russell
Italy: Colonel Count Calderari di Palazzolo
Japan: Lieutenant-Colonel Count Sano
Austria-Hungary: Major Freiherr von Bienerth
Persia: Major Mirza Mehdi-Chan
Rumania: Major L Mircesco
Russia: Major General von Tatischtschew
Sweden: Major Count de Schenfelt
Siam: Lieutenant-Colonel Bhra Songsuradej
Spain: Colonel J Sanchis
Turkey: Major Enver-Bey

I would surmise top to bottom:

Russia
USA
France
Brazil
Spain

Regards

Glenn

 

Hello, the first is not Russian ,he is Bulgarian Colonel Gantschew . He played a important role during the war as Liaison officer in the German Command

[Wyomingguy]

This is great information and thanks to everyone. I am making notes as fast as folks are posting!

 

Peter

 

[BlackcowboyBS]

I am deeply impressed by the knowledge shown in this thread. Great thanks I have learned a lot! 

Edited November 30, 2020 by BlackcowboyBS

[Ulsterman]

ah ha! That is part of the set of Schartle estate Berlin attache’ officers’ photos sold off by the Arringtons and then resold by dealers! Congrats!

I may be able to get the Thai prince photo.....I have a lead......

all of these guys were interesting. I suspect there is a damn good book in this set of biographies, if only Rick was still here to enjoy/ write the story. 

[Trooper_D]

53 minutes ago, Ulsterman said:

... if only Rick was still here to enjoy/ write the story. 

 

Amen!

[Ulsterman]

By the way- that is definitely Shartle. If you google his name- photos of him show up in 1918/19 on the US General Staff as a Colonel.

He lived onSpring Street in Portland, Maine and is buried  within sight of his first command out in Casco Bay in Evergreen Cemetery next to his wife of 50 years. 

[Wyomingguy]

Just back on the forum having moved this year from Wyoming to New Jersey. Thank you for the information on the photographs. They popped up on eBay without provenance but clearly of quality and interest so this is wonderful to know. They are treasured parts of my collection.