I am not a fan of prewar Jackets but this is one I had to have. It is not only the local unit, it is also an elite unit.
The 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalion was part of the Alpenkorps and is one of the units I concentrate on.
This Tunic slips into the "Wartime Tunics" through the backdoor. Jägers wore them home on leave, and new Jägers wore them during basic training at least up until 1916.
The basis for my display is the man on the left, Oberjäger Mecking, the first man in the battalion to capture a machine gun in the opening days of the war. he is seen home on leave wearing his tunic with his medals in place for a photograph.
Above: 2. Jäger recruits undergoing training in 1915-16. It is interesting to note how most of the jackets have large sections of the material replaced or resewn, especially in the shoulder/chest areas.
Above: Jäger undergoing training in 1914. One of the men in the picture is Jäger Luitpold Straub was killed at Verdun on the 13.7.1916. He was born on the 20.10.1896 in New York, USA.
Above: a prewar postcard showing men of the 2. Bayerische Jäger bataillon in front of the Schloss in Aschaffenburg.
Above: Details from a postcard showing the Jäger taking a break on a march.
I am not a fan of prewar Jackets but this is one I had to have. It is not only the local unit, it is also an elite unit.
