Bernd_W Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Good evening gent I'm struggling with further research about a Lieutenant der Reserve, Kurt Rieger. He was Lieutenant der Reserve in 1918 when the war ended. He was enlisted in the Landwehr Infanterie Regiment Nr. 118. A hessian Unit. At least from 10th of September till 13th of November 1918. He was in the 4. Company and became Leader of the 4. Company after the revolution. He was voted by the members of the 4. Company. Unfortunately, I only have the 1914 Rangliste and it's without first names. I found only a Rittmeister (Hauptmann) der Reserve in the hessian dragoons regiment Nr. 23. And various Lieutenants with the name Rieger in IR. 66, IR. 155, Ladwehrbezirk Lübeck and Magdeburg. It's all not hessian related. So how to determine which is my Rieger? Are there any Ranglists with first names or from 1918? Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Hello Bernd! When he was Lt.d.Res. in 1918, he probably did not serve in 1914. The normal way was, he entered the war as volunteer, became Gefreiter > Vizefeldwebel d.Res. > Leutnant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. I thought der Reserve and Landwehr would indicate he served bevor war, his picture looks like he was something around 30, but It's hard to tell sometimes. So I don't think he was a war volunteer without any service or examination bevor. Would an officer who was Leutnant der Reserve in 1914, still be Leutnant der Reserve in 1918? Or were they promoted automatically? The normal way was: serve, be part of the Reserve and then Landwehr 1 and 2, and you were chosen to become a reserve officer while serving. Could you serve in peace times, then becoming reserve, but not as an officer, and then in wartimes you will become a reserve officer? Or was it more likely, he was examined and did no active duty in peace times, but became part of the Ersatzreserve and then became a reserve officer during war? Do you have any idea where I can find something about him? Are there any 1918 Ranglists? Once read, they did not print Ranglists during war. Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Hi Bernd! Yes, Reserveofficers in peace time could get a higher rank. If they became officer during the war, it was possible too, but normaly they stayed with their Leutnant rank. There were ranklists of 1917, 1918 and 1919, but they show only the active officers and they don´t have a name-index... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. So I think I would not find him in any Rangliste or Dienstaltersliste. I also tried the obvious stuff like the hessian and federal state archive. Found a Major Kurt Rieger with a somehow fitting DOB: 22.8.1890 in the employment records of Reichswehr and Wehrmacht at the federal state archive. Do you think it's worth a look? Could he have reached the rank of Major when getting reactivated for the Wehrmacht during WW2? This page, mention a Rieger, Leutnant der Reserve mentioned in Schlachten des Weltkrieges. But €25 for the exact book volume and page is somehow a rip-off. https://adelsquellen.de/adelsforschung/schlacht01.htm Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) In which volume should he be mentioned? I have the entire collection of those books Edited January 14 by The Prussian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. Unfortunately, I don't know it. This information is sold by the Institut Deutsche Adelsforschung for 25€. They made I index of everyone who is mentioned, provide the index online, and sell the book volume and page for a name online. But if you own the entire collection, it is worth a thought to buy the information. I think you would be so kind, and provide a screenshot of the page? Because they only sell the book volume and page, and then you will have to find an archive which own the book and go there and make a screenshot. Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 If I have the title if the book, I can have a look inside, of course. But are you sure that is the man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. The only provide: "Rieger, Leutnant der Reserve" in the online List. Therefore, I'm not sure. Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Hi Bernd! Theproblem is, there a probably a coupe of officers with that name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. It's not the least uncommon name in Germany, but also there was no Lt. d. R. Rieger before the war. But anyway, it would be a matter of context, if the Rieger is mentioned in context with the LIR 118, then it's very likely him, otherwise not so. I will think about give it a try. Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Hi Bernd! Why not? Try it. I will help if I can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. Sure, I know, you will help me with the book. But it's the Swabian in me, it's 25€ for nothing if it's not my Rieger. Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Next December you will have forgotten the 25€...😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn J Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Bernd, Andy, not helpfully, Leutnant der Reserve Kurt Georg Rieger was on the rolls of Landwehr-Bezirk Kiel! He was commissioned into Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 118 on 9 October 1917. Regards Glenn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 (edited) Hello Glenn Thanks for your post. Why not helpfully? You don't think it's him, because his second first name is missing onto the passport? I guess it's him, it would be a big coincidence having two Leutnant der Reserve Kurt Rieger in LIR 118 in 1917/1918. May I ask you, out of which source you get this Information? Thanks for your help, so there is no need for me anymore to search the online digitalized old phone books from the main hessian recruiting districts of LIR 118. I would never have found him. Many Thanks! Kind regrets and thanks Edited January 14 by Bernd_W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn J Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Hi Bernd, I just meant that one would not automatically assume a man from Kiel would be an officer in a Hessian regiment. I have been “collecting” first names of Prussian officers for 25 years. He is in my records as such. Regards Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Hello Glenn Many thanks for your help! Kind regrets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 (edited) Hello Glenn! Commissioned also means his promotion? According to MWB 1917/3 (page 1220), I found him with his promotion from Oct.9, 1917 from Vizefeldwebel to Lt.d.Res. in Kiel. By the way... You can buy the regimental history on pdf for 5€ here: https://military-books.lima-city.de/hp77/118.html Edited January 15 by The Prussian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn J Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 4 hours ago, The Prussian said: Commissioned also means his promotion? Morning Andy, exactly. Commissioning in the British Army is the initial promotion to officer rank. Regards Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 Hello Andy Thanks for your post. May I ask you what MWB is? Thanks for the link to the regimental history. I was not aware they sell a copy. But I guess I won't find him there, unfortunately there is no real regimental history for the LIR118. Only a report in "DIE HESSEN IM WELTKRIEG 1914 - 1918" which covers the time span from the outbreak of the war till October 1915. See: https://wiki.genealogy.net/LIR_118#Literatur: I guess it's the report which is partly published here: https://www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/browse/sourceId/43/sn/qhg Even if they don't mention the book "DIE HESSEN IM WELTKRIEG 1914 - 1918" as a source, it covers the same time span, and it's almost the same number of pages. Might get reprinted as a separate book in 1933, For me, it makes sense he was a relative new officer, when he got voted as a company leader after the revolution, they wanted to get rid of the old system and would not have voted for a career officer or some other long time ago commissioned officer. IMO the signature is the SPD politician Friedrich Vetters, he was a member of the Workers and Soldiers' Council in Gießen, therefore he was a trustworthy person for Workers and Soldiers' Council in Darmstadt, which acted as the highest Hessian Workers and Soldiers' Council. Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Hi Bernd! MWB is Militärwochenblatt. There are most of the promotions mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 Hello Andy Thanks for the answer. Kind regrets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Hello Bernd! I just checked the regimental history. Because he was in the Ers.Btl., unfortunately he ain´t mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernd_W Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 Hello Andy Thanks for your help. Is there any real regimental history? Or just the report in "DIE HESSEN IM WELTKRIEG 1914 - 1918" I mentioned above? That Ers.Btl. is another mystery. According to this page: https://wiki.genealogy.net/LIR_118#Namensgebung it was the name of the whole regiment, at some point, but I guess it's a mistake. Quote Ersatz-Bataillon Ldw.-Inf.-Rgt. Nr.118 aufgestellt in Lampertheim, später Darmstadt. Or do you think, the whole regiment was only one battalion in the end of the war, and only used as spare? The commander of the battalion was someone whose name ends with "gler". Kind regrets and thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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