Artillery regiments

Field artillery

Fahrer Heinrich Schöner served with 4. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 66 1. Batterie as a replacement recruit from 1910 to 1912. On the first day of mobilisation in 1914 he was called up to 4. Batterie Feldartillerie-Regiment Grossherzog (1. Badisches) No. 14, part of 28. Feldartillerie-Brigade, 28. Infanterie-Division. In March 1915 he was posted to 5. Batterie and remained with the battery until he was sent to hospital in Vouziers suffering from an ear complaint in April 1916. In December 1916 he was assigned to the regimental replacement battalion and then posted to Landwehr-Feldartillerie-Regiment 15 in the field. He then served with leichte Munitions-Kolonne No. 826 until he fell ill again in June 1917. He saw action at Mulhouse, Saarburg, Toul, the Loretto height near Ablain, in Flanders, Artois, at La Bassée and Arras, in the Champagne, at Roye-Noyon, the Aisne-Champagne double battle and Chemin des Dames. He returned to the regimental replacement battalion when he left hospital in July 1917 and was discharged in August. In May 1918 he started work at Deutsche Waffen- und Munitions-Fabriken (DWM) arms factory in Karlsruhe. No awards recorded.

Kanonier Ernst Dümpe joined the recruit depot of 2. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment No. 30 as a member of the Landsturm in April 1915. In October he was posted to 7. Batterie Landwehr-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 15, part of 27. Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade, 15. Landwehr-Division. He saw action west of Roye-Noyon, at Frise and on the Siegfried line until March 1917, when the division was transferred to the west of Brody on the Eastern Front. The division remained in the East after the ceasefire in December 1917 and became involved in fighting to support the Ukraine. He saw action at Snawjonka, Nowa-Ukrainka, Kriwoj-Rog, Kolaj and the capture of Sewastopol. He remained as part of the occupying forces in the Ukraine until March 1919, when the division was interned in Saloniki until June. He returned to Germany by ship in July 1919. Awarded Lippesches Verdienst-Kreuz and the EK II.

Gefreiter Franz Berger joined 5 replacement battery of 4. Württembergisches Feldartillerie-Regiment No. 65 in December 1916. In September 1917 he was posted to 5. Batterie II. (F) Abteilung Württembergisches Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment 27 in Flanders. A month later he fell ill and was transferred to a collection centre for the sick in Cambrai. After spending time with Genesenden-Abteilung 2. Ers.-Abt. FAR 49, he returned to his former battery with Reserve-FAR 27 in July 1918 and saw action in the defensive fighting and retreats until November 1918. Discharged in February 1919. Awarded the EK II.

Gefreiter (Ernst) Paul Schindler was inducted into the second replacement detachment of Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 32 and starting training as a gunner in April 1916. In July 1916 he was posted to the second battery of Königlich Sächisches 3. Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 32 while it was fighting in Flanders as part of 40. Artillerie-Brigade, 40. Infanterie-Division (sächsisch). He also trained as a signaller and machine-gunner while serving with the regiment in 1917. He saw action in Flanders and on the Somme, on the Eastern Front as part of 10. Armee, and again on the Western Front until he was wounded in Artois in August 1918. Discharged in 1919. Awarded the EK II and the Saxon Friedrich August-Medaille in bronze.

Sergeant Georg Schwarze served as a two-year volunteer with 1. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment 22 from 1911 to 1913. In June 1914 he was assigned to 1. Batterie 3. Württembergisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment 49, part of 27. Feldartillerie-Brigade, 27. Infanterie-Division. He transferred to the 2. Batterie in May 1915 and saw action on the Maas, in Argonne, at Varennes and on the Yser. In December 1915 he was made available for the establishment of Württembergische Feld-Artillerie-Batterie 887. In July 1917 he was posted to 2. Ersatz-Batterie FAR 49 and in December 1917 he was assigned to 4. Batterie Württembergisches Fuss-Artillerie-Regiment 13, part of 242. Infanterie-Division (from April 1918). He saw action with 18. Armee at St. Quentin, the Crozat Canal, Montdidier-Noyon and in the 1. Armee sector on the Marne and Vesle, at Reims, in the Champagne, on the Maas and Aisne. Discharged December 1918. Awarded the EK II.

Unteroffizier Ernst Suberg volunteered to enlist and was trained as a gun commander with a replacement battery of 3. Württembergisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment 49 in January 1915. In July 1915, he was posted to 6. Batterie 4. Württembergisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr.65, part of 26. Feldartillerie-Brigade, 26. Infanterie-Division, which was fighting north of Przasnysz on the Eastern Front. In September he was wounded and entered hospital, returned to his unit in October 1915 and later saw action in Serbia. In October 1916 he was posted to 12. Batterie IV. Bataillon Fussartillerie-Regiment Nr. 13, part of 27. Feldartillerie-Brigade, 27. Infanterie-Division on the Somme. In December he was posted to the regiment's replacement battalion. He was sent to hospital in February 1917 and discharged in late May 1917. He also successfully completed a course for officer aspirants. Awarded the EK II.

