Introduction

Bernhard Hermann August Schultz was born in 1891 and joined/enlisted in the Imperial German navy in 1909. Pictured and described herein is his complete military paperwork package including his Kaiserliche Marine military pass enclosed in a plain manila sheath. Hand written in black ink on the cover is Militärpapier für Ober. Torpedo… and blue ink stamped at the bottom 5. Kompagnie 1. Torpedo-Division. All of these items were enclosed in an additional, very stylized dark red/brown cover sheath with black embossed text titled MILITÄR – PASS I. Torpedo – Div. I. and embossed with the old Imperial Prussian black Eagle or Reichsalder. Apparently, each navy division had its own style sheath as other branches have blue and gold or white lettering colored sheaths some with navy style eagle with anchor and yet others with crossed flags and anchor, multiple pockets and fancy bindings. Included in the package is an Imperial Navy driver’s license with the personal identification number of Bernard Shultz, No. 128.

Inside the Shultz military pass are some ink stamps from the 6. Kompagnie Torpedo Division and on the red and black sheath cover it reads 5. Kompagnie. Apparently Shultz started at the 5th company as all stamps are dated earlier and also did service during WW1 with the 6th company.

Torpedo Division Service Handbook

The most important or significant document, which is part of the package is an extremely rare Kaiserliche Marine Service Handbook for the Torpedo Division, specifically the 1st Torpedo Division, Company Number 5, Number 128, dated [19] 09. The 1st Torpedo Division was based at the "Marinestation der Ostsee" or the Baltic Sea Station. Number 128 is not exactly an inventory number as stated in the caption on p.81 of The Navy Luger book but the number assigned to Shultz and signifies a register of the officers and men in a military unit or ship's company, i.e. "No. 128 der Marine Stammrolle für 1909" or No.128 of the personnel roster for 1909.

The I.T.D. was the training unit and personnel pool for all the Torpedo personnel on the Ostsee-Station.¹ Survivability of such an Imperial German navy document is extremely low since it actually served on a Torpedo boat at sea. The handbook exhibits "foxing" with some water damage such as stains and rusted staples, and it is especially rare considering the decimation of the Imperial German navy by the end of WW1.

What makes the document itself exceptionally unusual and unique is that it contains a pre-stapled, 14-page (numbered 211 through 224) "pasted-in" section at the end of the handbook. This section describes the aiming and shooting instructions, service and maintenance for the "Pistole 04" and accessories. Also, added to the front of the handbook, is a single one-third page "Table of Contents" for the added Pistole 04 section paste-in. It is identified as Deckblatt 4. or Overlay 4. at the top of the first blank page after page VII of pages III, IV, V, VI and VII of the original Table of Contents. The actual title of the main service handbook, DIENSTUNTERRICHT FÜR DIE TORPEDODIVISIONEN, V. AUFLAGE. (SERVICE INSTRUCTION for the TORPEDO DIVISIONS, 5th EDITION.), can be found on Roman Numeral page I of the handbook.

The anticipated extensive seaborne use and subsequent harsh environment exposure probably necessitated the hardbound, sturdy binding of this Imperial German Navy service handbook. This was no doubt partially responsible for its one hundred years plus intact survival. The rather large 16mm height character size I.T.5. 128 [19] 09 identification of the "no cover information" hardbound handbook can be found on the inside cover of the handbook. The method of application of this information is interesting in of itself. At first glance, the markings appear to be a slightly faded ink stamping; but a close examination shows that the application was done with a stencil or template overlay, where the character outlines were first traced with pencil and then filled in with the same pencil.

This stencil or template was probably used to identify other non-paper Torpedo Division property of Shultz, possibly with ink or paint. The reason for the use of a pencil vs. ink lies with the nature of the document, is specifically the contents, which contain sensitive information on all aspects of the Imperial German Navy and the Torpedo Division. This blank cover Torpedo Division document may have, at the time come under the categorization of secret as defined by the "Tirpitz Principles" of 1909". One example cited "Violations of the obligation to keep this booklet secret will be prosecuted in accordance with the Act concerning the betrayal of military secrets of 3rd July 1893."² If the service handbook were to be seized by the enemy, the association with the particular Torpedo Division could be conveniently erased or removed. A simpler explanation is that a pencil is all that the owner had at hand. This type of property identification, at least for weapons issue, was discontinued by the Ministry of War – General War Department memo dated November 1916.³

Below the stenciled identification is a cartouche-type sticker label with the typed name of the owner Shultz Bernh. or Shultz Bernhardt. This cartouche-type identification or nametag method of personal ownership is typical of the Imperial German navy and later of the post WW1 Reichswehr⁴ and can be found on other items such as clothing.

