Photograph Collection of Germany Infantry Regiment 169
Some photo's are included in the Iron Regiment book and others from various collections. We welcome sharing of additional photographs of Infantry Regiment 169 troops on this site by sending them to the editor. The intent is to have this a world-wide repository of IR 169 images.
1900 - 1914: Prewar images of Infantry Regiment 169
Some photo's are included in the Iron Regiment book and others from various collections. We welcome sharing of additional photographs of Infantry Regiment 169 troops on this site by sending them to the editor. The intent is to have this a world-wide repository of IR 169 images.
1900 - 1914: Prewar images of Infantry Regiment 169
1914-1915:
1915-1916:
1916 - 1918
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The Thorsten Migenda Collection of IR 169 Associated Photographs
The photographs depicted below are from the collection of Thorsten Migenda. This is a real treasure trove of images from IR 169's field service. I became aware of this collection through David Blanchard, an published authority, on the Aisne 1918 campaign. I then contacted Thorsten, who was kind enough to grant me permission to include these in the website. Thorsten explained that these photos were found in his father's estate, with some of these originating from ancestors serving in the German Army. Many of the these pictures have captions that are specifically associated with IR 169 troops. Most of the others have generic location descriptions that may or may depict IR 169 troops, but do mark specific locations where IR 169 fought at, transited through, or used as refit areas. The final selection of the collection, titled 'assorted', contains images that cannot be placed to a location or unit, but may be of interest to readers.
The photographs depicted below are from the collection of Thorsten Migenda. This is a real treasure trove of images from IR 169's field service. I became aware of this collection through David Blanchard, an published authority, on the Aisne 1918 campaign. I then contacted Thorsten, who was kind enough to grant me permission to include these in the website. Thorsten explained that these photos were found in his father's estate, with some of these originating from ancestors serving in the German Army. Many of the these pictures have captions that are specifically associated with IR 169 troops. Most of the others have generic location descriptions that may or may depict IR 169 troops, but do mark specific locations where IR 169 fought at, transited through, or used as refit areas. The final selection of the collection, titled 'assorted', contains images that cannot be placed to a location or unit, but may be of interest to readers.
Mulhouse: IR 169 fought in one of the war's first clashes, the 9 August 1914 Battle of Mulhouse. In this picture, German troops advance over the Rhine on a pontoon bridge near Bellingen. This is five miles north of where IR 169's 3rd Battalion crossed over the river near Fortress Istein.
1914 St Mihiel Offensive: IR 169 suffered severe combat losses in the August 1914 Battle of the Frontiers. After a brief refit near Metz in September 1915, IR 169, along with its parent 29th Infantry Division, was attached to Army Detachment Straz. The object for this task force was to threaten the fortified city of Verdun from the south. This offensive resulted for a gain of territory known as the St. Mihiel Offensive. On 19 and 20 September, IR 169 was engaged in severe fighting in the villages of Limey and Lionville. There, French lines stabilized, with the front lines remaining in place until the end of the war. Following this battle, IR 169 took part in the Race to the Sea, where opposing armies surged to the north in an effort to break the growing stalemate across the Western Front. In mid October, IR 169 went into the trenches in La Bassee', Flanders. IR 169 remained in the La Bassee' sector through March 1915. This miserable campaign cost the regiment over 2,000 casualties.
Legend: (left to right)
Row 1: (1) and (2): A German cemetery at the village of Vouziers, a town used as an operations base for Army Detachment Straz.
Row 2: (1) Conflans; an assembly area for the German offensive. Retreating French troops destroyed the bridge over the river, Orne. (2) Rembercourt; a village where IR 169 marched by in their attack against French positions at Limey, six miles south.
Gommecourt, the Somme: In March, 1915, IR 169 was pulled out of the trenchlines in La Bassee', Flanders, and relocated 40 miles south to the Somme sector. From March 1915 - April 1916, IR 169 occupied front lines near Gommecourt. This was a relatively quiet posting for the regiment. In May 1916, the regiment relocated to the village of Serre. Serre was a central target in the epic British Somme offensive, and IR 169 took severe losses in the period of late June - mid December 1916.
