Fantastic lanyard photo
 

Hey guys, for those of you interested in accoutrements there is a unigue photo of WW1 Austrian or Bavarian Soldiers wearing Luger lanyards. One of the best I have ever seen. Jerry Burney # 2167785853 On Ebay

Jerry,

Did you notice that this photo was displayed in a mirror image? Check out this enlarged extract of the holster of the soldier on the left... (the belt buckle is also fastened backwards...)

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/backwardsphoto.jpg

It is a rather nice bulgarian holster for auction... for those who collect such things...

John, No, I didn't notice. I still don't know how you know that, maybe the guy put his belt on upside down.....You techies! I wouldn't have noticed that(if it's even true!) in a million years!

Your missing the bigger picture! This is an extremely rare and interesting photo. Even if it is backwards(so you say....)Oddly enough, not many of our members are interested in these little pecularities. Lanyards have fascinated me for years because of their use and rarity.

Thanks for the tip John...And yes it is a very nice Bulgarian holster. Not much interest in those either, not like German items. Jerry Burney

John S, :confused:
Am I mistaken or are not these men wearing the gear of a messenger, Motorcycle Riding Gear ?
I believe that those riders wore their Pistols on the left with the butts forward a holdover of the horse rider messengers of the calvary.
This is what seems to appear in the picture.
I think that what we see is three messengers awaiting orders to deliver.
If that is the case, the Lanyards were a necessary part of the uniform to keep from having the sidearm bounce out of an inadvertently opened holster. :rolleyes:
ViggoG
PS: <img border="0" alt="[oops]" title="" src="graemlins/oops.gif" /> One other possibility comes to mind, That these may be "Convoy Out Riders" who ride ahead and direct traffic at intersections. (The Whistles may be the clue.)
ViggoG
see below
OK it seems that you got me again. <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" />

I agree with John S. that the photo has been reversed. I have flipped the image to show it as I think it was originally photographed. But, the real item of interest is as Jerry pointed out, this is a really unique example of the lanyard in actual use. Now, my question: Is the photo of Bulgarian troops or German? I don't know, but if they are Bulgarian, Jerry have you ever seen a Bulgarian lanyard before?

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...ianLanyard.jpg

Jerry,

Look closely at the photo I posted and you can see that the magazine pocket on the holster is facing forward... This would only be possible with a left handed holster or a flipped photo :)

In fact, the muzzle end of the holster also appears to be inside the soldiers pocket... surely some Sergeant Major will be jumping him on that uniform violation! :D

Thanks for the help Ron... that photo you posted is much easier on the eyes.

John, Ron, Viggo- It's true! Why didn't I see it before? Too busy looking at the lanyards.

Ron, I have never seen nor heard of a Bulgarian lanyard.

These are Bulgarian troops according to the fellow who owns the photo, he is from Bulgaria.A helmet collector. Since they have other German equiptment I would speculate that these are German issue lanyards. They certainly look like the German pattern.

Motorcycle and Cavalry troops as well as Stosstrup soldiers were all issued Luger lanyards in WW1. I cannot speculate as to the occupation or MOS of thes fellows. I don't know if there is a way to tell from the uniforms. The leather boots do not look like Infantry boots. Other than that I am clueless.

Thanks all for your input. I am trying to get the fellow who owns the photo to send me a scan of the whole thing with a little better quality.

Does anyone of you have any software that could inhance it when I get it? I would love to get as good a photo of this as I can...Thanks, Jerry Burney

Jerry,
If you can get a higher resolution scan, it will reduce the aliasing and give a sharper image to start out with. Then probably one of the guys that are good at image manipulation can punch it up for you, or I could even take a whack at it. You should be able to come up with something that is better than the enhancement I have done on this photo.

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...anLanyard2.jpg

Jerry, the tunics are not German(judging by collars). The belts, if German, would be on cavalry troopers. If they were German cavalry troops they would be wearing different tunics. They are, most likely, furriners. geo

Ron, You have done a great job so far on the photo. It certainly looks better to me. If and when this fellow sends a better and more complete scan I will forward it to you if you would be kind enough to help me with this. He says there are other soldiers in the photo, not shown as it is a partial.

George, Yes, The only German equiptment they seem to have are the lanyards and the helmets. Sure is a fascinating look into history! Jerry Burney