Riding Breeches/Reithosen, Part 2

To continue our story, one characteristic of both the 1908 and 1916 pattern Reitosen or riding breeches is that they are minimally tailored. Beyond the legs gradually tapering in, there is little of the extreme lines one normally expects with riding breeches or the more extreme lines found with officer's breeches.

1916 Pattern Reithosen, Front View-  Note the gradual tapering o the leg and that the leather seat extends down most of the leg.

1916 Pattern Reithosen, Rear View- Once, again, this is a relatively untailored garment and is in no way form-fitting.

Line Drawing of the 1916 Pattern Reithosen

So, as it can be seen from the above pictures, the Reithosen were generously cut and were intended for practical use out in the field. These were not designed to look good for parades and in fact, they go against popular concepts of what cavalry uniforms should look like. Wars will do that. 

Perhaps some of the confusion stems from the Reithosen being confused with Stiefelhosen,which were a more tailored fitted garment. The enlisted version of the Stiefelhosen were originally issued to soldiers assigned to machine gun detachments. Later, they were also issued to mountain troops and field artillery. Below is a line drawing of the enlisted 1908 pattern Stiefelhosen:

1908 Pattern Stiefehosen

But even here, there is not much difference between these and the Reithosen. 

Just for comparison, here is what people normally associate with cavalry breeches:

Second World War Era Officer Breeches. The extreme tapering from the hips to the legs is evident. This type of styling was characteristic of officer uniforms and was also in existence during the First World War.

In the end, more research will have to be done but it is safe to say that the Reithosen was a loosely fitted garment intended for practical use in the field.

The New Chevauleger Uniform

It's been quiet here for awhile so here's an update of the latest from the 2 Chevauleger. As many of you know, obtaining the proper uniforms has been a recurring problem almost since the unit was originally formed in 1997. At first, converting vintage Swedish Army tunics from the 1940s was the way to go but at best, this was a half-way solution that was makeshift at best. Sure, the outline of the proper 1909 tunic was achieved but that was about it. The color and the wool were completely off and when lined up next to a proper tunic, the differences are obvious. But, it was all we had at the time and there was no real alternative, especially since nobody in the group had any tailoring skills and there was nobody in the marketplace willing to attempt the project except at an exorbitant price. It also did not help that we did not have an original 1909 tunic to work off of.

With the unit dissolving in 2004 and an overall lack of interest, the status remained unchanged with the Swedish conversion tunics being the closest thing in existence. However, with the revival of the unit in 2011, further efforts were made to address this issue. With the growth of the WWI reenacting and the upcoming Centennial, there were more vendors coming into the marketplace plus more research sources were now available due to the internet- where before one had to really search for hard information, it was now more readily available and especially in the various works by Jürgen Kraus.

What was especially interesting was that several vendors, all located in China, were offering what they termed "Chevauleger tunics" but upon closer examination, they completely missed the mark. I ordered one such tunic and was able to examine it. While the workmanship was not bad, the details were off and it was evident that they'd never consulted any sources whatsoever (it's not like they're not out there and in fact, it's never been easier). After an unsuccessful attempt to contact the vendor to suggest some corrections, I decided that the only way we were going to recreate the 1909 tunic and the proper breeches was going to be doing it ourselves.

However, the big problem was that there were no patterns for this tunic out there- at least that were readily accessible to someone here in the United States. So once again, I pretty much had to shelve the project; in a pinch the 1915 Bluse per the 1916 regulations would have to do. 

But as luck would have it, through a strange series of events I came in contact with a vendor, Vijay Singh, in India and after several attempts, we finally managed to nail it down. The only downside is that I have to send him the rear belt ramps and the side belt hooks for him to sew into the tunic and I then have to sew the buttons on myself when I receive it (unfortunately, he was unable to procure the correct Bavarian lion buttons so I had to have those custom cast elsewhere).

Anyway, the first production model was made from feldgrau colored wool  that I had bought from Woolrich (the bad part is that Woolrich has a high minimum order- I bought some yardage from someone who had purchased a large amount) and then sent to India to be made (the shipping and duty cost me almost $200- I don't recommend this route). The uniform was meant as a private purchase uniform for garrison/away from the front lines (basically I use it for living history events that do not involve battle reenactments).