These three pictures show the visit of Prince von Furstenberg (the tall officer) visiting troops at Gommecourt
Serre, the Somme: In May 1916, the regiment relocated several miles south to the village of Serre. Serre was a central target in the epic British Somme offensive, and IR 169 took severe losses in the period of late June - mid December 1916.
Altkirch, Alsace Province: After more then six months of heavy combat and severe losses, IR 169 was pulled out the Somme in December 1916. On 13 January 1917, after a short refit period, the regiment, along with its parent 52nd Division, were transferred to the German's extreme left flank, at the village of Altkirch, in the Alsace Province. IR 169 veteran Otto Lais described the initial period of this stay as being a 'trench paradise.' The troops were pleasantly surprised at how little battle damage had been inflicted upon the town remained despite the front lines just a few miles away. The opposing French troops were reservists, and content to keep a relative peace. After the ordeal in the Somme, the IR 169 men were more than happy to follow suit and not provoke their foes. This state of tranquility ended when new French troops - colonial units, replaced the docile reservists. The French began digging sapper trenches and underground tunnels/mines towards the German lines. To gain intelligence, IR 169's II Battalion launched a squad-sized trench raid and captured several French soldiers. The French replied with a violent artillery barrage and mine explosion, to which the German guns countered. This circle of shelling continued until IR 169 was withdrawn on 2 April 1917 for a refit in Germany, along the Rhine.
Legend, Left to Right:
Row 1: (1) The Alsace marketplace. (2) German troops remove bells from the Altkirch church. (3) The town square.
Row 2: (1) Barricades over the main bridge. (2) The Cafe Schwarz, with shell damage to the terrace. (3) IR 169 II Battalion formation.
Row 3: (1) IR 169 II Battalion Staff quarters.
Legend, Left to Right:
Row 1: (1) The Alsace marketplace. (2) German troops remove bells from the Altkirch church. (3) The town square.
Row 2: (1) Barricades over the main bridge. (2) The Cafe Schwarz, with shell damage to the terrace. (3) IR 169 II Battalion formation.
Row 3: (1) IR 169 II Battalion Staff quarters.
Fortress Istein Refit Period, Germany: On 2 April 1917, IR 169 rotated out of the Atlkirche front lines and withdrew back across the German border for a short refit period. The base of operations was at Fortress Istein, on the Rhine River, near the August 1914 Mulhouse battlefield. This short, two week respite marked the regiment's only return to Germany in the entire war. The below picture on the left is of the Kroger farm in the village of Tannekirch, four miles northeast of Fortress Istein. Local villages such as Tannekirch were used to billet German troops. The picture on the right is dated 17 April 1917, and marked as Tannekirch. This likely depicts IR 169 as it is ready to deploy 250 miles north to the Aisne region's Chemin des Dames to stem the French Neville Offensive, described in the block below.
1917 Battle of the Aisne, the French Neville Offensive and Juvincourt Defense: On 2 April 1917, the French Army launched a major offensive operation to pierce German lines along the Aisne River. Much of this territory ran along the 15 mile Chemin des Dames ridgeline to the north of the Aisne. The main French attack was launched on 16 April. The French forces, backed by its first large-scale use of tanks, suffered horrendous losses. One of the few penetrations of German lines were near the village of Juvincourt, a few miles from the eastern rise of the Chemin des Dames. IR 169 was quickly mobilized, and on 17 April, left for a 200 mile train transport to the front. The regiment went into new trench lines by Juvincourt on 20 April. The battlefield there was littered by scores of French Schneider tanks that were destroyed in the 16 April attack. While the French suspended ground assaults, both armies continued their heavy shelling of opponent trenches. IR 169 remained in the Juvincourt trenches through 17 June 1917.
Legend: Left to right,
Row 1: (1) The ruins of the Juvincourt Church. (2) Leutnant Stigler, IR 169, is seen pointing. Leutnant Gortiz is holding the binoculars. (3) Leutnant Stigler, in foreground, walking through the streets of Juvincourt.
Row 2: (1) The many knocked out French tanks by Juvincourt were a great source of curiosity for German soldiers. (2) Leutnant Stilgler was KIA on 31 May 1917. His grave was in a German cemetery in the village of La Malmaison, seven miles to the northeast of Juvincourt. This village was used as a base of operations for the front. (3) Grave of Leutnant Josef Lehmann, also killed on 31 May 1917.
