Lost Skeleton
Well-known member
Truthfully, I picked this up at the SOS last February, but if I posted it in Uniforms & Accessories, it would probably wither on the vine.
The jacket is a textbook example of the Kaiserliche Marine white service dress worn by officers and deck officers. Though a plain, unlined garment of cotton twill, the seams and plackets are durable and made to last.
This close-up of the right shoulder board highlights the rank and branch of service; a Marine=Stabsingenieure (naval staff engineer) with the rank of Kapitänleutnant. The accent thread is black and combined red/white representing the national colors of the Reich.
For more information regarding engineer officer uniforms and insignia, please see Glenn's excellent web reference:
http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~maampo/militaer/glenn/marine/Engineer%20offiziers.htm
The six gilt buttons are secured with cotter style pins for easy removal when the uniform required laundering. The shoulder straps are also easily removed.
As luck would have it, a name tag was hidden behind a flap whereby a celluloid collar could be attached. The name, "Plath," wasn't much to go by, but it proved to be enough:
Checking the Ehrenrangliste der Kaiserlich Deutschen Marine 1914-1918, I found this entry on page 1252:
The rank list is inundated with cryptic abbreviations and anagrams, but the gist about Willy Plath is that he served in the II Werft Division aboard a training hulk, SMS Leipzig, instructing engineering personnel. After May 1918, he was transferred to SMS Lothringen. He was promoted Marine=Stabsingenieure in February 1915 and Korvettenkapitän in April 1920 (Provisional Reichsmarine).
These links provide further data on the ships to which Plath was assigned:
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/sms_leipzig_1.htm
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/sms_lothringen.htm
Finally, an old cigarette card provides a glimpse at the complete Weißen Anzug. It was obviously designed with comfort and freedom of movement in mind.
Chas.
The jacket is a textbook example of the Kaiserliche Marine white service dress worn by officers and deck officers. Though a plain, unlined garment of cotton twill, the seams and plackets are durable and made to last.
This close-up of the right shoulder board highlights the rank and branch of service; a Marine=Stabsingenieure (naval staff engineer) with the rank of Kapitänleutnant. The accent thread is black and combined red/white representing the national colors of the Reich.
For more information regarding engineer officer uniforms and insignia, please see Glenn's excellent web reference:
http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~maampo/militaer/glenn/marine/Engineer%20offiziers.htm
The six gilt buttons are secured with cotter style pins for easy removal when the uniform required laundering. The shoulder straps are also easily removed.
As luck would have it, a name tag was hidden behind a flap whereby a celluloid collar could be attached. The name, "Plath," wasn't much to go by, but it proved to be enough:
Checking the Ehrenrangliste der Kaiserlich Deutschen Marine 1914-1918, I found this entry on page 1252:
The rank list is inundated with cryptic abbreviations and anagrams, but the gist about Willy Plath is that he served in the II Werft Division aboard a training hulk, SMS Leipzig, instructing engineering personnel. After May 1918, he was transferred to SMS Lothringen. He was promoted Marine=Stabsingenieure in February 1915 and Korvettenkapitän in April 1920 (Provisional Reichsmarine).
These links provide further data on the ships to which Plath was assigned:
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/sms_leipzig_1.htm
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/sms_lothringen.htm
Finally, an old cigarette card provides a glimpse at the complete Weißen Anzug. It was obviously designed with comfort and freedom of movement in mind.
Chas.
