"K" for Kraftfahr-Korps

[DougO]

My Grandfather , Hermann Ehrhardt , served in WW I first with Infantry Regt.361 on the Western Front at Ypers from 6-8-1914 to 17-4-1917, when he was ordered to join the Division Kraftwagen Kolonne Nr.643 at Valenciennes , France .He served as a driver , Unterofficier , promoted to Sergeant on 10-2-1918 , with this unit . He was released from the service on 11-18-1918. After I found his collar tab gray car symbol in a trunk in the attic of his house after his death in 1965 , I started to collect shoulder boards with the letter "K" on them , the "K" for Kraftfahr -Korps . Here first the collar tab symbol , I have also the match that faces the other way . Posted by Bernd .

[DougO]

Here a photo of my Grandfather in 1917.

[DougO]

Here now some shouderboards with the "K".

[DougO]

An Officer's pair.

[DougO]

..And 2 more Officer's shoulder boards.

[DougO]

More shoulder boards with the "K". Note the pair is still tied together with a red thread string .

[DougO]

Now details of the letter "K". This seems to be the early design as chain-stitched into this gray wool shoulder board .

[DougO]

Later design as chain-stitched into this pair of gray wool shoulder boards.

[DougO]

Here now a shoulder board that had a unit number added in the field, since the number goes through to the backside of the board .

[DougO]

Here the photo !

[DougO]

Now a leather shoulder board from the driver's leather tunics with a chain-stitched "K".

[DougO]

The metal "K" letters have different designs and finishes .

[DougO]

An other design and flat gray finish. Note also how thin the metal is on this one .

[DougO]

Sorry , that was not the gray finished one . Here it is .

[DougO]

I guess more of a dark cupper gray !. Here some other "K" design . Note the thickness of the metal body on this one .