Row 3: (1) Juvincourt's main street. (2) Church at Amifontaine, three miles north of Juvincourt. This village was used as a support base.
Legend: Left to right,
Row 1: (1) The ruins of the Juvincourt Church. (2) Leutnant Stigler, IR 169, is seen pointing. Leutnant Gortiz is holding the binoculars. (3) Leutnant Stigler, in foreground, walking through the streets of Juvincourt.
Row 2: (1) The many knocked out French tanks by Juvincourt were a great source of curiosity for German soldiers. (2) Leutnant Stilgler was KIA on 31 May 1917. His grave was in a German cemetery in the village of La Malmaison, seven miles to the northeast of Juvincourt. This village was used as a base of operations for the front. (3) Grave of Leutnant Josef Lehmann, also killed on 31 May 1917.
Row 3: (1) Juvincourt's main street. (2) Church at Amifontaine, three miles north of Juvincourt. This village was used as a support base.
1917 Battle of the Aisne, Lappion Base Camp: On 17 June, IR 169 was transferred out the Juvincourt trenches. After a brief stop at La Malmaison, the regiment continued to the village of Lappion, ten miles north of the front. IR 169 rested, refitted and trained here for the next month. German food supplies were at such a critical shortage that the men were constantly hungry. It was remembered by the veterans as a miserable posting. Pictured below is Lappion's church.
Row 1917 Battle of the Aisne, the Winterberg: In mid July 1917, IR 169 concluded their refit period and prepared to return to the front. The troops were horrified to learn they would be assigned to the Winterberg, where some of the worst fighting of the entire war continued to unfold. The Winterberg was the German nickname for the California Plateau, situated on the eastern edge of the Chemin des Dames. The French made control of the plateau as top objective, which the Germans defended with equal ferocity. Countless heavy artillery blasted the terrain and trenches into a moonscape. On 20 July, IR 169 took part in a divisional assault that quickly stalemated. The fighting and bombardments were continuous. In the space of less than one week, the regiment lost nearly 1,000 men. In late July, the French suspended offensive operations and the battlefield quieted. This pause likely enabled this series of pictures to be taken.
Legend: Left to right,
Row 1: (1) and (2) The Winterberg, July 1917. (3) Major Bertter, Leutnant Faller and Leutnant Schnetz at the Winterberg.
Row 2: (1) The St Jean Farm, vicinity of the Winterberg. (2) The caption on this picture is "Staffenweg", with Chemin des Dames in background. While the specific location cannot be determined, this bunker typifies support elements in close proximity to the Winterberg. (3) The village of St Erme, a logistical hub four miles north of the Winterberg.
Row 3: French colonial solder, age 20, captured at the Winterberg, July 1917.
1917 Battle of the Aisne, the Hurtibise Farm Spur: In the initial phases of the Nivelle Offensive, the French made a narrow penetration past the Hurtibise Farm, a mile west of the Winterberg, known as the Hurtibise Spur. The French, looking to exploit any advantage the bloody stalemate, renewed efforts to attack through Chemin des Dame line at this point. Following the ordeal of the Winterberg, IR 169 only had a brief refit period and were then ordered to shore up German defenses on the center of the spur in early September, 1917. A prominent landmark just within their lines was the ruins of the Abbey de Vauclair Monastery. This deployment was remembered for the great difficulty the Germans had in supplying the front lines with food and ammunition. Pack mules were credited by veterans as the heroes of the struggle. This series of pictures show operational bases that supported this phase of the battle; the villages of Boucounville-Vauclair and Arrancy.
Legend: Left to right.
Row 1: (1) View of the Chemin des Dames (CdD) taken just north of Vauclerc. (2) A closer view of the CdD from Vauclerc. (3) Ruins of the Vauclerc Monastery, which was near the front lines of the Hurtibise spur battleground.
Row 2: (1) Bouconville Church. (2) and (3) Bouconville.
Row 3-4. (1) Arrancy Chateau (2) Arrancy Farm. (3) and below: Arrancy Village.
Legend: Left to right.
