Ten personal favourites

[drakegoodman]

G'day,

A letter of introduction - of sorts.

I fell into collecting Great War photos about eighteen months ago after I (legitimately) came by a swag of M95 Mannlicher bayonets and needed some background photos in order to put together a half decent ad on Ebay.

A few background pics eventually turned into a lot of background pics and bingo - I was hooked.

Here are a selection of ten personal favourites in no particular order (please excuse the often elementary captions, they're for my benefit, not yours ):

Letter on reverse with postage cancelled on 16.12.14 at Neues Lager, Jüterbog. Photographer: Ernst Löhn, Jüterbog, Altes und Neues Lager. Preußen recruits and their instructors from Infanterie-Regiment von Stülpnagel (5. Brandenburgisches) Nr.48, in the grounds of their training facility at Jüterbog, north-east Germany.

Infantrymen from Infanterie-Regiment von Goeben (2. Rheinisches) Nr.28 (16th Div.), in a forward command position somewhere in the Bois-Brüle area. Note the improvised gas alarm and stick grenades ready to hand.

Letter dated 1.4.1915 on reverse and addressed to a Frau Mari Dellinger in Unering Germany. Postmarked with stamps from "2 Bay. Landsturm-Inf.-Batl. Augsburg" and a partial divisional stamp. Photograph produced by Photogr. Horst Detz of Oberhofen.

Letter on reverse addressed to a Frau Preus and postmarked with stamps "3. M.G.K. Res. Inf. Rgt. 80" & "Feldpostexped 21. Reserve-Div". 3rd Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 80, 21st Reserve-Infanterie-Division.

Stoßtruppen with American POWs, November 1917

"Flieger-Abwehr-Kanone (Flak) in Stellung 1917"

A pair of unteroffiziere from Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 227 (107th I.D.) wearing rare, filzhelme (felt helmets) with a scroll and regimental number replacing the usual wappen.

Quite a remarkable photograph taken near Bullecourt circa 1918. The knocked out British tank ('586') in the background is actually being used as a German dugout.

Gloved Landsturmmann, Lotte Germany, September 1914

Note on reverse dated 18.11.1914. One of a series of pictures taken by a German orderly at a first-aid station located in Etterbeek (one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium). Translated from reverse: "A 74 - year old NCO who helped in 1866 and 1870 and beside him his 30 -year old wounded son at the bandage station Brussels - Etterbeek."

The rest of my uploaded collection can be found here. The pictures I have posted here are "large", "original" sizes are available for your viewing pleasure at flickr.

 

[joerookery]

Bigger than WOW!!@! =D> =D> =D>

I will spend hours going through those pictures -- thank you. Really. Thank you. \/ \/

But now for the drumroll----A picture of RJR 227 with a scroll helmet!!! okay you do not get off so easy on this one-may I please ask for a picture of the back side? Robert and I have spent a lot of time working through the scroll helmets, and I would just like to see what the postmark says. Thank you for sharing this one.

Just an offhand thought on that truck mounted antiaircraft gun. I don't know if you have read. Jack Sheldon's account of Cambrai
but apparently these were pressed into service Army wide to stop British tanks.

And there is something wrong with your captions??? What a wonderful group.
:salute: :salute: :salute:

 

[Gustaf]

Hey Brett,
I knew Joe would be all over you for the scroll photos information, great selection of photos, thanks for posting and the link.
Gus

 

[Robert]

Great pictures! Of course I have to join in about the stunning scroll helmet picture of Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 227. Is the unit stamped or otherwise identified?

 

[drakegoodman]

Gus, Robert, Joe - Thank-you for the warm welcome

Joe - ask and ye shall receive, reverse of the RJR 227 picture. I've enhanced it to a semi-legible state. Looking at the original you could be excused for thinking there was nothing on reverse it's so faded:

I'll definitely add the Sheldon book to my burgeoning list of books to read. The idea of the Germans employing the flak guns in a direct fire role at Cambrai is fascinating to say the least - appreciate the 'heads up'.

Thanks again, and I promise I'll try to keep the silly questions to a minimum.

Warm regards,

- Brett

 

[Pierre Grande Guerre]

Bravo :bravo: , Thanks!

 

[Pierre Grande Guerre]

On second thought an afterburner:

Infantrymen from Infanterie-Regiment von Goeben (2. Rheinisches) Nr.28 (16th Div.), in a forward command position somewhere in the Bois-Brüle area. Note the improvised gas alarm and stick grenades ready to hand.

