The 2 Chevauleger Official History - Part One - The Battle for Verdun

The following is an excerpt from a history of the 2 Chevauleger Regiment that is believed to be the only history, official or otherwise, that exists of the regiment's service during the First World War. Up to this point, except for some vague references scattered here and there through what few references in the English language in existence, not a lot is known about the regiment's wartime service.

After going finally being able to raise the cash and actually locate a copy (nope, this one is not available electronically on Google Books), it was a trial just getting it shipped from Germany to the United States (for some inexplicable reason, the package wandered up and down the East Coast of the United States for about a month before finally coming west to me). Once I had it in my hands, I realized that it was going to be a tough, tedious process translating it. First, my German is not that great and second, the book is printed in Fraktur, an German typeface that was popular during the Kaiserzeit for printed materials. Normally, I would scan whatever I want to translate and then copy and paste into Google Translate, a tedious process and one that still requires you to puzzle through much of the translation- the grammar and syntax are atrocious (fortunately, I know enough about the German military during the Kaiserzeit that I can usually make an educated guess as to meaning and it's usually correct. 

However, with the book being printed in Fraktur, there's an additional step that I need to do- basically I have to transcribe the passages by hand into modern German (well, sort of modern German) using a chart that translates Fracktur into modern typeface. And yes, there is scanning software available that will do this but it's expensive and not particularly reliable.

Fraktur font- Needless to say, it can be quite confusing at times.

So in the end, I devised a three-step process where I first transcribe the passages in Fraktur into modern German and then copy and paste them into Google Translate. After cleaning up the translates passages for grammar and so that they make some sort of sense, I then have a somewhat finished product. Or at least one that gives an idea of what is going on. It's a slow process and it's only now that I've actually had some time to sit down and tackle some of it.

I have purposely chosen to focus on the 3 Eskadron since that is who we portray for living history purposes and fortunately for  us, the regiment was split up into its component squadrons and parceled out to various divisions so the history is a bit different for each. This is just the beginning and I hope you all will forgive me for whatever mistakes that I make. Given that I seriously doubt that we're ever going to see a professional translation of this book into English, it is a unique contribution/attempt. So on with the translation....

Horrido!

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The Battle of Verdun (February 21 - September 9, 1916)

When the divisional cavalry regiments on the Western Front were rearranged, only the 3^rd Squadron remained with the 6th Bavarian Infantry Division. The 5^th Army then ordered the squadron to be provided for use at Verdun and on July 15, 1916, the 3rd Squadron marched from St. Benoit where it had been situated from December 12, 1914 to July 14, 1916, about 1 ½ years, by way of Lachausse-Jarny to Genaville. On July 16, the squadron moved into accommodations in Mech le Bas and on July 16, it moved into accommodation in Mech le Bas which was dirty and it suffered under the plague of flies suffering and on July 17 it moved to Villers les Mangiennes, where it remained until the August 10, 1916.

The shattered 6^th Bavarian Infantry Division was one example of the murderous struggle for Verdun. On July 19, detachments from the 3rd Squadron took over the sectors of the 3rd Squadron/4th Chevauleger Regiment of the Alpine Corps. The sectors taken over required an impressive number of detachments consisting of 5 officers, 10 NCOs, 65 men and 60 horses so a complete replacement was hardly possible. The efforts of loyal devotion to duty that were required in this great struggle were monumental. In almost continuous travels, the dispatch riders were almost constantly on the move. The paths, gorges and valleys were contaminated with gas and the foul odors of dead bodies polluted the air even more than the enemy's bullets. There was disease around Verdun caused by rank atmosphere as well as by the nervous tension raging in the ranks of the squadron.

Doubtless the brunt of the fighting was on the shoulders of the brave infantry, but it was our dispatch riders who contributed with silent devotion to duty and heroism, can certainly be made equal to the activity of the sister arms to the side. On the shoulders of our Chevaulegers who had to convey the most important messages and commands regardless of enemy fire, weighed a responsibility, which they were also fully aware of. It is known that the means of communication used in the great battle all failed except the alarm goer (?) and dispatch rider, as well as the carrier pigeons. The carrier pigeon station at Romagne was used by our Chevaulegers from July 18 to August 10, 1916 and was garrisoned with 1 officer, 2 NCOs, 4 enlisted men and 8 horses. The men posted were Oberlieutenant b. Ref. Spiegelberger, Sergeant Donhauser, Sergeant Kuhlen and the Chevaulegers Weber, Kamsperger, Auerhammer and Winter. The supervision of the pack animals and the various prisoner transports were assigned to our 3rd Squadron.