Row 1: (1) View of the Chemin des Dames (CdD) taken just north of Vauclerc. (2) A closer view of the CdD from Vauclerc. (3) Ruins of the Vauclerc Monastery, which was near the front lines of the Hurtibise spur battleground.
Row 2: (1) Bouconville Church. (2) and (3) Bouconville.
Row 3-4. (1) Arrancy Chateau (2) Arrancy Farm. (3) and below: Arrancy Village.
1917 Battle of the Aisne, September - November, 1917: On 8 September, IR 169 was pulled from the Hurtibise Spur Front and moved 14 miles northeast to a refit base at the village of La Selve. (This location was 3 miles south of Lappion, where the regiment was based a month earlier.) The regiment underwent reconstitution through 11 October, when the were sent back to the front to defend against a looming, large-scale French Offensive directed against the western portion of the Chemin des Dames at Pinon. The cathedral city of Laon was an objective of the French assault. IR 169, using rail transportation to reach Pinon, passed through Laon on 12 October. The German defenders in the 'Pinon Riegel' were at a tremendous disadvantage. In addition to being greatly outnumbered by French infantry, artillery and tanks, the western-most portion of this line was situated several miles in front of the Aisne River, potentially trapping thousands of German troops. Following one of the largest artillery bombardments of the war, the French ground attack launched on 20 October. The 52nd Division, including IR's 169, 170 and 111, made a valiant stand that allowed a large portion of the retreating German forces to escape north across the Aisne. The three line regiments of the 52nd Division suffered terrible losses, with only a few hundred men from each regiment remaining in ranks by end of the offensive on 23 October. The 52nd Division was pulled out of line on 27 October and retired to the village of Richaumont, 15 miles north of Laon, to rebuild. This marked the conclusion of IR 169's role in the 1917 Battle of Aisne.
Legend: The cities of Laon and Sissonne served as major logistical hubs for operations along the Chemin des Dames.
Left: The Laon Cathedral.
Right: A group of French POWs being processed at the Sisonne Cemetery.
Storm Troop Transition, November - December 1917: The late fall and winter months of 1917 - 1918 marked an important rebuilding and transitional phase of IR 169's final wartime journey. Having been terribly mauled in the 1917 Aisne Campaign, IR 169 relocated to the villages of Monthois and Bieres in early for an eight day rest and refit period. These villages were 10 miles west of the Meuse-Argonne Battlefields of 1918. As new replacements rotated in, battalion-sized elements rotated into the trenches, eight miles to the south. One of these first postings was based in the town of Ripont, where the front line trenches ran across the village of Massiges. Concurrently, the entire regiment began an intensive training program on application of evolving storm troop offensive tactics. Shifting from the previous failed mass attack tactics, storm troop actions were marked by exactly programmed, rolling artillery barrarges followed by immediate exploitation of squad sized units using fire and maneuver techniques. Enemy strong points were to be bypassed, and then taken by follow-on units. The relatively quiet Ripont trenches proved to be a good testing ground for applying this doctrine. One instance of this program occurred on 14 December 1917, where IR 169's II Battalion employed classic storm troop tactics in a complex and perfectly executed trench raid near Massiges. Three French trenchlines were penetrated with minimal German casualties and significant losses to the enemy. (This raid is detailed in the Iron Regiment.)
Legend: Left to Right
(1) Monthois. (2) Trench latrine at Ripont. (3) Karcherstrasse at Ripont
Legend: Left to Right
(1) Monthois. (2) Trench latrine at Ripont. (3) Karcherstrasse at Ripont
Storm Troop Preparation, December 1917 - March 1918: On 16 December, IR 169 went into winter quarters in the cluster of villages of Quatre-Champ, Vandy and Terron (seven miles north of Monthois). Additional replacements arrived and the regiment continued to conduct a rigorous storm troop training program. Training was enhanced with active operations as the line battalions rotated to the front line trenches around Sommepy-Tahure, 15 miles southwest of the billeting camps. The training period concluded in early March 1918, with IR 169 made a diversionary posting to St. Clement and Machault (near Sommepy) in support of the first major German 1918 offensive - Operation Michael,
Legend: Left to Right
Row 1: (1) Argonbahn; used to transport troops within the greater Argonne region. (2) Quatre Champs, one of IR 169's billeting villages. The II Battalion Staff resided here. (3) Troops training in winter camouflage.