Are we speaking here if the Bois Brulee, part of Apremont Forest in the St. Mihiel Front sector?
Or is this text about another "burnt wood" somewhere else?
This the Bois Brulee I know of. And your picture, Brett, made me think about it, although this is concrete, created by Bavarians..

More Bois Brulee pics of nowadays, click HERE

 

[joerookery]

Thank you Brett! Robert it's time for you to spread some of that Bavarian magic over this writing. Those darn blue pencils. Does not the top of this say im Westen? A common word used for the Western front?!?!

Brett, I think you'll be very pleased with Jack Sheldon's book I think it is the best of the four. Of course I'm biased because of the tanks and the fact that Jack is a friend of mine, but the way he does the research is absolutely phenomenal. Nobody and I mean, nobody does what he does. He opens the archives in Bavaria on things that have not been open since the end of the war. His footnotes are extremely useful, as sometimes they beat up what the guy said in his memoirs! Unfortunately in this volume. There are some places where the numbering of the footnotes does not track. This is one of those deals where I feel his pain. If you read the text and then the footnotes. It's really not even noticeable but if you are flipping back and forth I am sure it can be distracting. For some unknown reason, books, in England and Holland and Australia are prohibitively expensive. We kept the handbook pretty cheap.

 

[Pierre Grande Guerre]

For some unknown reason, books, in England and Holland and Australia are prohibitively expensive.

In Holland we we have rather small market with a population of 16.000.000. Of course the Flemish do write an read Dutch, but it will add a few million more. But still the market for ww1- books in the Netherlands is a niche market. Many Dutch authors try to edit and sell their own books in this small niche market. They do realize it s just for the fun of sharing some knowledge. the honour perhaps, but not for the money. :twisted:

 

[drakegoodman]

G'day Pierre,

In the absence of anything on the reverse, I can only go by the caption on the front for a location, which experience has taught me is often incorrect.

I interpreted Bois Brulé as being the one you mention above the little town of Apremont-la-Forêt, east of St. Mihiel.

Thank-you for the link to the other pictures of the area. Remarkable.

 

[peter h]

Nice pics.

The American POWs might be from the Bathelemont raid in November 1917.The first doughboys,around 11,were captured and the episode was heavily publicised in the German press.

 

[Robert]

From what I can read the reverse side of the scroll helmet picture is a letter to the senders parents with the usual greetings.

Liebe Eltern!
Sende Euch..
Was es mich sonst noch anbetrifft geht es mir noch sehr gut was ich auch von Euch allen noch hoffe.
Auf Wiedersehen,..
Grüße..

Dear parents! I send you.. Besides that I am doing fine and hope the same for you all. Good by... greetings..

If there are no other references to RIR 227 and you concluded this unit because of the helmet number, I would propose that they rather are members of the GMGA 227. The canes evidently were popular among these units and appear on several pictures.

Concerning the use of these mobile AA guns at Cambrai, I saw a German postcard a while back with a painted scene of this occasion. Regretably I failed to place a bid .

 

[drakegoodman]

From what I can read the reverse side of the scroll helmet picture is a letter to the senders parents with the usual greetings.

Liebe Eltern!
Sende Euch..
Was es mich sonst noch anbetrifft geht es mir noch sehr gut was ich auch von Euch allen noch hoffe.
Auf Wiedersehen,..
Grüße..

Dear parents! I send you.. Besides that I am doing fine and hope the same for you all. Good by... greetings..

If there are no other references to RIR 227 and you concluded this unit because of the helmet number, I would propose that they rather are members of the GMGA 227. The canes evidently were popular among these units and appear on several pictures.

Concerning the use of these mobile AA guns at Cambrai, I saw a German postcard a while back with a painted scene of this occasion. Regretably I failed to place a bid .

Thanks Robert, I'll amend the flickr narrative accordingly. I'll remember to keep a look out for canes!

 

[Robert]

Concering the use of the Krafwagen-Flak (K-Flak) against tanks, I just found this really comprehensive and scientifically researched online book covering anti-tank warfare in WWI:

Im Zeichen des Tankdrachen (PDF)

Of course its written in German, but it is real text no scan so maybe an online-translator may be of rudimentary help. It contains many mentionings of truck-towed and -mounted AA guns, which were evidently very effective but much to few.