Photos Vintage Military Pictures In My Collection.

[Connaught Ranger]

Aside to collecting military medals I also collect military pictures, so I will share some of them here, starting with Germany :-


German WW1 era Officers, ladies and dogs, both Officers sport the Iron Cross II Class ribbon on their tunics.

German WW1 era Officers, location Buzau Eastern Romania which came under German occupation after mid-December 1916.
Spot the kid looking out the widow behind the officers, and quite a few of the group wear the ribbon for the Iron Cross II Class.
Of particular interest is the third man from the left, ethnic African in origin.

Notation on the rear of the group photo in Buzau

Unknown German soldier WW1 period.




German WW1 era, Senior NCO of a Heavy Machine Gun Unit, according to the insignia on his left arm, in France, he too sports the ribbon of the Iron Cross II Class.


German WW1 Unknown soldiers, 3 Comrades and dog on a visit to a photographers Studio 1915.


German WW1 period, Group photo, 10 soldiers dated to 1917, one soldier, (3rd from left) has the Iron Cross II Class ribbon.



Anybody know what the disc on the collar of the uniform represents?

 

[Connaught Ranger]

German, WW1 era, what could be cooler than a military priest rocking up on a horse sporting a Iron Cross II Class ribbon on his cassock?
Pater/Father. Walter Emmert, Kapuziner, Altotting. - 12. 11. 1919.


German WW1 era, two young soldiers pose in a photographic studio, of interest the covers for the helmets,
flash-lamp buttoned to the tunic, of the soldier on the left and the seldom photographed trench mitts on the soldier on the right.


German State of Bavaria,immediate pre WW1 or very early in WW1, his statehood is identified by the two medals he sports on
his tunic, Left - Prince Luitpold Jubilee Medal of 1910 and the Bravarian Military Service medal II Class for 12 years service.



German, WW1 era, Group of Officers relaxing, all appear to me members of a Heavy Machine Gun Unit, as identified by the badge on the left arm, nearly all, if not all, wear the Iron cross II Class ribbon. The picture is dated to the 5th June 1917.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Awesome photos, CR.

The first note in your first post says:

To my d[ear] mom as a reminder of my wartime service in the Aferna 109 [Armee-Fernmeldeabteilung = Army Signals Detachment] in Romania.
Buzau, the 22nd of May 1918
(a part of the staff of A. Fe. A 109)

The second card reads:

Year of war 1917
A k[ind] souvenir of y[our] friend
Otto Schneider

The "disc" on the collar is a button bearing the arms of the soldier's home territory (Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, etc.). It's the rank insignia of a Corporal (see image below).

File:Grad Abzeichen Deutsche Armee.png - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

 

[Connaught Ranger]

@ Fish&Chips :- Thanks for the translations and info with regards the disc, first time I have come across the insignia in pictures I believe.
More pictures will be added as time permits.

 

[Fish&Chips]

The third note (post two) is obviously from the Western front as it says:

In memory of the forest camp at the Aisne
5 June 1917

So these guys were either lucky to survive the second battle of the Aisne a month earlier, or they were brought in afterwards.

 

[Connaught Ranger]

German, pre-WW1 Heavy Machine Gun Company portrait 6 HMG crews, and support staff inc transport wagons.


Rear of H.M.G. Photo.


German Patriotic Post Card of General Field-Marshal Hindenburg, Hero of Tannenburg fame.


German Patriotic Post Card of General Field-Marshal Von Bulow.




German Patriotic Postcard of Prince Adalbert Von Prussen in Naval Uniform -

• Leutnant zur See (Ensign / Acting Sub-Lieutenant)
• Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant, Junior Grade / Sub-Lieutenant), before 1905 through at least 1908
• Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant) on staff in SMS Kaiser, 1914
• Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) in command of SMS Danzig, 1917
• Fregattenkapitän (Commander) in command of SMS Dresden 1918.

He sports the Iron Cross I Class, the ribbon of the Iron Cross II Class
to the end of the ribbon bar are ribbons denoting -

• Gold and silver Imtiyaz Medals (Privilege, Ottoman Empire)
• Gold Liakat Medal (Merit, Ottoman Empire) - 21 October 1901 - during the visit to Istanbul of SMS Charlotte, where he served.