Legend: Left to Right
Row 1: (1) Argonbahn; used to transport troops within the greater Argonne region. (2) Quatre Champs, one of IR 169's billeting villages. The II Battalion Staff resided here. (3) Troops training in winter camouflage.
German 1918 Spring Offensives: Operation Michael: In March 1918, the German Army launched the first of its mighty Spring 1918 Offensives, Operation Michael. The German attack was launched at St. Quentin on 21 March against the British Somme Front. In four days time, the attack pushed British and French forces 40 miles to the southwest. IR 169, as part of the 52nd Division, arrived at St. Quentin on 23 March, as part of the general reserve. IR 169 followed the initial assault, with its line of march pass the towns of Ham (12 miles southwest of Quentin), and Roye (13 miles further to the west). On 25 March, IR 169 went into battle against French forces at Pierrepont (10 miles more to the west). By 26 March, the Germans pushed the French three miles further southwest to Malpart. At this point, Allied forces stiffened and the German advance stalled. IR 169 remained in a defensive posture at Malpart through 10 April, when it was pulled from the front and refit at Voyenne, through late April.
Legend, left to right:
Row 1: (1) German troops in Ham. (2) Roye Church (3) Memorial made of French shells, Roye-Noyon Road.
Row 2: Railroad keepers home on the Roye-Mondidier rail line.
German 1918 Spring Offensives: Sedan Training Area, April-May 1918. Following its stay at the Voyenne rest area, IR 169 was transported to the Sedan Training Center on 11 April for an intensive period of advanced storm troop training. The center had a vast trench-area battleground that enabled the troops to fine tune their assault tactics. The realistic training incorporated live ammunition, including close in artillery fires and operations alongside tanks, continued through 8 May. In their off duty time, the men enjoyed the local sites, to include tours of the Sedan Battlefield from the 1871 Franco-Prussian war. The scene below depicts a company in the Sedan town square. IR 169 was at its peak of combat readiness as it readied for redeployment to the Aisne and the Blucher-Yorck Offensive.
German 1918 Spring Offensives: Operation Blucher-Yorck, 27 May - 2 June 1918. After completing the Sedan training program, IR 169 embarked on a series of movements that would take it the 52nd Infantry Division to the assembly area for the Blücher-Yorck Offensive. On the eve of the main attack, IR 169 found themselves in the same Juvincourt trenches they fought more than a year ago. Operation Blücher-Yorck was General Erich Ludendorf's third major operation of the German Spring Offensive. The Germans launched seventeen Stormtrooper divisions for the first attack which began at 0100 hours on 27 May 1918 advancing through a 25-mile gap and reaching the River Aisne in under six hours. IR 169 was one of the lead assault elements, and quickly stormed over the British 8th Infantry Division trenches. Hours later they crossed the Aisne and continued to smash the scattered British forces sent to meet them. In the next three days, the regiment advanced 25 miles to the banks of the Marne River. The line of march took the regiment past the villages of Jonchery-sur-Vesle and Coulonges-en-Tardenois (Aisne), pictured below. Upon reaching the Marne on 1 June, the French had assembled overwhelming forces and launched vicious counterattacks. With casualties mounting from the previous three days, the regiment suffered severe losses in the Navarre Woods. IR 169 was rotated out of the front lines on 2 June.
Legend: Left to Right
Row 1: (1) The collection picture is simply titled 'Vestle?' Most likely, this is Jonchery-sur-Vesle, a large town on the Vesle River. This location served as a major Allied logistical hub. Captured on 29 May, the Germans looted the town and captured tons of enemy supplies. (2) and (3) The church at Coulonges-en-Tardenois (Aisne). This village is 7 miles north of the Marne.
Row 2: Prominade at Coulonges-en-Tardenois (Aisne)
Legend: Left to Right
Row 1: (1) The collection picture is simply titled 'Vestle?' Most likely, this is Jonchery-sur-Vesle, a large town on the Vesle River. This location served as a major Allied logistical hub. Captured on 29 May, the Germans looted the town and captured tons of enemy supplies. (2) and (3) The church at Coulonges-en-Tardenois (Aisne). This village is 7 miles north of the Marne.
