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17.11.1915 - 167 bekannte deutsche Kriegstote

Josef Krantz

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Contemporary images

The images shown here have not been catalogued yet and may be used free of charge, provided their source is named. The Volksbund is planning to make the extensive stock of First World War images in its archive available online here soon.

Image documents with proof of origin:

A cemetery, completely destroyed during a First World War battle, Westende village, Volksbund archive: Gedenkbuch 75, p. 18.

British prisoners of war near Villers Autreux (presumably Villers-Outréaux) - taken on 22 March 1918 - one day after the beginning of the 1918 German Spring Offensive on the Somme.

182nd Infantry Regiment: First Lieutenant Sahode hands out the prizes at a sports event in Ruddervoorde, May 1916 - on the left Lieutenant Colonel Baron von Halkett.

182nd Infantry Regiment: Russian prisoners of war working in occupied France - 1915.

182nd Infantry Regiment: British prisoners of war in Lens after the battle near Souchez - September 1915.

182nd Infantry Regiment: Machine gun at the Wytschaete emplacement - winter of 1915/16 - in the trenches.

182nd Infantry Regiment: Path in front of the hospice in Wytschaete - winter of 1915/16 - army doctor Captain Mylius sunning himself in the communication trench.

182nd Infantry Regiment: Russian prisoners of war in occupied France - spring of 1916.

182nd Infantry Regiment: French civilians fleeing from the Battle of the Somme, July 1916.

88th Infantry Division (Eastern Front): Russian prisoners of war being marched away at the Eastern Front, around 1915.

88th Infantry Division (Eastern Front): A dead Russian soldier lying in a trench. He fell during the advance, around 1915.

Field hospital: 253 field hospital of the army of the German state of Württemberg in the church of Bantouzelle - Christmas 1916.

Photograph taken during the First World War: British trench near Warneton in May 1918.

Signals Corps: Digging a cable trench in the Champagne at the Poehlberg (east of Reims) in 1917.

Trench digger: The picture shows a digger, probably taken during the construction of the Siegfried Line in 1917.

A photograph of French tanks after the Second Battle of the Aisne near Ville-aux-Bois in the Champagne in 1917.

Recovering the fallen from the trenches of Langemarck in the province of West Flanders.
Langemarck is also the site of a German war cemetery where an above-average number of First World War casualties who had volunteered for service have been laid to rest.

Christmas in the field: This photograph, taken on 24 December 1917, shows a corps of signals on Christmas Eve in Milly-sur-Bradon near Dun-sur-Meuse.

4th Battery: A 21 cm Mörser howitzer belonging to the 9th Regiment of the Reserve Foot Artillery, aimed north towards Langemarck - February 1915.

Prisoners of war being rounded up in front of Roulers railway station in April 1915.

This photograph, taken in July 1915 in Bixschoote, shows the view from a loophole: in the right of the picture, the ruins of Steenstrate, with an assault bridge across the almost empty Yser canal in the foreground.

This photograph shows some members of the 8th Battery of the 7th Regiment of the Reserve Foot Artillery in the canteen at their billet in Stadenreke. May 1916

This picture, taken in May 2016, shows the farriers of the 8th Battery of the 7th Regiment of the Reserve Foot Artillery in front of their billet in Stadenreke.

Images from unidentified sources:

Postcard from the First World War: Lieutenant Immelmann in front of his Fokker airplane. (Place and date: not known)

This postcard from the First World War shows the completely destroyed Houthulst forest. (Date: not known)

This First World War postcard shows people wearing gas masks during preparations for a gas attack. (Place and date: not known)

Photograph from the First World War: Children waiting in front of the 10th Company ('Knoll Company') office for leftovers from lunch. (Eastern Front, date: not known)
Photograph: Volksbund archive

This picture from the First World War shows the burial of casualties. (Place and date: not known)

A crew in front of their plane - on the left Gustav Watermann's younger brother, Ernst Watermann (Western Front, date: not known)

"Forget-Me-Not"– Floral Symbol for Remembering the Casualties of War

Due to its name, the forget-me-not is an international symbol of remembrance as well as a loving last farewell, coupled with the expression of a desire to stay in the minds of loved ones. In many languages, it is called the same name with the same meaning. Numerous poems and songs have been written about this flower.

The "blue flower" is a well-known motif in German romanticism. It stands for longing and love. It is also an expression of the pursuit of perfection, as well as the futility of the human search for perfect happiness.

At the beginning of the First World War, many young war volunteers romanticised and glorified the personal sacrifice for their respective countries,as yet unaware of modern weaponry and its gruesome consequences. The self-knowledge symbolised by the "blue flower" of romanticism is a deeply individualistic motif. From today"s perspective, its use as a flower of remembrance counterpoints the merciless mass carnage during this first World War.

Other nations also used floral motifs to remember the casualties of war: the red poppy, for example, is used as a sign of remembrance throughout the Commonwealth states whilst the "Bleuet de France", the blue cornflower, is its French counterpart. Interestingly, the blue cornflower was also used to remember the German war casualties after the First World War, although primarily by extreme nationalists.

In 1926, the Freemasons chose the symbolism of the forget-me-not as an internal badge of recognition. Later on, under the NS regime, the Winterhilfswerk relief organisation issued a donation badge showing a bunch of three forget-me-nots in the course of a two day campaign, which made it possible for the Freemasons to wear "their" badge openly without fear of persecution.

Besides it meaning (and also its colours), the motto "Lest we forget", which the Volksbund German war graves commission has used for the peace education measures it organises in remembrance of all victims of war and violence, the word "forget" also clearly establishes a connection to the flower forget-me-not. The logo at the centre of the flower, inspired by a photograph of the so-called "Grave of the Four Infantrymen" from the First World War in Grabowiec/Poland, establishes the connection to the war graves commission. The Volksbund is particularly committed to upholding the remembrance of those who have died in wars and the war casualties of all nations.

In the form pictured above, the forget-me-not badge signals that the wearer believes the victims of war and violence, regardless of their nationality, must never be forgotten. It is worn mainly on days of silent remembrance such as Remembrance Day, All Saints, All Souls etc., and on special occasions such as memorial services in cemeteries and dedicated national holidays, and may be ordered from the Volksbund at (subject to availability). The logo may also be used for own projects, provided permission to do so is requested in writing; please make respective requests to the above address.