The sailors ("Matrosen") of the Imperial German Navy
who fought on the Western Front during the First World War were issued the army M1915
Infantry Greatcoat. It was field grey with a
grey-green collar with six dull metal buttons down the front, deep plain
turn back cuffs and two buttoned hip pockets.
The greatcoats issued to
the Matrosen differed in two ways from those issued to the army.
Firstly they had no shoulder straps and secondly they had the
Imperial Crown on the buttons rather than state crowns and emblems
worn by army units. Officers' greatcoats were double breasted.
In the photo on the left
the Matrose is shown wearing the ribbon of the Iron Cross Second Class (see
Medals Details Page). This Matrose also wears
an army issue flashlight hung from a button on the greatcoat and
carries M1909 ammunition pouches in brown leather. The German army
issued an order in 1915 that all brown leather equipment be
blackened. This would presumably also have applied to Naval units on
the Western front but may not have been rigorously applied in all
units.
The headdress is a blue
naval cap with an imperial cockade and a black cap tally with the
words "MATROSEN. DIVISION. I" in gold lettering.
Please respect the owner's
generosity in sharing these photos with us by not reproducing them
without prior permission.
(Click on the pictures
to enlarge)
|