From August 2 to August 9 raged the fight for Fleury and on the cold earth. The Division had lost in hard fighting 187 officers, 7523 NCOs and enlisted men that took place. On August 11 they were finally replaced (?). The 3rd Squadron was replaced by the 4^th squadron of the 12^th Jaeger zu Pferde Regiment (Rittmeister v. b. Osten) on August 12 at St. Laurent-Noers after Longuhon where by 8:30 the loading began (railroad?). The squadron travelled via Montmedy –Caignan – Mouzon – Authe - Harricourt by Brisquenay where at 4:30 pm the loading (?) began The squadron moved into Harricourt in the Argonne where they were accommodated where the 4 Squadron of the 12^th Jaeger zu Pferde had previously been stationed. Here, the squadron remained until September 30, 1916.

The 6^th Bavarian Infantry Division was under the command of General-Kommando VI Armee Korps (von Mudra) and was assigned to a relative quiet sector due to their heavy losses. Lieutenant d. R. Spiegel Berger took over the local command at Floville, Lt. B. Ref. Wirth took over that of Cheppy. The squadron had again to provide the normal detachment for the Stellunkstrieg (?) and also to take over the train operations (?). At that time, Captain d’ Hengeliere designed and conducted for the officers of the General Command some riding hunts between Buzanzy and Fosse.

The Canteen/Die Feldflasche, Part 3

As previously discussed in a prior post, the canteen or Feldflasche was not issued to the cavalry even though it had been standard issue for the rest of the German Army prior to 1914, something that is seemingly inexplicable (as of yet). It was not until September 14, 1914 that the issue of canteens to the cavalry was made. Initially, a modified version of the the standard 1907 pattern canteen with a shoulder strap was issued. This was similar to what was issued to the field artillery. Later on, the cavalry was issued with the same model issued to all other branches of the German Army.

Below is a picture of the artillery canteen which was basically a 1907 pattern infantry canteen with a harness and shoulder sling:

Illustration 8 and 9 depict the 1907 and 1915 artillery canteens.

Finally, below are pictures of the 1915 version of the artillery canteen. Like the infantry version, materials shortages mandated a change in June 1915 with the introduction of the 1915 pattern, which was made from steel that was tin plated on both sides. A cork stopper was used rather than a machined screw-top. What is especially interesting about the examples below is the use of an ersatz sling.

The 1915 pattern, rear view.

The 1915 pattern, front view.

The 1915 pattern, close-up of bottom attachment button.

Helmets and Things: The truth about the camouflaged helmets of the German Army

Camouflage helmets always seem to attract interest. Here's a good over view about the whole thing, courtesy of Jacob Caputo:

Helmets and Things: The truth about the camouflaged helmets of the Gre...: If there is one aspect that draws contention about the history of Great War helmets it is probably the use of hand painted camouflage...

Helmets and Things: A Short History of the German Steel Helmet

For a good "once over" history of German helmets during the First World War, check out Jacob Caputo/Alexander and Sons blog:

Helmets and Things: A Short History of the German Steel Helmet of the ...: In the early months of 1916 the surviving members of a small squad of German soldier huddled in the sordid recesses of a French shell h...

The M18 Helmet- Note, this was not a "Cavalry" helmet!

More on the Rucksack

Here are some illustrations depicting the rucksack in use:

Packing List for the Rucksack- This is from the WWII era but close enough.

Landwehrmanner with rucksack- The mess kit was strapped to the front of the rucksack while the Zeltbahn and maybe a blanket are secured under the top flap.

A nice close up from the rear. Most likely, he's got a greatcoat strapped along the outside in a horseshoe, once again secured by the top flap.

One more view from the year showing how the equipment was arranged on the rucksack.

The Rucksack

The rucksack was a fairly obscure item of equipment in the German Army and there is not a lot of documentation available. Before the war, rucksacks were issued only to cyclist and machine gun troops. With the massive expansion of the army in 1914-15, there was a need to equipment mass numbers of troops with something for them to carry their kit. Normally, this would have been the Tornister which was the issue knapsack but with bottlenecks in production, alternatives were sought and the rucksack was one of them. Intially, rucksacks were bought on the open market so there was a degree of variation. Also, non-infantry troops that were in possession of Tornisters were ordered to turn them in and instead were issued rucksacks.

For the cavalry, prior to the outbreak of the war they were not issued any sort of knapsack or rucksack; it was supposed that whatever kit they had would either be lashed down to the saddle, placed in the pommel bags, or incoporated into the blanket roll. However, with the end of the initial mobile phase by late 1914, cavalry was increasingly being used in a dismounted role and there needed to be some what for the cavalry soldat to keep his necessary kit close at hand to they were also issued rucksacks, at least at first.

 

Here's a little information from Jürgen Kraus (please excuse my poor translation):

Apart from rucksack-like models for machine gun troops and cyclists, no rucksacks were provided in the German Army before the war. In the first months of the war, bottlenecks were encountered in equipping the newly-established formations with knapsacks that rucksacks were alternatively obtained on a large scale for equipping reserve troops- Landwehr and Landsturm. Rucksacks were readily available commercially and they were also faster to produce than knapsacks. Already on August 27, 1914 the Bavarian Army administration had ordered 20,000 rucksacks to be delivered by the end of September. 

