Great piece of history

Nice that time was taken to put names with faces. However, no date, location or military formation identification. I have no doubt that some of our members can provide a few of these details.
 
Nice picture! To me, it seems they are indeed artillery, as seen by the black band on their mutzen.
And, looking at the small kokarden, Bavarian.
 
Great photo,

i need to to some more digging but the chap commanding in the centre is Heinrich Freiherr von Weitershausen. He was a Major in the war ministry in 1914 and became ARKO (Artillerie-Kommandeur) 97. Could be the staff of ARKO 97 or a previous regimental command.

Regards
Glenn
 
Glennj said:
Great photo,

i need to to some more digging but the chap commanding in the centre is Heinrich Freiherr von Weitershausen. He was a Major in the war ministry in 1914 and became ARKO (Artillerie-Kommandeur) 97. Could be the staff of ARKO 97 or a previous regimental command.

Regards
Glenn
Click to expand...

Amazing.

Thank you Glenn
I think perhaps I should keep this, just ended the listing. No way I can part with this now.!

This could turn out to be a really interesting piece of history, I love it when the background brings it all to life and the people become tangible and real rather than just an image.

This has to be framed, with a print of the back and all the history that can be found in a nice display
 
Nick,

I can now add some details. It is a group photograph of the regimental staff of Kurmärkisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 39 probably in the late summer of 1916 either in Northern France or in Rumania. Baron von Weitershausen had assumed command of the regiment on 16 July 1916 and the regiment left France for Rumania at the beginning of September 1916. He is flanked by the regimental adjutant, Leutnant Karl Beckurts and the regimental veterinary officer, Stabsveterinär d.R. Hesse. Leutnant d.R. Burkhardt Helferich, the Regiments-Ordonnanzoffizier (assistant adjutant) is number 4 and Musikmeister Schultze is number 5. Vizewachtmeister Hagemann is number 6.

Regards
Glenn
 
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@Nickc , some additional info to add to @Glennj 's great post here above my post:
See pictures below. So you can see where they belonged to, and which divisions/units they were supporting at some dates of the war.
Courtesy of Verlag Militaria, Feldartillerie Band 1.

Regards, Coert.
 

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It was northern France the photograph comes from an album of 700 from a soldier who served the entire war on the western front.
Very few of the photographs have been sent or written, I kind of wondered if he were number 16 in the list as the hand drawn arrow pints to him.

A big thank you @Glennj and @coert65 for all the information its all saved on my network now and good old hard copy on paper
 
Nick,

it is a wonderful photo on numerous levels and a great research piece.

Baron Weitershausen's medal ribbons display the numerous awards he received as a department head in the war ministry. He was also awarded the Knights' cross of the Hohenzollern House Order with swords (as was his adjutant, Lt. Beckurts). Karl Beckurts was a company director in Meiningen in 1934 although the Baron died in 1928.

Stabsveterinär Paul Hesse was a pre-war civilian veterinary surgeon, practicing in Spandau and indeed after the war as a city veterinary surgeon in Berlin.

Musikmeister Otto Schultze, a former Sergeant-Trompeter in 3. Badisches Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Albrecht Karl Nr. 22 was still studying at the Royal music high school in Berlin in 1913 prior to his appointment as a Musikmeister.

By 1934 Burkhardt Helferich was Dr. Helferich and a professor in Leipzig.

Interestingly all six guys who I concentrated on in the front row survived the war.

Regards
Glenn
 
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