German Garde-Grenadier Uniforms in 1914

[Rob Herrick]

Can anyone direct me to a good source on the individual uniform eccentricities of the Garde Grenadier regiments in 2nd Guards Division? What I am especially interested in are details of piping on both uniform coat and feldmutzes, the epaulette tabs, and then what, if anything, was stencilled on their pickelhaube covers.

Thanks!

[Metternich]

Books on this subject can be very expensive ($50 to a couple of hundred).  One such is The Uniforms of the Imperial German Army of 1914
Digby Smith
ISBN: 978-1-85818-726-6
176 pages, well-illustrated
PPC hardback
£29.50 GBP
2nd Guards Division was composed of 3rd Guards Infantry Bde, 4th Guards Infantry Bde, 2nd Guards Artillery Bde, and 2nd Guards Uhlans.

  One easy fact is that Guards infantry troops in 1914 had nothing on their Pickelhaube covers - this was a distinction for them, as the regiments of the line had their regimental number stenciled on, reserve line units had an R above the number, and Landwehr units had a Maltese (Baltic, i.e. Iron) cross stenciled above the number.

Below is a good image of a guardsman with the cover (can't tell which regt. w/o seeing the shoulder straps clearly) which shows this.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/91/24/c9/9124c9b2640854ae0b1b2e92fb792b69--german-uniforms-military-uniforms.jpg

Contrast that with the below image of a member of Reserve Regt. 86
https://denstorekrig1914-1918.dk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Kresten_Andresen_i_Uniform-672x372.jpg

[Rob Herrick]

Much appreciated; that makes my life a good deal easier.

I assume that piping on the tunic and collar was red for all units, with just the shoulder boards having the distinctive piping of the regiment? Or was the collar also piped distinctively?

Also, do you know if the Garde Grenadiers carried their colors in the field? I see suggestions that units did or did not, and Mutton Chop does make a lovely standard bearer.

[Metternich]

I strongly doubt that the Guard carried their colors into action in 1914 (they had done so in 1870, and suffered severe losses).  Certain pre-war distinctions were retained on the 1914 feldgrau uniform.
Here is the link to Uniformology's listings on the German WW 1 1914 uniform which should answer most of your questions.

http://www.uniformology.com/RUHL-14.html

The most noticeable distinction for guard troops is that they all had litzen (that double bar lace) on their collars and on their cuffs.  Regiments were distinguished by whether they had Prussian cuffs (as in the picture I first posted)or "Swedish" cuffs (below is a colorized picture of the Kaiser with Swedish Cuffs)
https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.ZF4vfuzVEi4DMq-56bg_fgHaNW

Other distinctions included the the color of the buttons (whether of yellow tomback or silver-colored metal).