kspro
Active member
Figured it would be worth sharing with the boards that this rifle is still floating around and still in a board member's possession.
I purchased it three years ago for what now would be considered a steal from a dealer friend of mine. It is still in the exact same condition.
The unit marking (to me, at least) makes this rifle especially interesting. With it being tagged to a Rekruten-Depot, it is a fun mental exercise to think how it ended up in the states.
It put me down an interesting rabbit hole of studying these training sections. I found the below in the book "Handbook of Imperial Germany" by Janet Robinson & Joe Robinson.
"Each Ersatz battalion normally had three or four Ersatz companies, a convalescent company, a company of men fit only for garrison duty, and one or two recruit depots (Rekruten depots). Untrained recruits were initially sent to the recruit depot. After a preliminary course, they were moved into an Ersatz company regularly of 100 to 200 men."
This system apparently stayed in place until the beginning of 1915, with the system then changing to an organization known as a "Feld Rekruten Depot". After one to three months of training at home in an Ersatz battalion, recruits were sent to the Feld Rekruten depots where their training was completed. From there, they went to the front. It is interesting to note that entire recruit companies were apparently used to fill the gaps in the front during critical moments during the war. It may be also worth noting that the 57th Infantry Regiment was apart the Third Battle of the Aisne, which the AEF was present for.
Did it get pulled off the training lines due to shortages of 98s and pressed into service and then captured? We'll never know for sure, but it is fun to think about, and is one of my favorite pieces in my collection
I purchased it three years ago for what now would be considered a steal from a dealer friend of mine. It is still in the exact same condition.
The unit marking (to me, at least) makes this rifle especially interesting. With it being tagged to a Rekruten-Depot, it is a fun mental exercise to think how it ended up in the states.
It put me down an interesting rabbit hole of studying these training sections. I found the below in the book "Handbook of Imperial Germany" by Janet Robinson & Joe Robinson.
"Each Ersatz battalion normally had three or four Ersatz companies, a convalescent company, a company of men fit only for garrison duty, and one or two recruit depots (Rekruten depots). Untrained recruits were initially sent to the recruit depot. After a preliminary course, they were moved into an Ersatz company regularly of 100 to 200 men."
This system apparently stayed in place until the beginning of 1915, with the system then changing to an organization known as a "Feld Rekruten Depot". After one to three months of training at home in an Ersatz battalion, recruits were sent to the Feld Rekruten depots where their training was completed. From there, they went to the front. It is interesting to note that entire recruit companies were apparently used to fill the gaps in the front during critical moments during the war. It may be also worth noting that the 57th Infantry Regiment was apart the Third Battle of the Aisne, which the AEF was present for.
Did it get pulled off the training lines due to shortages of 98s and pressed into service and then captured? We'll never know for sure, but it is fun to think about, and is one of my favorite pieces in my collection
