Help Identifying Uniform Please

[ariedl]

I just found another picture I didn't know I had of my grandfather in uniform. I'll post front and back to see if they contain any useful information. My grandfather appears to be the tallest in the group, standing 4th from the left.

Thanks!

[ariedl]

I just found another picture I didn't know I had of my grandfather in uniform. I'll post front and back to see if they contain any useful information. My grandfather appears to be the tallest in the group, standing 4th from the left.

Never mind, I just figured out that this picture is actually of my grandfather's brother!

Thanks!

[ariedl]

So looks like he participated in the Ukrainian offensive of early 1918 and after war ended, was sent home.

Greg--
I just found a couple of postcards that (I think) indicate my grandfather was in Ukraine as early as March 1917; is that at all helpful in learning in which unit he was serving? I'll post the back of one below (just in case it looks confusing, I flipped the message to make it easier to read!).

Thanks--
Alec

[history1]

[...] There is a Hadnagok Janos Reigl (not Adalbert Riedl) listed in the 1918 Honved rank list, could this be your grandfather?

Thanks for the reply! I don't see how my grandfather could be listed as Janos Reigl, but you never know. [...].

The German form of the Hungarian name Bela is Adalbert while Janos is Johann. Can´t be your grandfather, no one gets both names wrong.

[history1]

Location: Oberpetersdorf, Austria

That's what it is called today. According to his Hungarian ID document, he was born in Felsö Péterfa, Sopron county. [...]

And this is what the village was called then when he was born there,
just with a minor different writing: "Ober Petersdorf".
He just used the hungarian name because he was forced to, based on the magyarization politics of the gouvernement in Budapest which stated that after 1898 the hungarian names must be used.
Take a look at this map from 1880 to see the village names in German and below in brackets in Hungarian: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobersdor ... nmarkt.jpg
You may use to download the original file but note that it´s ~36 MB (!)
The use of Hungarian was common until we got annexed to Austria in 1921, that makes family researches very difficult because there are only a few villages left who speak Hungarian (in the south of the state).

[history1]

It's a permission for travel document for Fähnrich in der Reserve Adalbert Riedl issued by Feldpost 618 on the 14th of November 1918 with the expiry date of 30th November, destination Schwarzenbach (Niederösterreich).
It's actually near his birthplace - Oberpetersdorf.
He arrived in Kiew on the 17th of November, was given 700 Korun and sent to the destination by Bialystok and Oderberg.
So looks like he participated in the Ukrainian offensive of early 1918 and after war ended, was sent home.

"Offener Befehl" is translated as "open-ended command".
Source: http://www.dict.cc/?s=offener+Befehl
I would like to know where he started his journey when he arrived after 3 days in Kiew?
Why he had to travel this way and not straight towards his home?
And it´s Oderberg (the german name of Bohumin) and not Osterberg, Alec https://tinyurl.com/l5dkto6
BTW, 700 Austrian-Hungarian Kronen were a lot of money!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_krone

[history1]

[...]
I just found a couple of postcards that (I think) indicate my grandfather was in Ukraine as early as March 1917 [...]

What refers to the Ukraine on this postcard, Alec?
Don´t we have a Hungarian speaker here on AHF? You should post it in the "Breaking the Sound Barrier" subforum to get informations about the content.

[ariedl]

History1, thanks for all of your responses! I really appreciate the help I've received on this forum.

And it´s Oderberg (the german name of Bohumin) and not Osterberg, Alec https://tinyurl.com/l5dkto6

As soon as Greg pointed the correct name out in his post, I went back to look and sheepishly realized my mistake.

What refers to the Ukraine on this postcard, Alec? You should post it in the "Breaking the Sound Barrier" subforum to get informations about the content.

The label on the front of the card (which I did not post) is "Brzežany. Widok ogólny. Totalansicht", and on the back there's a printed reference to "Brzežanach". When I searched for those names, I came up with a modern map of the Ukraine. I just read a short history of the city, so I now know that it was still part of Austria-Hungary during WW1. I'm still hopeful that the place and date might be helpful to determine what unit my grandfather was with at the time.

I had no idea the Sound Barrier subforum existed, but now that I do I'll find it and post the card there.

