Help support TMP


"German Imperial "Marines"" Topic


14 Posts

All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.

Please remember that some of our members are children, and act appropriately.

For more information, see the TMP FAQ.


Back to the Early 20th Century Discussion Message Board


Areas of Interest

World War One

Featured Hobby News Article


Featured Recent Link


Top-Rated Ruleset

Horse, Foot and Guns


Rating: gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star 


Featured Showcase Article

GallopingJack Checks Out The Terrain Mat

Mal Wright Fezian goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.


Featured Profile Article

Whence the Deep Ones?

Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian speculates about post-Innsmouth gaming.


Featured Movie Review


3,716 hits since 29 Dec 2012
©1994-2024 Bill Armintrout
Comments or corrections?

Kaoschallenged29 Dec 2012 1:37 p.m. PST

Thought some may find this interesting,

"During the Great War, the marines formed most of the 3rd Naval Division, which was created in 1917 and participated in Germany's final 1918 offensives. In small units they had participated in the siege of Antwerp in 1914, but mostly provided security for naval bases. In September 1914 the Navy formed regiments of "Marine Fusiliers," surplus naval personnel plus new recruits from Germany's port cities. The 1st Naval Division fought during the siege of Antwerp and the 2nd Naval Division was formed afterward. These two units made up the Naval Corps, which anchored the far right flank of the German line in Flanders with responsibility for coast defense. By 1918 they were officially rated as "fourth-class" divisions; by 1915 they had even been forced to give up their Mauser rifles for issue to front-line troops and had been given captured Russian Mosin-Nagant pieces instead."
link

picture

link

picture

German Naval Infantry using captured Belgian dog teams
link

skippy000129 Dec 2012 2:15 p.m. PST

I have a lot of Avalanche Press games and recomend them a lot. They also do what-if booklets for their games.

Kaoschallenged29 Dec 2012 2:33 p.m. PST

picture

German Marines armed with Moisin-Nagants modified to take a German blade bayonet at Kiel in 1918
link

picture

German marines carrying wounded.
pinterest.com/boswell/history

Sundance29 Dec 2012 2:48 p.m. PST

The German Marines also had a unique medal awarded to them – for action in Flanders IIRC.

Kaoschallenged29 Dec 2012 5:04 p.m. PST

picture

"Matrosen-Regiment "marines". The 1st and 2nd Matrosen (Sailors) Regiments along with naval artillery batteries and naval air squadrons were stationed in Flanders along the Belgian coast from 1914-18. The regiments were quickly expanded to divisional strength and along with the Naval Infantry Division (formed from the Seebatallione) became the Marinekorps Flandern."

link

Clearly visible in the foreground is an Erzatz M1915/18 "crank-handle" bayonet /trench-knife.

Kaoschallenged29 Dec 2012 7:23 p.m. PST

picture


"III. Seebataillon, Tientsin (China), June 1914
Four members of the Prussian III. Seebataillon (naval infantry – marines if you like) pose for a memento photograph in Tientsin China, June 1914.

Germany by the late 1870s was on a course of extensive economic involvement in several Chinese provinces, among them the Tientsin area. The German enclave south of the Hai River was situated between the British and one of the Japanese concessions. In July 1877 xenophobic groups threatened the life and property of German merchants in Tientsin. Local unrest intensified, mainly due to poor harvests and resulting famine, and Tientsin business interests requested armed protection. The German admiralty then dispatched the corvette SMS Luise to China. This initial show of support eventually evolved into a permanent presence in Chinese waters by initially modest German naval forces.

After Germany acquired the Kiautschou Bay region in 1898 with a 99-year lease, a further concession was negotiated for the Tientsin enclave and economic growth escalated with infrastructure improvements. Major trading houses and diverse enterprises established themselves, including a branch of the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank. The Boxer rebellion of 1900 initially laid siege to the foreign concessions in Tientsin, but the city was secured and used as a staging area for the eventual march on Peking by the eight-nation international relief forces.

After the German concession territory was recovered by China during World War I, the United States 15th Infantry was billeted in the German barracks from 1917 until 1938, departing only after the Japanese Army entered Tientsin."

link

AICUSV29 Dec 2012 11:00 p.m. PST

I have always believed that the Germans had Marines – and Naval Infantry – that they were not one in the same. Just as today there is the USMC and the Royal Marines, the Germans had marines. German Marines had their own uniforms closer to the Army in style (dark blue with white collar and cuffs, head gear was a shako with an Imperial Eagle with an Anchor plate). While Naval Infantry were sailors and uniformed as such. German Marines were commanded by Army Officers, while the Naval personal were commanded by Naval Officers. Their Marines were made up of 3 battalions, with the First on Home Service, Second on Fleet Duty, and the Third posted to overseas possessions.
In 1914 the First Battalion took part in the opening stages of the fighting in Flanders and went to the field in there dark blue uniforms. The French called them the black jaegers, due to the dark uniforms.

picture

Rudi the german29 Dec 2012 11:41 p.m. PST

link

Here the link with the uniform in 1870

link

Uniform

link

Orga


link

Here the uniform and orga of the Marines in 1914

Have fun
( all in colour)

PS: Matrosen are naval infantry a nd the seebatallion are marines. The personel in the photo 3364-15 are matrosen and not marines
PPS: I used the jaeger from great war for them and here is the flag:http://www.universalhandel24.de/?module=advanced_search_result&keywords=Marine+see&x=0&y=0

PPS: the HQ of the Marine is today a very good restaurant in Berlin. The food is great and it is stuffed with items of the fights of 1919.

marinehaus.de

Kaoschallenged30 Dec 2012 3:05 a.m. PST

picture

link
More Seebatallion troops in Tientsin (China)


picture

Troops from the Kriegsmarine (German Navy), armed with Mauser Gew98 rifles
link

link
2nd Matrosen Regt.

link

Bowman30 Dec 2012 5:36 a.m. PST

Thanks for that, Kaos. Especially for the Marinehaus. "Ahoi Landratten!" And the tie in with the Marines and Tsingtao beer!

Kaoschallenged30 Dec 2012 11:18 p.m. PST

You are welcome Bowman. Thanks for noticing grin. Robert

monk2002uk31 Dec 2012 12:10 a.m. PST

'Wielding the Dagger' provides a detailed history of the Marinekorps Flandern during the Great War. It is an expensive book though. Jack Sheldon provides some information about the Marines in his books on the German Army in the Ypres area.

Operation Strandfest ('Beach Party') is arguably their most famous achievement in WW1. I wrote a review here:

1914-1918.net/hush.htm

The maps have been transferred onto a terrain cloth in preparation for a Great War Spearhead game. The goal is to enact Operation Hush, which was the proposed British amphibious landing on the Belgian coast. I have even made the huge landing pontoons, with two British monitors either side of the each pontoon.

Robert

Kaoschallenged12 Jan 2013 11:22 p.m. PST

picture

"THE COWHERDS OF WAR: ARMED GERMAN MARINES ROUNDING UP CATTLE FOR FOOD FOR THE ARMY IN THE FIELD."
link

pellen13 Jan 2013 4:16 p.m. PST

Cron mentions a "Pioneer Landing Company" that "took part in the crossings of the Danube in the Serbian and Rumanian campaigns, in taking the Baltic islands and in the expedition to the Aaland islands". Of course that was an army unit, but it sounds like it did marines kind of work.

Sorry - only verified members can post on the forums.