Now one for the WW 1 experts

[Robert Noss]

As You know, my main interest is in WW 2. My knowledge about the 1st WW german uniforms is very limited (but I am learning, thanks to this Forum).

I have never seen and have never heard about camoflaged belt-buckles ??!



Was this common ? Was it just as usual as the covers for the Pickelhauben ?



What do the experts say ?

Kind regards
Robert

I'm no expert on such thing, but in all the thousands of photos I've handled, I have never seen this before! It must have been one of the old brass and nickle buckles and he thought it best covered up-- though from the sad caption, that didn't do him any good!

[paddywhack]

what does the caption say?

"Günther Feling(?)
+ (died) 1 Nov. 1914
at Ypres"

Must be as Rick said. One of the early and shiny brass buckles and this very young guy died at the beginning....

[Brian S]

Sad. What about doing this for night raids? From what I'm reading they made raids into each other's lines at night. Moonlight could reflect on a new buckle.

[Robert Noss]

Thanks so far.
He looks very young, poor boy.
Just out of curiosity, did they paint the buckles field-grey, like the german army in WW2 did after some time ?
Maybe it was a trial to camoflage the buckles only in his unit.
You see, there are always again things we have not heard before and a single photograph can give us new questions and reasons to do more research.

Kind regards
Robert

I've never seen one of the pre-war brass buckles painted Feldgrau, only the steel ones.

[Kai-Steffen M.]

I think the name is Günther Illing.

Gruß,
KSM

[Paul B]

Great photograph...no doubt one of the "Kindermord" casualties. I've never seen a WWI belt buckle camouflaged in this way, but I have seen a couple of other unusual examples. I once examined an original field-grey Hessen Infantry other ranks greatcoat where the front buttons had been covered with cloth similar to the stuff wartime helmet covers are made from, presumably an attempt to reduce the danger of reflection. In volume 1 of Charles Woolley's "Uniforms and Equipment of the Imperial German Army 1900-18" there is a great photograph of an infantryman wearing standard M1909 ammo pouches which have been covered with some sort of rough cloth complete with openings. Seems an odd attempt at camo, but I can't think of any other reason to do this. I wonder how many other weird and wonderful uniform anomalies existed we don't know of, either due to no photo surviving or them not being photographed at all in the first place. All the best, Paul.

[Sven Janke]

Originally Posted by Rick Research

I've never seen one of the pre-war brass buckles painted Feldgrau, only the steel ones.

great picture!

actually BAVARIA made brass buckles that where covered with grey paint, but only in 1914! then all buckles where made of steel, as you will all know for sure.



What i have read so far, the Bavarians were the only ones, who manufactured them like this. For this paintwork, the brass was also manipulated, so that the paint works on the metal. Other buckles should be painted individually by the soldiers.

[Don D.]

I looks like he used a piece of a cut up sock for camo. You can see the knitting. Definately a field adaptation.
Don

[Chip M]

I too have seen M95 brass buckles that were painted over in Feldgrau paint. I own a Prussian example and have seen a Mecklenburg Strelitz buckle in the collection of the museum at the fort La Pompelle near Reims. There are many examples of early war attempts to subdue the bright pieces of German insignia and gear. I have a bright shoulder board of an officer from the 19.Bavarian I.R., which is entirely covered in field gray cloth. I have also seen more than one example of the bright officer's boards that were painted over with gray paint!

It is great to see the photos like this. Thanks Robert.

Chip

[Dave Mosher]

Great picture. For what its worth, this guy was a saxon.

[Ralph A]

...we would wrap handkerchiefs around our polished brass belt buckles to keep them from tarnishing, especially if we were waiting in formation (on a sweltering day) and knew that a review and inspection was coming up.