German Patriotic Postcard of Erzherzogin Augusta as a Volunteer Red Cross Nurse.

Archduchess Augusta of Austria / Princess Auguste of Bavaria - Married into Austrian Nobility, Archduke Joseph August Viktor Klemens Maria of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia.
On the outbreak of war with Italy in 1915, Augusta Maria Louise, though in her 40's and the mother of a son serving as an officer, went to the front with the cavalry regiment of which her husband, the Archduke Josef August, a corps commander, was honorary colonel, and served a common soldier, wearing a saber and riding astride, until the end of the war.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Rear of H.M.G. Photo.

This card is on spot for Easter.

"Dear parents,
I'm sending you an image of the MG company of Reg[iment] No. 50. Should you not have posted the money yet, I beg you please send it immediately. Wishing you some really merry Easter holidays and all the best,
your Heini"

 

[Connaught Ranger]

German, Unknown, studio portrait of a soldier, with bayonet. One tunic button not fastened!

Rear.


Remember when I wrote :- "What could be cooler than a military priest rocking up on a horse sporting a Iron Cross II Class ribbon?"
Only when its a priest sporting the Iron Cross I Class, Iron Cross II Class, Bavarian Military Service Order with swords II Class,
and a Prussian Black Wound Badge.? In my opinion he is a Bavarian, because he flouts regulation that states all awards must start with Prussian awards (despite which State or Kingdom they come from.) The Bavarian's were notorious for thumbing their nose at Prussian Regulations.

Medal award crop.


German - Studio Group Portrait -II Battalion I.R. 82 First Company, 1 Section, War Year 1914-1915.



German - WW1 Unknown Group Photo taken in the field sign reads "Burkhardts quelle."

Inscription on the front.


Rear inscription.


German - Bavaria - Officer Family Portrait dated to 1924.

Medal awards - Left to right - Medal bar - Kingdom of Bavaria Military Service Order Cross with Crown and Swords on Combatant ribbon,
Prussian Iron Cross II Class. On his breast, Prussian Iron Cross I Class and Prussian Black Wound Badge.



German - Bavaria - Officer Family Portrait, possibly 1928.


Medal ribbon bar for - Kingdom of Bavaria Military Service Order Cross, Prussian Iron Cross II Class.




German - Bavaria - Officer Family Portrait. dated to 27 August 1930.

Interestingly his awards show Prussian Iron Cross I Class, Prussian Black Wound Badge,The Baltic Cross (German: Das Baltenkreuz) (See - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Cross ) under that he has what appears to be a FreiKorp Deutshritter-Kreuz 1919.


Rear.

 

[Connaught Ranger]

German - State of Baden ? unknown soldier he is wearing the ribbon of the Bavarian Military Service Order Cross.




Rear notation 1.

Rear notation 2.


German - WW1 era, Naval Hospital ward for wounded.


Name of the wounded sailor.

Name of the wounded sailor.

Name of the wounded sailor.

Name of the wounded sailor.

Name of the wounded sailor.


German - WW1 era, Studio Group picture, one officers has the Kingdom of Bavaria Military Service Order Cross


Rear.

Rear 2

 

[Fish&Chips]

Rear notation 1.

"In memory of your old friend Jos. Stärk, Hofskirch, Saulgau, Württemberg"

So I assume he's wearing some Württemberg decoration rather, but I can't find this ribbon.

 

[Connaught Ranger]

"In memory of your old friend Jos. Stärk, Hofskirch, Saulgau, Württemberg"

So I assume he's wearing some Württemberg decoration rather, but I can't find this ribbon.

Ribbon of the Bavarian Military Service Order (BMVO) for other ranks. War time version with thin black stripes on the outer edge.

 

[Fish&Chips]

Oh, I see. Thank you. Well, Saulgau is close to the border, so he might have been drafted by Bavaria.

 

[Connaught Ranger]

Oh, I see. Thank you. Well, Saulgau is close to the border, so he might have been drafted by Bavaria.

It was not uncommon for inter-state/kingdom awards to be made during WW1.