1915 complete LT dunkelblau

[Paul C]

I picked this up last year and finally got around to completing the display and doing pics. The tunic and picklehaub were purchased separately. The tunic is for IR 40 and is for a LT. I have been told that it is a transition 1915 tunic. If anyone wants to comment feel free. The tunic is in great condition as well as the picklehaub. I was luckly enough to have the correct picklehaub when I purchased the tunic. The only thing I need to add is a Prussian brocade belt. There are not any loops for a bar and the tunic is not named. The display stand is actually a modified form for a shirt. I just added a long wooden pool and screwed a round piece of heavy cardboard to the top for the helmet. The flag is a Imperial navy flag. This is the first piece in my uniform display room. Enjoy the pics.

[Paul C]

close up

[Paul C]

picklehaub

[Paul C]

upper close up

[Paul C]

side

[Chip]

Paul,

The F?silier Rgt. Nr.40 would have adopted white as the backing color in 1915, but epaulettes and the epaulette bridals were abolished at the same time, so these epaulettes are confusing to me. Prior to September 1915 the shoulder straps of F.R.40. were Hellblau (a medium blue). The cuff Patten for the regiments of the XIV Army Corps had no piping. There was no official "transitional" Dunkelblau tunic, though we know from photographic evidence that these uniforms were worn at home in Germany up until the end of the war. I rather doubt that new blue uniforms were being made after 1915. So at best, this has to be a pre-1916 made tunic, which would not be correct for F.R.40. I would really appreciate it if someone would explain the epaulettes to me. I must be missing something, as they appear to be OK from what I can see.

Chip

[Paul C]

Chip, it was a confusing tunic to me also, but when Tony S. of The Kaiser's Bunker looked at it he said it was OK. Here are my notes from Tony.

You will see that the cuffs on a IR40 Dunkelblau Waffenrock should just be

red, no piping and the epaulettes would be blue.

OK, in 1915 the Friedensuniform Feldgrau regulations changed the board/strap

underlay to white and added the old board/strap color of blue to the piping

on the cuffs.

But, that applied to Feldgrau Friedensuniform. My friends and I discussed

this tunic, and it appears to be just that, a tunic made post-1915 with the

colors for the M1915 Friedensuniform regulations which is highly unusual to

say the least. For a private purchase tunic, there is no difference between

a officers or Mannschaften tunic, just straps vs. epaulettes. But of

course, officers have that braid loop, while men have the straps sewn in.

Blue piping on the cuff could be any number of regts, but here is no other

explanation for the white based epaulettes.

Does that make sense?

[Chip]

Paul,

Well, I think Tony is saying essentially what I did, that is, there is no good explanation. His conjecture seems reasonable given the apparent facts, but there is no official explanation for whatever is going on here.

Chip

[Paul C]

I agree but that is one of the reasons I like it since it is rather unusual. I could not get that much information from the seller but he bought it with a belt and picklehaub and sash. Too bad none of it was named.

[Guest Rick Research]

Some years back Robert Noss (I think) had a 1927 dated photo of Mecklenburg FAR 60 Hauptmann (1916) Karl von Witzendorff wearing pre-war dress blue uniform--complete with the banjo boards, bandoleer, etc-- and all his wartime awards... including 1918 silver wound badge.

Now even if that was TAKEN in 1918 and being recycled in 1927...

there was a 1918+ officer wearing full PRE-war Dunkelblau dress NOT the M1915 Feldgrau dress!!

It must be in the realm of

Bizarre Personal Fashion Statement

attire.

I've seen parade dress for Wehrmacht generals not promoted to that rank until after the Normandy landings, when full dress hadn't been worn for years (and what WERE they thinking?)

One of my cousins was commissioned an Ensign in the USNR out of ROTC in 1958 and proceeded to buy the complete ceremonial dress that NOBODY was wearing (epaulettes, "Admiral Dewey" 1898 type fore and aft hat and so on) completely permanently covered in black Presidential mourning material...

because Eisenhower was "old" and if he died in office, Young Mister Ensign wanted to be INSTANTLY prepared

to turn up in Arlington National Cemetery Honor Guard attire...

on his transport ship slogging back and forth to England!

I think Paul's overly enthusiastic young Leutnant (already fantasizing about his Paris occupation billet just like Grossvati in '71?) was somebody with deep pockets who didn't read the newspapers much and wasn't ...

paying attention!

[Chip]

There were also many traditions Treffen and other events during the interwar and even WWII years where vets brought out the old Dunkelblau. Look at von Mackensen, he wore his until he died!

Chip