For the newly established snowshoe and mountain troops, the rucksack was an integral part of their equipment. Even for those troops in the field who had no knapsack, rucksacks were sometimes issued for carrying their equipment. So on November 25, 1914, the Bavarian War Ministry ordered the transfer of 5,000 rucksacks from the Bavarian Cavalry Division; since March 8, 1915, their replacement troops were equipped with Tornisters. At the beginning of 1915 there was still a great need for knapsacks.   

In order to at least fully equip the infantry, on January 18, 1915 the Prussian War Ministry ordered that Tornisters issued to those troops (i.e. non-infantry), were ordered to be removed and replaced with rucksacks; this applied to the machine gun companies, field artillery, telegraph, air service and train units. In addition, for the time being this would apply to all units- except for the infantry equipped with rucksacks from the outset- in order to keep the Tornisters for the infantry. This action was followed by Bavaria on February 1, 1915, Saxony on January 27, 1915 and by Württemberg on January 24, 1915. 

Initially, the military administration bought all available civilan rucksacks styles to meet the sudden demand. Later, delivery contracts were awarded by simplifying the patterns, although they could vary depending on the corps area clothing office. In Bavaria, where the procurement of the war clothing was carried out, a relatively large rucksack made of soft waterproof canvas with outside pockets for ammunition and other items was developed. Under the flap there was a special bag for the messkit, while inside the rucksack, five bags were installed. This rucksack pattern was judged to be too large and the material it was made out of was too thin.

Below are some views of the 1915 pattern rucksack:

 

The 1915 Pattern

 

And now the 1918 pattern:

The 1918 Pattern

In regard to the above two patterns, Kraus states:

There are two preserved originals provide a picture of the provisional backpacks that the Prussian Military authorities procured. The 1915 model, consists of reed green cotton fabric of about 57 x 57 cm in size and carries on the back of a 23 cm high and 37 cm wide, patch pocket. At the strap are quilted cotton short Schnallstücke (patches?) made of leather are sewn on. The other model (1918) is characterized by a military marking of Uhlan Regiment Nr. 20 and is from 1918. The 1918 large rucksack was approximately 43 x 52 cm and also made of reed-green cotton fabric, with elaborate trimmings and straps in brown leather; the flap is made entirely of brown leather. The leather straps match those of the Tornister. The different patterns or rucksacks that existed early in the war were consolidated by order of the Prussian War Ministry on June 3, 1916 by release of a standard pattern for rucksacks.  

After this, the rucksack was made of gray waterproof cotton fabric, just like the Tornister, and the carrying bag was approximately 58 cm wide and 48 cm high with an approximately 10 cm wide floor area. It had inside two pockets of gray or brown fabric with a falling over-flap: a larger 40 x 35 cm in size at the back and a smaller 30 x 20 cm in size at the front. (It's a little ambiguous here) 

At the top, reinforced by a 5 cm wide strip of canvas edge, a round cord of hemp ran through 16 eyelets with which one zuschnurte (secured?) the backpack. For closure was a 36 x 32 cm large, rimmed with a leather protective cover (flap), which was sewn to the back of the bag underneath the eyelets and inside partially reinforced with canvas. It was fitted with two 22 cm long leather straps and two 20 cm below the upper edge backpack roller buckles closed. On the cap were four leather straps to unbuckle the messkit. Sideways was on the front, about 27 cm below the upper edge, depending on a loop for belt buckles of the jacket. A strong, 4 x 22 cm Leather web obliquely recognized straps were - as for the knapsack - riveted.

The above provides an interesting overview and it's clear that the rucksack was viewed as mostly an iterim measure although it was being more and more being seriously considered for general issue as was the case in the Austro-Hungarian Army.

 

For reenactment purposes, the only reproduction German rucksack on the market (or was on the market) is something that sort of looks like a cross between the 1915 and 1918 models and given the multiplicity of designs in use in 1914-16, I can see using a somewhat "non-standard" model. From a utility perspective, adding leather patches through which carrying straps passed, as depicted in the 1918 illustration above, would be useful for securing the Kochgeschir and the Zeltbahn pole and peg case. 

 

It would be nice to see another pattern of reproduction rucksack be developed because as a pratical matter, we need something to carry and contain our personal kits. From experience, I have discovered that while pommel bags modified for ground use makes an interesting visual, they have limit carrying capacity and are awkward to carry and use. In short, a real pain in the rear. Besides, modified pommel bags was only done as an experiment by one cavlry regiment and it was never adopted for widespread army use.

 

No doubt there will be more to follow....

 

Horrido!

 

P.S. I have a scanned pdf version of the pages from the two-volume work by Kraus and I'd be more than happy to share it with anyone seeking to make their own translation. Who knows? I might have gotten it all wrong. :-) 

 

Even the Horses Were In Trenches...

I recently came across this picture- it's kind of interesting in that the horse is also in the trench, or more properly, a sort of a crude bunker. I'm not sure what to make of this but I thought it was interesting.