Please help to identify these soldiers!

F

Freiwillige

New member
Hello!
Could you please help with identifying these mysterious photos? I failed to do it by myself, my colleagues are not sure as well... Your ideas?

1. This portrait of EKII winner is dated January 26, 1919 on the back. The photo was made in the atelier of the Saxonian town Plauen.
The strange thing is the flaming grenade cockade that is pinned instead of the Reichskokarde. As far as Vorläufige Reichswehr was formed only on March 6, 1919 it's not the Provisional Defense Force.

Here are some ideas expressed by other collectors:
1) The grenade itself is very similar (except the size of the bottleneck area) to the British "General Service" collar, shoulder title & "trade" & rank badge device worn by The Grenadier Guards, Fusiler regiments & the Royal Artillery & Royal Engineers.
2) It could be a member of one of numerous Freikorps units. Reichs Kokarde removed as the Kaiser had done a runner.
3) It could be an insignia for a decomissioning team working with the Allies to scrap a weaponry including heavy artillery during the postwar years.

 
2. This studio photo is dated January 14, 1919 and was made in Riesda (Saxony again!). Please note the same flaming grenade cockade and the absence of the shoulder straps.

 
3. This photo is dated 1923 on the back. What does his "Z" arm badge stand for?
Some ideas:
1) The Zeppelin enamel badge has a near identical black/silver Z on it. Its conjecture but this could be a Zeppelin company crewman.
2) The photo could have been dated "1923" but was made earlier as this man wears a Bluse M15 that was not worn in the Reichswehr era. The "Z" could stand for Zepellin or Zeughaus. Those patches could be worn in the 1st part after the war (1919 in the "vorläufige Reichswehr"), but were not official. If it is Zepellin, it must be an inofficial sign until 1918.

 
Hey Joe,
I think not, as they would have removed the German Imperian buttons on the shoulders,
Best
Gus
 
Ah yes, but a large part of Poland was German, I do believe that they would have removed the German buttons if they were Polish though.
I like explaination #3, but have no knowlege to base it on.
Best
Gus
 
You are right Gus,
These photos do not show Polish soldiers. Polish Army since the beginning replaced the German insignia from the uniforms. They wanted to show that Poland is independent.

Regards,
Milosz
 
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