New Company: Schutztruppe Erkundigungskommando

[former user]

just remember, when You start using german, be aware that germans bavarians  will try to correct You - I believe it is cultural heritage or so 

 

[oabee]

I produced another PDF with the title of Erkundungskommando for the Company and placed it in the very first post of this thread so those interested can use the one they want. If you've followed this very interesting discussion this far, the link is here:

http://wrgmr.com/pdfs/schutztruppe2.pdf

I appreciate all the help I can get concerning the German language: the online translators leave much to be desired when trying to come up with ideas for IHMN Companies!  

Mike O

[dice shaker]

Hello,

 "erkundigen" is more like "to investigate". It would be better for police than military business. "Erkunden" is for reconnaissance.

Greetings from Germany,    Sebastian

[Cherno]

Dude, you are kinda late to the party

[oabee]

Three thoughts:

1. I violated the basic rule of research: never base a decision on only one source. Find another to verify.

2. It occurred to me that the authors of Vocabulary of German Military Terms and Abbreviations , my source for Erkundigungskommando, probably got it wrong  because, well, they're British. 

[Clarification for my British friends and colleagues: The smiley guy after the sentence indicates this was just a joke. Right? Just joking, eh? OK, put the gun down....]

3. Some subjects or pursuits adopt one language for their basic terminology. Italian, for example, is the universal language for music terms. I propose that German be the universal language for military terminology. It is by far the best: it looks right and it sounds great.

[Cherno]

O RLY  



Also http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MusicToInvadePolandTo

[Franz_Josef]

My WW I books give it as aufklarung - that would be the period term.

[oabee]

My WW I books give it as aufklarung - that would be the period term.

The 1915 Zimmerman book quoted above lists both aufklarung and erkundung:



The word aufklarung mainly seems to be associated with "enlightenment," specifically THE Enlightenment, becoming the German term for that movement dating from Kant's 1784 essay  "Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung?" ("Answering the Question: What is Enlightenment?"). It is definitely associated with reconnaissance, though.

Zimmerman defines it as "reconnaissance of enemy," contrasting with erkundung as "reconnaissance of ground." Not sure where he got this, or how accurate it is.

Given the application here---a Schutztruppen detachment working covertly with the Society of Thule and in need of an innocuous cover story---Erkundungskommando seems to best fit the bill. "Reconnaissance of ground," after all, would require surveying and map-making missions as part of the detachment's job, which would be perfect cover for their covert activities in support of Thule.

Mike O

[oabee]

Cherno:

I (unfortunately) had the chance to ride in an "ambulance" a few years back---nothing major, they were just being cautious.

I would MUCH rather have ridden in a Krankenwagen!

As to Music to Invade Poland: mein Gott! Not all of Wagner is The Ride of the Valkyries, for heaven's sake! My sister will travel all the way across the country to watch a good performance of The Ring, and trust me, she will NOT be donning her feldgrau and invading Poland anytime soon. Beethoven makes you "want to invade something"?    In my teens I used to go to SLEEP listening to Beethoven's symphonies on the old record player.

Probably I should have, but I did not know this trope was out there. Maybe we should all just, you know, move on?

Please be assured that my assertion that German should be the universal military language is based solely on how it looks and sounds and not at all about certain episodes of history.

Mike O

[former user]

gosh darn the heck! almost two pages about german verbal efficiency...
truely a language to invade Poland with 

so, what are You going to do with the "Erkundingungskommando"? I mean, surely not asking the way to Poland? Or Nyasaland?

so far You used stock pictures, but I am sure You have something on the production line?
please tell us more about this...

[Michi]

Zimmerman defines it as "reconnaissance of enemy," contrasting with erkundung as "reconnaissance of ground." Not sure where he got this, or how accurate it is.

That´s perfectly accurate, Mike. Aufklärung in its military use is something completely different than the philosophic term.
Aufklärung is reconnaissance of enemy which even covers reconnaissance of enemy by battle (fight him, see how hard he fights back and learn how strong he is).
Erkundung is reconnaissance of ground that of course can be infected by enemy and therefore could be regarded as Aufklärung as well if you gather information about him, but mainly it is to draw maps, check feasability of infrastructure and the like.

[oabee]

Actual production of my Schutztruppe is a ways down the line, I'm afraid. I have a pack of infantry from Askari Minis, and will add their command, Askaris, and a mountain gun and crew, then will probably pick up a Maxim somewhere---the mountain gun crew will do for either the gun or the Maxim. I need another officer figure for Sekonde-Lieutenant Brandt---where from I'm not sure yet, maybe Askari's  German officer in their Askari command pack. I do have a figure for Nasibah, the Dark Sword Desert Wings.

In the meantime I'm working on my Company of German archaeologists, and on a bunch of ancient Egyptian ruins, statues, and artifacts, the goal being to have an entire temple to fight over.

[former user]

that's interesting, the egyptian ruins....
I am somehow developing my plans into this direction too, but this will make the project very fictional, since french forces and egyptian ruins don't go together....
but with IHMN, who cares....

[Craig]

... since french forces and egyptian ruins don't go together....
but with IHMN, who cares....

Have you seen the opening scenes of The Mummy? 

[former user]

do bears shit in the woods? 

yes of course, but this is hardly meant to be historical, so....
or do You mean to explain that IHMN is "The Mummy"  inspired?
because I am still trying to get the story angle of IHMN....

anyway, my version would be less supernatural and more "Stargate" style