XIX Ersatz division

[joerookery]

So here is a brainteaser for you. :sign7: I have not pursued yet, but when I finish the pictures today. I'm into this one.

Why is that guy wearing that special Shako? Which units wore that hat? This guy clearly was in EJR23. Why does his hat say R25? What Saxon unit was R25????? :idea1: :idea1:

 

[Robert]

It seems that Erich Bräuer (?) in EJR23 is the receiver not the sender. He addresses him with "Dear friend" and it looks like he signs the letter with "Dein F. P." - presumably "your friend P."

Did the Saxon Reserve-Jäger-Bataillons perhaps wear their battailon number? It seems they were not attached to regiments. Then this would be the Sächsisches Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 25 ?

 

[joerookery]

you've nailed that one! Boy, was I wrong. I still have to look up R25 . This seems to have nothing to do with XIX Ersatz division. :^o

 

[joerookery]

While I may have been totally wrong on XIX Ersatz division. This has proved to be a pretty interesting little piece of research. :read2: :read2: :read2:

RJB 25 was formed early in the war in 1914 from the Ersatz Abteilung of JB 13. The unit was attached to the 53rd reserve division and participated there. It was very roughly handled around Ypres and had only 73 survivors by October 31st 1914. The commander who came from JR 106 was also killed on 3 November 1914. Therefore a surviving prewar example (as one of our members have) of a shako from this unit would be exceptionally rare. It is reported that the unit was made up by predominately by Kriegsfreiwillige. That is distinctly possible, - here is a little passage from the upcoming book.

The exact number of these volunteers is somewhat controversial. The number 1,300,000 was repeated in several newspapers including the government’s unofficial voice. This number has been repeated and copied from book to book for years. That number was more than likely exaggerated. Prussia reported that 260,000 had attempted to volunteer, but only 144,000 were accepted. There were 32,000 from Bavaria; Württemberg had 8600; and about 10,000 for Saxony. That is a total of about 185,000. The numbers were a classic example of the press building up the enthusiasm for the war. The newspapers claimed that these came from all social classes, but the evidence surviving from two regiments shows the proletariat represented by 33 of 413 volunteers in an artillery regiment and 64 of 450 volunteers in an infantry regiment. Students and the bourgeoisie were heavily represented.

:sad1: :sleepy1:

Now back to Probe cards....

 

[Adler]

And here is another one...

Adler