$30.00 CAD
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Nice early photo postcard of the German 2nd Landsturm Infantry Battalion, taken at Chemnitz (Saxony) Germany. The 2nd Landsturm Battalion was for older soldiers in the last stages of military service. In July of 1914, Germany was at war.
Sign in front:
All are wearing ‘88’ (88 Brigade) pins on their collars.
On back, purple stamp:
(Red text is an electronic watermark that is not physically part of the card for sale)
The German Army had four classifications of military service; Active, Reserve, Landwehr and Landsturm. At the age of 17, a man might be called up to serve in the Landsturm 1st Ban, a sort of National Guard for home defense. The British Army equivalent was the Territorial force. In peace, it was mandatory to serve in the Army upon a man's 20th birthday. A 2 year period of Active service then began, or 3 years in the cavalry and field artillery. After that time, a man would be liable to serve the next 4 to 5 years in the Reserve, usually a 2 week training period each year. Serving in the Reserve during peace time, was generally regarded as a vacation from home and work. After the Reserve period, a man was then liable to serve in the Landwehr for the next 11 years. The last stage was being liable for service for 7 years in the Landsturm 2nd Ban. After the age of 45, a man was then free from further military service. It was only in times of war that the Landwehr and Landsturm were expected to be called for duty.
www.worldwar1.com/sfgarmy.htm
The XIX (2nd Royal Saxon) Army Corps / XIX AK (German: XIX. (II. Königlich Sächsisches) Armee-Korps) was a Saxon corps level command of the German Army, before and during World War I.
Chemnitz is the third largest city in the German federal state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden.
