Paranoid_Womb
New member
Hi guys, I found an interesting card. Most of the info I've found in Thomas Wictor's book or via personal communication. Your opionion is most welcome of course. Especially the gun is puzzling.
As seen on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paranoid_womb/8388042304/in/photostream/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Large original photograph (possibly by Bufa). The back has a tag saying: "Aus dem Westen. Geschützen werden durch mannschaften in die Stellungen gezogen".
On scene are 3 groups of soldiers, each pulling a piece of light artillery, possibly a 7.7 cm Feldkanone, but I can't find the exact model. Do note the late-war camouflage applied to the canons. Possibly, these are modified versions and fairly unknown. The men are flanked by an NCO and an officer of the unit.
The soldiers are wearing a mix of M15 Bluse and M1907 Feldrock. All are wearing puttees and trousers with leather reinforced knees. Such pants were worn by mountain troops, assualt troops and other specialty units. Gear is limited to a gasmask, Kar98 on the back and bayonet. All soldiers have steel helmets with an interesting camouflage pattern applied to it. Also notable are small decals on the side of their helmets. I first assumed it had to be postwar, but to top it off, a knocked out British tank, as well as a French Snider tank can be seen in the battlefield behind them, i.e. it was made during world war one.
Little is known about which unit this actually is, but it is very likely to be a Infanteriegeschützebatterie (Infantry Gun Battery) or Sturmbegleitbatterie (Assault Accompanying Battery). Such units were formed on a divisional level and accompanied infantry for the duration of one operation. Prior to 1916, these were also called shock batteries or Stossbatterien, for their part in supporting advancing shock troops.
A typical unit consisted for 4 guns and a 6 man crew for each gun and these would position on the flanks of the second wave of infantry shock troops and would advance 1000 yards after the first assault wave. Guns would move in two-gun detachments, so that the two other pieces of artillery were always at the ready. The aim was to take out enemy strongholds at close range.
53 of such batteries were formed by the end of the war and I'd say that were looking at one of them. I'm seeing some shadows of men walking in front of the first canon, so this could be the 4th canon of the batterie. The number of men seems to be pretty much correct.
Some are of the opinion that this is the Kanonenabteilung of Sturm Battalion Nr. 5 (Rohr) and that the camouflage M1916 helmets have a Baden Crests hand painted on the side. The Ersatzabteilung of the Gebirgs-Artillerie-Abteilungen Nr. 5 and 6 (located in Breisgau/Baden) provided replacement soldiers for Infanteriegeschützebatteries Nr. 1, 3, 6, 9, and also for the Infanteriegeschuetzbatterie of the Sturmbataillon Rohr, hence the Baden crest. This must however be incorrect, as the stripe on the Baden crest points in the other direction.
It is however correct that a lot of the crewmen of the Infanteriegeschützebatterien were trained by Assault Battalion Rohr. Another type of badge has been found on the helmet of another Infanteriegeschützebatterie, so this suggests that some had their own unofficial helmet insginia.
Thomas Wictor, who has a similar looking picture is of the opinion that these men are from Infantry Gun Battery No. 2, which was Bavarian. He enforces this by pointing out that, on close inspection, the tunics are Bavaraian ones . They have a single digit and since Infantry Gun Batteries 2 and 10 were Bavarian, it can only be the 2nd. Also, it is a digit only and no flaming bomb, consistent with what Bavarians did.
The shield might be an unofficial infantry-gun emblem that was different for each battery.
Thomas also shared with me that the canons are Krupp 7,7 cm Infanterie-Geschütz 18. This 1918 model never saw combat,making this a picture made during a training.
What is strange about the canon though, it some sort of "box" sitting on top of the breech, which does not appear to be present on the sole other picture I've seen of this piece of Artillery.
Sam
As seen on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paranoid_womb/8388042304/in/photostream/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Large original photograph (possibly by Bufa). The back has a tag saying: "Aus dem Westen. Geschützen werden durch mannschaften in die Stellungen gezogen".
On scene are 3 groups of soldiers, each pulling a piece of light artillery, possibly a 7.7 cm Feldkanone, but I can't find the exact model. Do note the late-war camouflage applied to the canons. Possibly, these are modified versions and fairly unknown. The men are flanked by an NCO and an officer of the unit.
The soldiers are wearing a mix of M15 Bluse and M1907 Feldrock. All are wearing puttees and trousers with leather reinforced knees. Such pants were worn by mountain troops, assualt troops and other specialty units. Gear is limited to a gasmask, Kar98 on the back and bayonet. All soldiers have steel helmets with an interesting camouflage pattern applied to it. Also notable are small decals on the side of their helmets. I first assumed it had to be postwar, but to top it off, a knocked out British tank, as well as a French Snider tank can be seen in the battlefield behind them, i.e. it was made during world war one.
Little is known about which unit this actually is, but it is very likely to be a Infanteriegeschützebatterie (Infantry Gun Battery) or Sturmbegleitbatterie (Assault Accompanying Battery). Such units were formed on a divisional level and accompanied infantry for the duration of one operation. Prior to 1916, these were also called shock batteries or Stossbatterien, for their part in supporting advancing shock troops.
A typical unit consisted for 4 guns and a 6 man crew for each gun and these would position on the flanks of the second wave of infantry shock troops and would advance 1000 yards after the first assault wave. Guns would move in two-gun detachments, so that the two other pieces of artillery were always at the ready. The aim was to take out enemy strongholds at close range.
53 of such batteries were formed by the end of the war and I'd say that were looking at one of them. I'm seeing some shadows of men walking in front of the first canon, so this could be the 4th canon of the batterie. The number of men seems to be pretty much correct.
Some are of the opinion that this is the Kanonenabteilung of Sturm Battalion Nr. 5 (Rohr) and that the camouflage M1916 helmets have a Baden Crests hand painted on the side. The Ersatzabteilung of the Gebirgs-Artillerie-Abteilungen Nr. 5 and 6 (located in Breisgau/Baden) provided replacement soldiers for Infanteriegeschützebatteries Nr. 1, 3, 6, 9, and also for the Infanteriegeschuetzbatterie of the Sturmbataillon Rohr, hence the Baden crest. This must however be incorrect, as the stripe on the Baden crest points in the other direction.
It is however correct that a lot of the crewmen of the Infanteriegeschützebatterien were trained by Assault Battalion Rohr. Another type of badge has been found on the helmet of another Infanteriegeschützebatterie, so this suggests that some had their own unofficial helmet insginia.
Thomas Wictor, who has a similar looking picture is of the opinion that these men are from Infantry Gun Battery No. 2, which was Bavarian. He enforces this by pointing out that, on close inspection, the tunics are Bavaraian ones . They have a single digit and since Infantry Gun Batteries 2 and 10 were Bavarian, it can only be the 2nd. Also, it is a digit only and no flaming bomb, consistent with what Bavarians did.
The shield might be an unofficial infantry-gun emblem that was different for each battery.
Thomas also shared with me that the canons are Krupp 7,7 cm Infanterie-Geschütz 18. This 1918 model never saw combat,making this a picture made during a training.
What is strange about the canon though, it some sort of "box" sitting on top of the breech, which does not appear to be present on the sole other picture I've seen of this piece of Artillery.
Sam
