Today is brought to you by the letter E.

joerookery

joerookery

Well-known member
E32.jpg


However rare, this type of helmet cover is not unknown. My original take on these was that they were for any Ersatz type of unit. However, my late working on postcards has changed my view. I now pretty much firmly believe that these were specifically for Ersatz infantry regiments. This specific example I believe comes from ersatz infantry Regiment 32. I have examples of this Regiment and Ersatz infantry Regiment 24. Both Saxon. Does anyone else have any ideas/proof/examples? Here is another example that shows a mix of helmet types–or cover types.


ps640 by joerookery, on Flickr
 
Joe,

All of the major branches used the "E" for their helmet covers. I have a copy of the Bavarian regulations, stating that the Ersatz cavalry squadron, artillery regiment, medical company, infantry munitions column, artillery munitions column, Fuhrpark column, Feldlazarette, telephone detachment and the pioneers all wore the letter "E" on their helmet covers. The order is dated October 19, 1915.

Chip
 
Thanks Joe and Chip.

After reading through the above I went through my pictures on Flickr to make some comparisons. Here's the few I found.

Letter on reverse addressed to a Frau Leichseuring in Mosel (Sachsen), dated 10.5.15 and postage cancelled at Coblenz.

After signing off "Mit Gruß Fritz", the author has provided the following: "Ers. Res. Schwarze Landw. Inf. Reg. 68".


Off to the fighting. A fully laden Ersatz (replacement) Infantryman 1915 by drakegoodman, on Flickr


Kgl. Sächsisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24.


Saxon Ersatz Infanterie Regt 24 by drakegoodman, on Flickr


Kgl. Sächsisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24.


Outdoors portrait of a young Saxon infantryman hailing from Kgl. Sächsisches Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24 by drakegoodman, on Flickr
 
Chip,

I am leaving today and cannot continue this for a while–I do not have that order however, I have heard of it. The problem is I have not seen a picture of this being executed in Bavaria. Could be just that I have not seen the picture but one would think that there would be more of these if indeed this was executed.

Brett,

While your pictures of 24 fit nicely within the cloth there is this picture of the guy with the 25 on his cover. What is up with that? Sounds like he was from Saxony. JR 68? There was no Ersatz infantry Regiment 25–is that indeed the E?? It certainly looks that way to me but this is one confusing picture!
"Ers. Res. Schwarze Landw. Inf. Reg. 68".
Click to expand...

There is also a timing issue–an Ersatz reservist in late 1915??? This could make my head hurt! I will be back…
 
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There seems to be quite a confusion here about the composition of Brigade Erzatz Bataillone or replacement battalions.

During my travels in the Vosges I did find many memorials dedicated to Ersatz units. Maybe my info, which I collected, might be helpful here?

There were 86 Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone, which belonged to 19 different Ersatz-Brigaden. These 19 different Ersatz-Brigaden belonged to 6 Ersatz-Divisionen and one Landwehrkorps. Some Reserve and Landwehr units also created their own Brigade-Ersatzbataillone, which are resp. named Reserve-Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone and Landwehr-Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone.

An Ersatz-Division was formed on mobilization with 12 brigade replacement battalions. Each brigade replacement battalion was numbered after its parent infantry brigade, and was formed with two companies each taken from the replacement battalions of the brigade's two active) infantry regiments. In three cases, a brigade replacement battalion drew from three regiments. Thus, collectively, the brigade replacement battalions represented troop contributions from sometimes 27 different infantry regiments.

For instance: the 84. Infanterie Brigade created Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon 84 from 2 companies of Ers.Btl./I.R. 169 and from 2 companies of Ers.Btl./I.R. 170. Br.Ers.Btl. 84 belonged together with Br.Ers.Btl 58 from January 1916 to the 55. Gemischte-Ersatz-Brigade of Armee-Abteilung Falkenhausen, active in the Northern Vosges.

Later in the war three Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone could generate new Ersatz-Regiments. For instance Ers.Btl. 58 and 84 formed together with the 52nd Ersatz-Regiment 29.
Bavaria deployed 12 Ersatz-Bataillone.

It is perhaps still quite confusing. :-? Let us have a look at the composition of the Württemberg 8th Ersatz-Division with some quotes from Wikipedia:
The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914.[2] The division was a composite division, formed around 12 brigade replacement battalions (Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillone) from the Kingdom of Württemberg, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Rhine Province and the Province of Hesse-Nassau. It became more Württemberg as the war progressed and in February 1917 was officially designated a Royal Württemberg division. It was redesignated the 243rd Infantry Division in April 1917.[2]

Order of battle on mobilization
The order of battle of the 8th Ersatz Division on mobilization was as follows:[5]
• 29. gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 29
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 30
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 31
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 32
• 51. (kgl. württemb.) gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 51
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 52
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 53
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 54
• 41. gemischte Ersatz-Brigade
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 41
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 42
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 49
o Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 50
• Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 41
• Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 25
• Feldartillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Nr. 27
• 1.Ersatz-Kompanie/Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 21
Click to expand...
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Ersatz_Division_(German_Empire) and my Dutch friend and publicist, Aris de Bruijn.