Row 2: Prominade at Coulonges-en-Tardenois (Aisne)
IR 169's Final Months of the War. June - November, 1918. In the final five months of the First World War, IR 169 suffered some its worst hardships that concluded in its annihilation in the Meuse-Argonne on 1 November 1918, just ten days before the Armistice. Below is an operational summary of IR 169's service in this period.
- Lille (southeastern outskirts), 21 June - 13 July: IR 169 refitted at the height of the Spanish Flu epidemic.
- Acheville (3 miles east of Vimy Ridge), 14 July - 3 August: IR 169 manned frontline trenches in a relatively quiet posting, with the combat power of both German and British opponents diminished by the Spanish Flu.
- Hazebrouck, Flanders (15 miles northwest of Ypers), 10 - 18 August. IR 169 returned to Flanders to defend German gains in the Georgette Offensive.
- Bapaume, the Somme (7 miles west of their 1916 defense of Serre), 22-30 August: In mid August, the Allies launched a major offensive to reclaim the Somme region, lost in the first German Spring Offensive. IR 169 entered the battle just west of Bapaume, near their 1916 Somme battlefield. In a week of extreme combat, the regiment was badly depleted. From 10 - 21 September, IR 169 returned to a base camp in Flanders to be reconstituted by absorbing an entire replacement regiment.
- The Meuse-Argonne Campaign, 29 September - 1 November. In late September, a massive US Army offensive fractured German defenses at Exermont. The 52nd Infantry Division went into action on 29 September. In three weeks of unrelenting combat, IR 169 battled elements of the US 35th, 1st and 42nd Divisions. Suffering severe losses, the regiment was pulled out of lines for a brief refit and replacements. In the early morning hours of 1 Nov, IR 169 was reentering front lines at St. Georges when it was struck by one of the greatest artillery barrages of the war. A ground assault by the Marine Brigade of the 2nd Division, supported by light tanks, quickly overran the survivors. Of the 1,500 men of IR 169 who entered the battle on 29 September, not counting hundred of additional replacements, less than 50 men remained in ranks at the end of 1 November.
Burial of IR 169 Soldiers: The caption of the below photograph, is simply presented as Burial of Six IR 169 Staff Members. While no date or locational information is provided, this photograph represents a scene occurring in many thousands of similar instances.
- Lille (southeastern outskirts), 21 June - 13 July: IR 169 refitted at the height of the Spanish Flu epidemic.
- Acheville (3 miles east of Vimy Ridge), 14 July - 3 August: IR 169 manned frontline trenches in a relatively quiet posting, with the combat power of both German and British opponents diminished by the Spanish Flu.
- Hazebrouck, Flanders (15 miles northwest of Ypers), 10 - 18 August. IR 169 returned to Flanders to defend German gains in the Georgette Offensive.
- Bapaume, the Somme (7 miles west of their 1916 defense of Serre), 22-30 August: In mid August, the Allies launched a major offensive to reclaim the Somme region, lost in the first German Spring Offensive. IR 169 entered the battle just west of Bapaume, near their 1916 Somme battlefield. In a week of extreme combat, the regiment was badly depleted. From 10 - 21 September, IR 169 returned to a base camp in Flanders to be reconstituted by absorbing an entire replacement regiment.
- The Meuse-Argonne Campaign, 29 September - 1 November. In late September, a massive US Army offensive fractured German defenses at Exermont. The 52nd Infantry Division went into action on 29 September. In three weeks of unrelenting combat, IR 169 battled elements of the US 35th, 1st and 42nd Divisions. Suffering severe losses, the regiment was pulled out of lines for a brief refit and replacements. In the early morning hours of 1 Nov, IR 169 was reentering front lines at St. Georges when it was struck by one of the greatest artillery barrages of the war. A ground assault by the Marine Brigade of the 2nd Division, supported by light tanks, quickly overran the survivors. Of the 1,500 men of IR 169 who entered the battle on 29 September, not counting hundred of additional replacements, less than 50 men remained in ranks at the end of 1 November.
Burial of IR 169 Soldiers: The caption of the below photograph, is simply presented as Burial of Six IR 169 Staff Members. While no date or locational information is provided, this photograph represents a scene occurring in many thousands of similar instances.