More Imperial Photos, Various

[Rick Research]

1) Getting dangerously close to the "bottom of the barrel" Landsturm Battalion III B, garrison of Regensburg, 1917

"You only NEED one eye to shoot, Seppl! No, there are NOT two targets!" (Notice the Size 52 heads as well...)

[Rick Research]

2) German sailor and a Finnish member of "Prussian" Jäger Baon 27 in Helsinki, 1918

[Rick Research]

3) It's amazing how overconfident SUV drivers are in wintry driving conditions!

[Mike Dunn]

I thought that the Landstrum guys had the cross on their hats like the guy on the right?? Mike

[Rick Research]

4) a classic "Storm Trooper" before anyone ever heard of Darth Vader

[Rick Research]

Yup. (9,964...) Landsturm DID wear the big crosses etc--at the beginning of the war. As standards declined and more and more troops were lowest-common denominator, uniform distinctions became more "discreet." The metal Corps and Battalion numbers on collars were, in some cases like the first shot, made "invisible" by being worn as "standard" embroidered uniform shoulder straps, with Roman numerals etc.

Like people wouldn't notice that cross-eyed (yes, check the photo again), blind milk eyed (yes, look again), borderline cretin (look again) types could be mistaken for the Imperial Guard if their insignia was... made harder to see.

I'm not sure what--if any--"system" was used, but think that it may have been as simple as by war's end the YOUNG Landsturm guys were uniformed as much like line troops as possible, while the OLD guys still guarding bridges and POW camps kept their 1914 gear until it wore out.

[Mike Dunn]

More of my favorite! My Darth Vader!!!

[Mike Dunn]

group of them!

[Rick Research]

A Gewehr 88 comes up about to my HIP, as I recall the last time I was looking at one... this Teutonic Tiny Terror must have been about five-feet-even!

[Mike Dunn]

sadly this one did not make it!

[Mike Dunn]

lets party!

like this one--time to have fun--great pipes!

[Mike Dunn]

too high of octane!