Thanks again for your help!
Alec

[history1]

You´re welcome, Alec.
Refering the caption, it´s in Polish, using the Polish name of the city and stating "general view" = "Totalansicht" in German.
Then there´s the mark of the publisher on the backside "Wydawnictwo Sztuka, Krakow" = "Publisher ART, Cracow".
And the reference you mentioned "Nakł [-ad] S. Müllera w Brzežanach" = "Circulation by S. Müller in Brzežany".
Polish was a common language in that part of Austria - Hungary, called Galicia.

OT#1: From 1811- 1850 Austria - Hungaria published a newspaper in Polish called "Gazetta Lwowska" - "Newspaper from Lemberg", here´s the news from november 8th, 1838: news from the country, 1st paragraph "From Lemberg" and in 2nd paragraph "From Vienna":
http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno? ... =1&zoom=33

OT#2: After Poland lost it´s eastern part of the country to the Soviets they got former German land in their west.

[GregSingh]

Why he had to travel this way and not straight towards his home?

A Polish-Ukrainian war broke out in early November 1918 (around Lwow area), so main railroad over Ukraine to the west was out of control of Austro-Hungarian authorities. Instead he was sent over Bielorussia, still under German control.
That "open order" was also a permit to travel through "German territories".

[ariedl]

I received a quick response in the other sub-forum, so I now know what the postcard says, though I'm not sure if it gives me anything to go on. My grandfather thanks his relative for sending him a letter previously, says he wishes he was home, then ends by saying that he is going as reserve the next day (literally, "tomorow I will go as reserve").

I have tried to find out more about how the reserve worked in the A/H army during the war, but I still don't have any understanding of it. If anyone can point to a good website explanation, or even recommend a book, please let me know.

Why he had to travel this way and not straight towards his home?

A Polish-Ukrainian war broke out in early November 1918 (around Lwow area), so main railroad over Ukraine to the west was out of control of Austro-Hungarian authorities. Instead he was sent over Bielorussia, still under German control.

Greg, thanks for clarifying, as I was wondering the same thing. It's amazing how much knowledge the members of this forum possess!

[GregSingh]

Usually texts on the postcards do not help much, as there was not much space there to discuss anything in details, only basic personal stuff.
What could be important are the other things on the postcard - stamps, places, etc.

I would like to know for example what's written in the left top corner (left to the stamp).
Also you may want to research which unit had Hungarian Field post number 649B in March 1917.

I wouldn't worry much about "reserve" thing. There was a war and everyone ended up in front unit sooner or later.
Could be tens of reasons why somebody was sent temporary to the reserve unit: health issues, to train new recruits, etc.

We already know from the stamp on the travel document that he was deep in Ukraine in late 1918. Not in Galicia, but east of Kiev!

[history1]

[...] We already know from the stamp on the travel document that he was deep in Ukraine in late 1918. Not in Galicia, but east of Kiev!

Correct, but in 1917 (the last postcard) he was in Berezhany in Galicia.
Thanks for the Ukrainian/Polish war info!

[ariedl]

I would like to know for example what's written in the left top corner (left to the stamp).
Also you may want to research which unit had Hungarian Field post number 649B in March 1917.

Greg, as always, thanks for your help! Using Photoshop, I removed as much as I could of the stamp to see what is written in the corner. I couldn't clean up whatever is written after my grandfather's name, and I still can't read some of the uncovered portion. What I can read looks like:

Riedlbela ???
309 h. ???
Tposta 649

I think the writing on the right side says "Tabori post"

Does the "309 h." indicate he was in the 309 Honved Infantry Regiment? After taking your advice and researching the Field post number, it appears that Field post 649 is associated with the 155th Honved Infantry Division, of which the 309th Honved Infantry Regiment is a part. So that *may" be a confirmation of the regiment, though I say that without any understanding of the army structure. I could not find any information as to where the 309th was located in the Spring of 1917, so that would obviously be great information to have!

I would appreciate any thoughts on what the full line says regarding his regiment. The letters after his name are too obstructed to make out, so I don't have any guesses there.

Thanks!

[GregSingh]

Yes, you are right!
It's 309th Honved Infantry Regiment. It was part of 55 ID in 1917, later renamed to 155 Hon ID.
Have you seen this book? http://www.comroestudios.com/StanHanna/
Hopefully you will find some answers there...