"Group of US Soldiers Pose with their M1911 Pitstols"
- Thread starter CmdrSlander
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wally
Member
Shocked that it took two replies to mention this.
ratt_finkel
Member
Yeah, that is definitely an artificial backdrop. Great picture though! I love this stuff!
The guy on the bottom left looks downright terrified LOL
The guy on the bottom left looks downright terrified LOL
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
You could also add that they should not be pointing their guns at anything they didn't intend to destroy and I would be willing to bet they weren't willing to destroy whatever is high and left of each one of them.
I think they were aware back then that a 1911 with the hammer down cannot be discharged by pulling the trigger. Note that the hammers are all down. They were aware that the guns were "safe" even if we don't consider that to be true today. As per the rule of the day to prevent NDs, the guns were possibly loaded with a magazine, but a round was not chambered. The gun won't discharge with a round not in the chamber. So there is no issue of safety per the rules of the period.
You can't expect people nearly 100 years ago to be necessarily in compliance with safety rules that came later anymore than you can expect people today to be fully compliant with safety rules that come in the future.
Nifty picture.
Arkansas Paul
Member
Yeah, with their new fangled smokeless powder. A man can't even lay down a proper smoke screen with that crap.
Hurryin' Hoosier
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The background is obviously a painting or enlarged picture of some 'burg in Europe. Given their lack of stripes, I'm guessing this might very well have been done in some photo studio in the States or, maybe, in Paris. Only two Corporals in the bunch, and those two were the only ones with combat stripes on their right sleeves.
Cool picture, nevertheless.
Cool picture, nevertheless.
ClickClickD'oh
Member
2 (bookends) corporals and a bunch of privates. Too bad we can't see what color the V devices on their sleeves are.
3GunEric
Member
The backdrop is most certainly:
Koblenz Germany viewed from the east bank of the Rhine. Coblenz as we spell it was the US Occupation HQ in 1919. HQ centered in Eherenbreitstein Castle. View to west is Koblenz which was named Confluence by Romans (confluence of Moselle and Rhine rivers.) The intersection where they met is called "Die Deutsche Eck" (the German corner) which was home to a huge equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Statue is visible in the painting.
This scene would have been the "ultimate" background shot of the conquering Doughboy heroes.
I went there many times in the 1980's (Armor Officer 3rd Armored Division-Gelnhausen) because it was/is the home of the Wehrtechnik (War Technology) Museum and the best military history bookstore in Germany.
Great Memories!
My wife made an independent id of the images as well. She was Spearhead soldier as well!
Koblenz Germany viewed from the east bank of the Rhine. Coblenz as we spell it was the US Occupation HQ in 1919. HQ centered in Eherenbreitstein Castle. View to west is Koblenz which was named Confluence by Romans (confluence of Moselle and Rhine rivers.) The intersection where they met is called "Die Deutsche Eck" (the German corner) which was home to a huge equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Statue is visible in the painting.
This scene would have been the "ultimate" background shot of the conquering Doughboy heroes.
I went there many times in the 1980's (Armor Officer 3rd Armored Division-Gelnhausen) because it was/is the home of the Wehrtechnik (War Technology) Museum and the best military history bookstore in Germany.
Great Memories!
My wife made an independent id of the images as well. She was Spearhead soldier as well!
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Sagetown
Member
I noticed the no stripes on the rank and file too. After I posted earlier, I figured they were some Basic Trainees getting to hold their new weapons for the first time.
3GunEric
Member
These guys would have survived WW1. After Armistice Allied forces marched into zones of occupations in Germany. British=Cologne, US=Coblenz, and French=Mainz. US and Brits left their zones early as they softened on Germany. French had to be pryed out.
These guys were the lucky ones and located in a cake assignment. Doughboys stuck in France awaiting transport back to USA werenot so lucky.
These guys were the lucky ones and located in a cake assignment. Doughboys stuck in France awaiting transport back to USA werenot so lucky.
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3GunEric
Member
Notice feet of men on right are in a puddle - photo taken outside!
Ash
Member
One of them is a PFC, you can see his stripe.
Hurryin' Hoosier
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Following further review, I do a see third Corporal. I don't see any PFCs, though. And I guess there are a couple more with combat chevrons.
Hurryin' Hoosier
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Ausgezeichnet!
3GunEric
Member
Background is a painted backdrop - no doubt. Old water stains also visible. Looks like it was pretty old in 1919 w/the paddle wheelers.
Vern Humphrey
Member
The round collar disks identify them as enlisted men. In addition the single individuals to left and right are respectively a corporal and a sergeant -- and each one has wound stripe (precursor to the Purple Heart.)
Or tried to -- the M1917 revolvers were issued as a substitute.
Thanks for clarifying that 3gunEric.
To the others, look up Koblenz and Deutsche Eck in Wikipedia
to see contemporary and historic pictures of the town featured in the doughboy's class photo.
The statue of Kaiser Wilhelm (dark blob on pedestal near confluence, right side background) was blown up in 1945, and replaced decades later.
Very cool of the OP to have found & posted this picture.
This.
It wasn't uncommon to see a soldier firing a subgun from the hip with the stock folded if it could be in WWII as well, something that would sound ridiculous to even try today.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
It is a backdrop. You can easily tell this by a variety of means, not the least of which is the board to which the hedge scene in front of it is sewn. You can clearly see the stitching/seam to the left of the left most soldier and, if you look in the gap between him and the other two soldiers next to him, you can see the board where the hedge was not sewn over or had come loose.
The picture itself is a flat, two-dimensional image just behind this flowery hedge drop which you can also see a seam in on the far right side of the picture.
As for the comments about safety and such...come on, folks! Different times, different standards, different training. I work at a shipyard and there are some places around here which have pictures of shipyard workers from decades ago working topside on ships in drydock...not only no safety shoes, but no shoes at all, standing topside on a ship with no safety rigging to keep people from falling 50 feet into the drydock, no safety lanyards for fall protection when working aloft, sitting on steel beams up high on cranes eating their lunches with no fall protection...
gc70
Member
Vern Humphrey said:
I can't make out the third stripe on the man on the right, but the men at both ends are the only ones with whistle lanyards and pistol belts. The man at the back left may have rank stripes on his right sleeve, or it may be a trick of lighting. At any rate, none of the men have the sleeve cuff braid that would indicate an officer.
Three of the men have wound chevrons on their lower right sleeves - the men on each end and the man at center-right in the back.
Two of the five men on the front row have overseas chevrons on their lower left sleeves.
Two other interesting things about the picture. None of the men appear to have unit patches on their left shoulders and all but one of the holsters have leg ties that are still neatly wrapped as they would have been issued.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=http://en.wiki...ga-Jahr_2011_-_Festung_Ehrenbreitstein_45.jpg
First pic. You can see the primary building and bridge towers.
LeonCarr
Member
Roadkill,
Nice 1911 ya got there. Is that the original magazine? I read somewhere that they heat treated the top half of the magazine to preserve the feed lips.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Nice 1911 ya got there. Is that the original magazine? I read somewhere that they heat treated the top half of the magazine to preserve the feed lips.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
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