So, after a long struggle, here's the first generation production model. Here are some details:

I am wearing the 1909 pattern tunic, or Ulanka, with 1916 pattern riding breeches or Reithosen. The cap is a private purchase visored cap trimmed in carmine, the facing color of the 2 Chevauleger. The piping on the tunic is also the same carmine (obtained from Mehler of Bavaria, the original contractor). I am wearing the rank insignia of a Gefreiter or corporal. The sword belt is the 1911 pattern with sword hanger. The buttons are nickle plated (all I had were brass buttons and this was the only way to get them into the "white" which is the color for the 2 Chevauleger). For front line conditions, the buttons would either be dulled down with a coating of a yellow brown paint and lacquer or just a dull white brass. The boots are the 1916 pattern Universal Bavarian Cavalry boots.

Close up. I am wearing the 1911 sword belt with the sword hanger. The service ribbons are, for left to right: Bavarian long service, China, and Southwest Africa. 

Full length shot. This is the 1909 tunic with 1916 pattern Reithosen or riding breeches. I am also wearing Bavarian Gefreiter insignia.

Another view with the private purchase visor cap.

Overall, I'd say we have achieved complete success and more uniforms will be arriving soon. The only bad part is all the buttons I'll have to sew on (22 per tunic).

Horrido!!

GWHS Spring 2015 Battle - Some Pictures

Below are a few pictures from the GWHS Spring 2015 Battle. These are mostly of the unit itself. Enjoy!

The 2 Chevauleger Bunker - It's currently under construction so please excuse the mess and the occasional anachronism...

The two members of the unit present: me and new member Mike Schlecht.

A more formal portrait....unfortunately, the 1909 tunic being made for me had not arrived yet so I wore my older 1915 Bluse which I was hoping to retire from the trenches after long service.

New rekrut Michael Schlecht.

Central Powers Line-Up

Kennzeichenborte

OK, have you ever wondered just what exactly they called the trim found on the collars of Bavarian uniforms? It called "Kennzeichenborte" and was brought into use per Royal Order, dated April 1, 1916. This was part of the uniform changes mandated by the 1916 uniform regulations. Below are some pictures to illustrate:

 

A close-up of the version for enlisted men. The officer version used silver thread.

The Kennzeichenborte in use on the 1915 Bluse- techncially, it was supposed to run along the edge of the collar all the way around and then up in front but due to shortages, they would often only run it up the edge of the colloar in front.

 

Flammenwerfers...

In an effort to gain a tactical advantage on the battlefield and ultimately break the deadlock of trench warfare, both the Central Powers and Allies sought various solutions. One such solution was the flame-thrower or flammenwherfer. The use in flame in war goes back to ancient times and one of the first recorded instances was the use of "Greek Fire" by the Byzantine Empire.

 

The composition of Greek fire was a state secret that has been lost and thus remains a matter of speculation and debate, with proposals including combinations of pine resin, naphtha, quicklime, calcium phosphide, sulfur, or niter. Byzantine use of incendiary mixtures was distinguished by the use of pressurized nozzles or siphōn to project the liquid onto the enemy. Because the substance was unstable, there was no practical way to employ it for land warfare thus it was employed as a naval weapon.

 

Greek Fire being employed in a naval battle.

Designs for flame-throwers were evaluated by the German Army as early as 1901 but it wasn't until the outbreak of the war and subsequent dealdlock on the Western Front that interest was revived. One of the first attacks was a lmited one made against the French at Verdun on February 26, 1915 and later on a more widespread basis against the British positions in the vicinity of Hooge, Belgium. The weapon's effects, besides the obvious one of burning the opposition, was it's psychological effect as a terror weapon- soldiers feared being burnt more than being shot and often they would quickly vacate their positions when there were flame-throwers in the vicinity. 

 

Below are some images of the later two-man M16 model. One man carried the tank and the other worked the nozzle. Basically, it worked on the principle of flamming fuel oil being projected by compressed nitrogen. There was an ignitor on the the end of the spray nozzle. Needless to say, anyone working one of these was an instant (and large) target for enemy fire.

 

A flame-thrower team consisted of three men with one carrying the tank, the other working the spray nozzle and the third to provide cover and assist as necessary. All the men were volunteers and organizational control was through the Pioneers. Flame-thrower teams were typically assigned to operate with the stosstruppen and were used in concert with machine-gun and rifle-armed infantry. The Flammenwerfer was one of many weapons used in tactical combination to rapidly neutralize and overwhelm the enemy. 

 

Two Flammenwerfer teams- It appears that they're in training.

Another training situation.

The M16 in a museum display. Not the bst image, unfortunately.

On the Western Front, 1917

Flammenwerfer team on the advance.

The unit disassembled.



In training, 1917.