Freiwillige Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Here's a small photo lot of the same person who served in the Romanian army and then was volunteered (?) into the Wehrmacht. Portrait No.1. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Portrait No.2 As a Wehrmacht Unteroffizier! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Photo No.3 Somewhere in Romania - preparation for a feast. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Photo No.4 Probably with his relatives back home. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 I'm very interested to hear your comments. - How that guy could have ended in Wehrmacht? Was there a practice of transfering personnel straight to WH or his was attending some military courses in one of the German schools (Unteroffizier-Schule)?- Any guess where did he serve initially, i.e. judging from the crown device on the first portrait? P.S. Reverses of these photos are blank except for the first two - they bear stamp of the same photo atelier. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ionionescu Posted October 27, 2012 Report Share Posted October 27, 2012 Andrew, very nice photos! - The only possibility of him wearing German uniform was, as you said, ”him attending some military courses in one of the German schools”. - Judging on the crown from his epaulettes and his aiguillettes (can you post a close-up) which I believe are white with 1/5 blue, I believe he wears the M1941 Royal Guard Battalion (Batalionul de Gardă Regală) uniform. Because he doesn't wear white collar tabs, I would say the photo is taken after 1942. I will post tomorrow more info about this elite unit, of only some 800 men, raised in 1930 by King Carol II. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Thank you, Mircea! It seems to be quite a rare photo then, being one of 800 members of the elite unit... Will wait for the info regarding that unit! Here's a close up you requested. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ionionescu Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Andrew, yes this are pretty rare photos, I have only seen 3 private photos until now and a few more in my family archive because my grandfather served with this unit between 1937 and 1940. A short history of this unit can be found here: http://www.traditia-...=11&language=enI will post only the essentials:Unit formed as: Palace Guard Company by General Staff Order nr.1967 - 20 June 1930Name changed: Palace Guard by ÎDR nr.535 - 28 February 1931Name chanced: Palace Guard Battalion by ÎDR nr.3097 - 4 September 1935 number of soldiers increased to 758 men (4 companies)Name changed: Royal Guard Battalion in 15 August 1941by an order signed by general Ion Antonescu and the ceremony uniform was abolished. The duration of the service was one of the longest in Romanian Army: 3 years, the recruits had to be peasants, over 1.80 m, and form the minorities only Germans were admitted. Here are two photos of my grandfather from 1939, in the middle you can see an original crown epaulette insignia. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Mircea, many thanks for your valuable comments and information! Extra thanks for sharing memorabilia from your personal archive! Is it possible for you to create a separate thread dedicated to your grandfather (sure, on terms of anonimity) and share with us his photos throughout his military career?I'm thinking of creating a subforum where our fellow collectors could post photos from their family archives That would be really exciting to see personalized photos! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ionionescu Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 You welcome Andrew! OK, I will create a new tread dedicated to my grandfather photos, just tell me where to post it: in the Romanian section or in the new sub-forum dedicated to collectors family archives photos. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Great, Mircea!Please create a thread in the Romanian section and then I will create a new subforum. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted November 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 Here are two more beautiful studio portraits of the same man. Kudos go to Mircea who noticed it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted November 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 Second photo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Freiwillige Posted November 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 Two close-ups. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ionionescu Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 Andrew, this is the same person as here, this means he was not in the Royal Guard Battalion (Batalionul de Gardă Regală) but in the Mounted Guards Regiment (Regimentul de Gardă Călare) an elite unit with a history that goes back to 1864, this explains why he wears cavalry boots in the 4th photo you posted there. And don't worry this are equally rare photos, the ones in the M1941 field uniform for sure.Maybe you want to transfer the above photos there and in the meanwhile I can search more info on the unit and the uniforms. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
рикардо Posted October 25, 2014 Report Share Posted October 25, 2014 Металлические окончания аксельбантов, которые мы видим на фото конного гвардейца, характерны именно для гвардейских подразделений? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ionionescu Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Yes, aiguillettes are a trade mark for guard units, different units had different colors and in some cases different models if I remember correctly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
рикардо Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Yes, aiguillettes are a trade mark for guard units, different units had different colors and in some cases different models if I remember correctly. Thank you for your answer. But I am interested in is the brass "pencils" on knots - this model has been used just at Guard or could wear and other troops (not guards)? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ionionescu Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 Only guards units wore aiguillettes (on the right shoulder) so only they had pencils, troops and NCO has simple brass pencils and officers had more intricate designs. Similar brass pencils were worn by all troops authorized to wear the so called ”furajeră” if theirs unit was decorated with one of the 4 most important Romanian orders. Furajeră no.1 Furajeră no.2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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