Vizewachtmeister Ewald Helbig joined 2. Batterie, Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 68 as a recruit in October 1908. When war broke out, he was still with his unit and served with 40. Infanterie-Division, the Alpenkorps and 12. Infanterie-Division. He saw action on the Somme, in Flanders, Artois and Italy. Awarded the EK II, Saxon Friedrich-August medal in silver, Saxon Military Saint Henry Medal in silver and Austrian bravery medal.

Gefreiter Karl Hartmann joined 1. Ersatz-Batterie Torgauer Feldartillerie-Regiment 74 as a Landsturm recruit in November 1916 and was posted to the 2. Batterie in the field as part of 8. Feldartillerie-Brigade, 8. Infanterie-Division in January 1917. In May 1917 he was assigned to the regimental staff. He saw action in Artois and French Flanders, at Arras, Lens, Armentieres, Ieperen, La Bassée, Cambrai, St. Quentin, on the Schelde, Antwerp/Maas. Discharged from the 3. Batterie in January 1919. Awarded the EK II.

Vize-Wachtmeister Erich Maier served with 5. Batterie 2. Badisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 30 as a two-year volunteer from 1906 to 1908. On mobilisation in August 1914, he was assigned to the replacement detachment of Feldartillerie-Regiment 29 and was posted to 4. Batterie Feldartillerie-Regiment 116, part of 58. Infanterie-Division, in March 1915. He saw action at La Bassée and Arras before being sent to the Eastern Front in July 1915. He saw action at the battle of Narew-Bobr, near Wilna, between Krewo, Smorgon, Lake Narotsch and Twertsch. After returning to the Western Front in October 1915, he was involved in fighting in Lorraine, at Verdun, in the Champagne, on the Somme and then with 26. Landwehr-Division in Upper Alsace. Promoted for bravery in the face of the enemy while fighting on the Somme in December 1916. Awarded the EK II, Württembergische silberne Militär-Verdienst-Medaille, Württembergische goldene Militär-Verdienst-Medaille and service award third class.

Kanonier Gustav Bachor served with Dragoner-Regiment König Carl I von Rumänien (1. Hannoversches) Nr. 9 and Jäger-Regiment zu Pferd Nr. 5 before the war. On the second day of mobilisation, he joined the garrison of fortress Metz-West. In November 1914 he was posted to Ersatz-Abteilung Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 33, part of 33. Reserve-Division, and saw action in the fighting near Combres in early 1915. In April 1915 he was assigned to 5. Batterie Feldartillerie-Regiment 241, part of 121. Infanterie-Division. He saw action on the Maas and Mosel, at Priesterwald, Verdun (Vaux) and on the Somme, on the Eastern Front from July 1916 to June 1917, and returned to France before he was discharged to do work essential to the war economy at a coal mine in Rotthausen in August 1917. Awarded the EK II.

Foot artillery

Kanonier Rudolf van Dreuschet was a Jäger in the Landsturm and had been passed over for muster twice before joining the replacement battalion of Hohenzollernsches Fussartillerie-Regiment Nr. 13 in November 1916. In July 1917 he was assigned to the ammunition supply column of 2. Batterie Reserve-Fussartillerie-Regiment 13, which was fighting near Reims, and then to the 4th battery in December. He saw action in Flanders in the winter and then took part in the spring offensive from March 1918. He was involved in the breakthrough between Gouzeaucourt and Vermand, pursuit in the Somme sector, the fighting near Bouchavesnes, the assault of Marrières Wood and the storming of the height near Maurepas. After further fighting on the Ancre, Somme, Avre and La Bassée canal, he was transferred to the replacement battalion of Reserve-Fussartillerie-Regiment 24 in late May. Discharged in November 1918. No awards recorded.

Fahrer Josef Henseler joined the replacement battalion of Fussartillerie-Regiment 16 as a replacement recruit in June 1915. From October 1915 he served with 6. Batterie Lothringisches Fussartillerie-Regiment 16, and then with 1. Batterie Fussartillerie-Regiment 28 from January 1916. He saw action on the Somme, at Metz, in Rumania, at Montdidier, Royons, Soissons, Reims, on the Marne, in the Champagne, on the Ailette and Aisne. Discharged in November 1918. No awards recorded.

Musketier Heinrich Jansen joined 1. Ersatz-Bataillon Infanterie-Regiment 160 as a Landsturm recruit in April 1915 remained with the unit until March 1916, when he was withdrawn and sent to work at the Siebeneck company in Aachen. In January 1917 he was inducted again and assigned to Schleswig-Holsteinisches Fussartillerie-Regiment Nr. 9 and then posted to 3. Batterie Fussartillerie-Bataillon 76, part of 33. Infanterie-Division, a month later. He saw action at height 185 south of Ripont, Verdun, in the Champagne, Aisne-Champagne and near Reims. In July 1917 he was sent to Feldlazarett 200 with dysentery. After recovering, he was posted to 6. Batterie Landwehr-Fussartillerie-Bataillon 74 in September 1917 and saw action in Argonne and at Verdun until November 1918. No awards recorded.

Copyright © 2003–2008 David Gregory

Back to the document collection index page