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I checked my literature ("Handbuch der Verbände und Truppen des deutschen Heeres 1914-1918", Jürgen Kraus) and that doesn't seem to be the case, locations of the Ersatz Bataillone as per Clovis' reply above. According to "Führer durch Heer und Flotte", Friedag, 1914, A.K. XXI did not have its...

Hi Adam, Welcome to the forum! I read I.R. 138, and either B.A. VI or B.A. VII. The B.A. stamp is the acceptance stamp of the Bekleidungsamt, that provided clothing and equipment to the regiments. The B.A. then issued the helmet to I.R. 138. As I.R. 138 was based in Dieuze before the war, which...

Yes, that's how I understand it too :)

Hi Bertil, I don't know for sure, but it seems that in this case both on the pre-war blue uniform and on the field grey uniform the same method of stitching was used. Sandy made a very nice overview of clothing regulations online...

Hi Bertil, The 1903 clothing regulations specify the cypher and crown embroidered in dark red yarn: Mike Kelso, in "Under Arms for the Kaiser", shows an M15 shoulder strap (i.e. field grey with white piping) that is embroidered like the 2nd and 4th shoulder strap in your line-up. Regards, Lars

Hi, Very interesting research, also shows how difficult it can be to corroborate a history with period photographs. I'm still searching for pictures of the M18 helmet (the one without the cut-out for the ears) actually being used in the war zone :). The picture of the Kaiserjäger has been...

Hi Bertil, In the 1896 clothing regulations both Nummerschnur / Plattschnur (is that what you call soutache?) and chain stitching were allowed for the numbers on enlisted men's shoulder straps, by 1903 only chain stitching was specified. For regiments with monograms, crowns, etc. there were more...

Hi Chris, I have used Google's AI myself when researching military photos and found it can be wildly inaccurate. I once uploaded a picture of a grave of Armierungs Bataillon 74, added both the unit and the name (that I could read myself on the cross) to the search, and the AI came back and told...

Congratulations, nice helmet. The "g" in "gb" stands for Garnison, and the "b" means it is the second grade, so this is a second grade helmet (even though it looks very nice in my eyes) usable in the garrison only (apparently there also was a "ga" for first grade garrison items). Regards, Lars

Super pictures! Thank you for showing, Regards, Lars

Hi Willi, Very impressive! Could you also show the belts? I would love to see those. Regards, Lars

Very interesting and emotional picture, August belonged to the 111. Reserve Infanterie Regiment according to the German casualty list, which corresponds to the helmet number. His head and an RIR 111 helmet have been glued on top of a Pionier picture, that doesn't mean this was his uniform when...

It's very interesting and enlightening to read how we have started, and keep, collecting. I started out collecting all things military as a child, which became a bit more focused over the years, before I discovered that my grandmother's brothers had all been in the German army during WW I...

Thanks for looking Gabe

Nice Tschako, Are there any unit markings? Regards, Lars

I recommend not to apply anything to the leather, either inside or out. It might give a short-term improvement, but in the long run it severely damages the leather and makes it rock-hard. The chinstrap seems to have been treated with something in the past, and has warped (and I guess hardened?)...

Very nice Michiel, Thank you for showing. The belt buckle looks like the pre-1895 model, could you please show the back? Regards, Lars

Thanks Clovis, My point is that when the Prussians specify "Tombak" it doesn't have to be pinkish / reddish, it can also mean the golden colour range. Regards, Lars

Very nice to have such a detailed history of a collectible, well done Tony. The explanation of the tombac however is incorrect in my opinion. In the English language tombac typically refers to a reddish copper-coloured alloy, whereas in the German language it typically refers to a...

Hi David, Total fake, easiest to recognise are the spike that looks wrong, and the shape and construction of the shell and the liner. If you look at some of the other "other ranks" helmets presented on the forum you will quickly see the difference. The chinstrap, Wappen and cockades also look...