Edelweiss question

[NickG]

On this picture (from a death remembrance card) you can see the GJ edelweiss
but the officer (here ranked a 1st Lt) is listed as "Rittmeister und Kolonnenführer".

Rittmeister would mean Captain in the Cavalry (+ convoy commander)
Is he a Cavalry officer or a Mountain troop officer?
The rank title would indicate Cavalry (that was his final rank), but the edelweiss and (possibly) bergmutze would indicate GJ officer....

I know that in the Osttruppen Cossack Cavalry regiments some sub units were allowed to wear edelweiss insignia while attached to a GJ parent unit on the
Crimea-Krim-Caucasus front...
but what is the explanation here?

[Johnny R]

Turn off the super esoteric oddball Cossack unit searchlight. . .

He was a regular transportation (Nachschub) officer. All branches assigned to GJ parent units wore the edelweiss regardless of waffenfarbe. Rittmeister was not only used for Cavalry, also seen used for Artillery and other units like supply that were horsedrawn and mounted.

[NickG]

Thanks Johnny. So light blue farbe Nachschub/supply and horse drawn (could be mountain mule even I guess?).
So a supply officer serving in a GJ and allowed the Rittmeister rank!

Kolonnenführer of a GJ donkey train

[NickG]

Here's the entire card. Got it for $17 bucks. Good uniform study!
A Rittmeister in a GJ unit! No doubt a WW1 Vet. The tunic ribbon could be a WW1 EKII,
and his EK1 he might have also earned in WW1 as an NCO perhaps, now recalled as a junior officer in WW2.

KIA card is from September 1944. Here some TDS insignia in Transport/supply blue farbe.
I think I read that the TDS was created in May 1944, this insignia (but no TDS devise ) matches his depicted rank, prior to promotion to Captain (Rittmeister)

[Johnny R]

He was not TSD, that was the branch created in 1944 when most the HV administrative officers were all grouped under a new organization (TSD) and they used the colbalt blue piping. The device has nothing to do with supply (or medical services). He would have worn light blue ("powder blue") piping without a TSD device. Those boards are TSD, the tabs look like they may be supply.

[NickG]

He was not TSD, that was the branch created in 1944 when most the HV administrative officers were all grouped under a new organization (TSD) and they used the colbalt blue piping. The device has nothing to do with supply (or medical services). He would have worn light blue ("powder blue") piping without a TSD device. Those boards are TSD, the tabs look like they may be supply.

OK so not TSD (late war Admin)...got confused... just Army supply (NachschuB) like these boards...
(shiny dress quality slip-on types)