For now I finish with mentioning a link to a photo impression with some Ersatz-units memorials in the Northern Vosges, click HERE.
 
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Thank you very much, Badener. :)
Your kind reaction encourages me to tell an example of how these Ersatz units were embedded in a division. For my visit of the battlefields of Ban de Sapt en Senones in the Northern Vosges I studied the composition of the 30. Bayerische Landwehr Division.

Below I will immodestly quote from my own text from my Photo Impression about Senones and the Roche Mère Henry as an example how these Ersatz units could be embedded in a Division, in this case the 30. Bayerische Landwehr Division.

For this topic I try to use bold font for the Ersatz Units of the Division:

The German opponents - 30. Bayerische Reserve-Division.
On 25 August 1914 the Germans entered Senones on their march on St. Dié des Vosges. After the Battle at la Chipotte, at 12 September 1914, units of the 30th Bavarian Reserve Division (30. Bayerische Reserve-Division) withdrawed passing the defenceless town of Senones, to return in the evening to occupy the town.

From 18 August 1914, the 30. Bayerische Reserve-Division consisted of:
10. Bayerische Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade , Kgl. Bayerisches 11. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment , 14.Radfahrer-Abteilung, Festungs-MG-Kompanie Nr. 2, Reserve-MG-Abteilung Nr. 3, 5. Bayerische Ersatz-Brigade, Bayerisches Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 5 (mob.Ers.Btl./Kgl. Bay. 23.Inf.Regt.), Bayerisches Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 6 (mob.Ers.Btl./Kgl. Bay. 18.Inf.Regt. Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand), Bayerisches Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 7 (mob.Ers.Btl./Kgl. Bay. 5.Inf.Regt. Großherzog Ernst Ludwig von Hessen), Bayerisches Brigade-Ersatz-Bataillon Nr. 8 (mob.Ers.Btl./Kgl. Bay. 8.Inf.Regt. Großherzog Friedrich II. von Baden), Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung Landau/II. Bayerisches Armeekorps (⅓ Eskadron), Kgl. Bayerisches 2. Feldartillerie-Regiment, 1. Ersatz-Batterie/Kgl. Bayerisches 12. Feldartillerie-Regiment, Ersatz-Abteilung/Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 80, 1.Ersatz-Batterie/Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 84, 3.Batterie/Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 14.
On 26 December 1916 the Division was renamed the 30th Royal Bavarian Reserve Division. It spent it's time during the whole war in positional warfare in the Vosges mountains and the Alsace-Lorraine region...
Click to expand...
Source: pierreswesternfront.punt.nl - Senones

I hope this addition is helpful too?!
 
Pierre,

I am finally getting back to this. What a wonderful explanation you gave about brigade Ersatz battalions! I would like to tell you I have that entirely figured out but I do not. What I am trying to do right now is run down the brigade boundaries–in addition, I have some issues between brigade boundaries and inspections and the battalions associated therein.

However, that is not what I'm talking about. What I am talking about are the regiments. 28, 29, 51, 52, 23, 24, 32, 40. There were also five of them from Bavaria, and four reserve Ersatz regiments. These were formed from the brigade ersatz battalions at various times. So for instance the popular number 32–was formed from brigade ersatz battalions 63 and 64 and the third Battalion was self established. This was a Saxon unit and was not formed until 1915. Finding these ersatz infantry regiments in photographs seems to be a struggle–the Bavarians do not make it any easier. So I thought I would ask what other people's experiences were–really a tough subject and I need to link your photographs of the monuments to the units. As usual, your display is amazing! Thanks.
 
Thanks a lot, Joe, for your comments.
Considering the Saxon Kgl. Sächs. Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 32 and other Ersatz-Reigimente, this German website might be a little helpful?
http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/Verlustlisten/vl_kgl_saechs_eir_32_wk1.htm .
Abkürzungen:
B.E.B. 63: Brigade-Ersatz-Bat. 63
B.E.B. 64: Brigade-Ersatz-Bat. 64
E.I.R. 32: Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment 32
Click to expand...
 
Link to German survey of amongst others Ersatz units of Bayern:
http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Milit%C3%A4r/Formationsgeschichte/Deutschland/Erster_Weltkrieg#Bayern .
 
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