Oberstleutnant und Kompanieführer Otto Kless-his trunk

[joeimwalle]

Militaria Koffer WK1 Oberstleutnant und Kompanieführer Otto Kless.
just got this one today from germany. a very nice trunk.check pics of the details. 2 1/2 feet long by 1 1/2 ft wide-1 foot deep inside .
nice paper stamps still present on sides hard to read now as they faded away.
nice trunk i can display.
enjoy the photos
joe

[joeimwalle]

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[joeimwalle]

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[joeimwalle]

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last one

[PaulChep]

Nice. I checked the 1914 Bayern rangliste and could not find him. He probable entered service after August 1914.

[phild]

Just to clarify the rank is for an OberLt (1st Lt) rather than an OberstLt (LtCol). I also have a WWI field trunk named to a Lt. Actually it is named to 2 different Lts...with one name being lined out.....so I guess that he was killed or otherwise left the trunk to another LT. Both the names and unit are nicely painted and in script similar to yours. My trunk is a simple feldgrau painted wooden "footlocker" with a hasp and is lined with striped cotton cloth.

[Valter Gorenc]

Very nice trunk indeed! The officer installed additional lock and paper labels are probably railway luggage tickets.

[Andy Baus]

Otto was a Leutn. d. Res. (reserve 2LT) at the beginning of the war and was born 01.02.1887 in Straßburg. He was in the customs service in Straßburg, as was his father before him.

He was promoted Leutn. d. Res. of the 19. bay. Inf. R. 08.01.12. He was mobilized with the 19. Inf. R. and promoted Oberlt. d. Res. on 10.04.1916 with a commission dated 14.01.1916. On 27.10.1916 he was transferred to the bavarian "Armierungs Batl. 9" on 27.10.1916 and remained with that unit untik 19.02.1919 when he tansferred to the 7. Inf. R. He left active service on 31.03.1919.

Andy

[joeimwalle]

thxs andy. great info.
good to know he was in a bavarian unit. for some reason i just like those units, must be the blue bavarian flag...or something else.
thxs for the help
joe