The dating of the service handbook, original 1907 or earlier printing, the later 1909 issue date and the addition of the P.04 section, is based on the following information contained within the document: The document contains many "paste-in" or overlay modifications and corrections typical of period German military manuals. Several of the modifications are official as identified by the word "Deckblatt" (Overlay) followed by a number. There are other paste-in overlays that are not so identified. One of the several modifications or corrections is found on page 92. The print date of the handbook is 1907 based on page 92 which has an added, 1909 dated new information pasted-in (Deckblatte 6.or Overlay 6.) paragraph that covers the existing 1907 dated paragraph.

The fact that all the paste-in additions and corrections are typed in the same font size and style suggests that they were done by the original printer to "in stock" service handbooks before being released to the navy for distribution. The last few pages of the handbook describe significant events or milestones in the Kaiserliche Marine from 1871 to 1905 with 1905 being the last chronological entry, which supports the 1907 or possibly earlier printing date. The inside cover date of [19] 09 is the issue date, not the publishing date, of the subject handbook to the 1st Torpedo Division, 5th Company along with the assigned personal identification (ID) number 128.

 

Milestones in the Kaiserliche Marine from 1871 to 1905.

There are only four pages of a previously published later [19] 16 "inventory issue" (with an additional hand written date of 26.4.1917 by an Aug. Meier.) 2nd Torpedo Division, Service Handbook (II.T.D. 181 16) entitled "Torpedodivisionen und Unterseebootsabteilung"⁵ showing, for example the "XIV. Die Pistole 04" § 163 Beschreibung der Pistole. (Description of the Pistol.), a one page section with a numbered page 120. The same information in the subject earlier [19] 09 issue service handbook is identified as "XXVI. Die Pistole 04, § 163 Beschreibung der Pistole." and is numbered page 211. Assuming the number of pages in the [19] 16 Torpedo Division Service Handbook were the same, or more due to the inclusion of the "Unterseebootsabteilung" or Submarine service information, then the lower page number implies that by the 1916 or earlier issue, the P.04 section was not a pasted-in section but an integral part of the service handbook.

Fortunately, the entire P.04 text section of the above mentioned 1916 Torpedodivision und Unterseebootsabteilung service handbook, minus the table of contents, has been located and is presented herein, compared side-by-side with the subject 1907 Torpedodivision Service Handbook added P.04 addendum for anyone interested in looking for similarities and or differences of which there are several.

The added Pistole 04 section

The date of the addition of the P.04 section in the subject 1907 Torpedodivision Service Handbook is more difficult to precisely determine but is between 1907 and 1909. Since the Deckblatt (Overlay) statement (Deckblatt 4. of 4. through 9.) is on several individual pages with the up front pasted-in P.04 Table of Contents, identified as the first "Deckblatt 4." with the lowest number, it is reasonable to conclude that the P.04 section was added at the same time by the printer, prior to issue to the navy. Another significant factor in determining the inclusion date is the Berlin based Deutsches Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) first batch delivery P.04 date of March 1906 with issue dates to the various services extending into 1907, probably left the navy unprepared for the supplemental paperwork regarding the addition of the P.04 into the navy arsenal or inventory, ergo the last minute added P.04 instruction insert errs toward 1907.

These modified Torpedo Division Service Handbooks could have already been issued and retrieved for the changes or the publisher provided the P.04 section to the navy for inclusion. Another possibility is that the publisher added the P.04 section to in-stock, undistributed 1907 printed Torpedo Division Service Handbooks. It is not certain that the P.04 section was added to all 1907 handbooks.

In support of this date is a German navy document W.III.4568 dated 13th May 1907 of which the first mention of service pistol issue - rather than simply plans - occurs in the firearms allotments for the Fiscal year 1907⁶ of which coincidently February 1907 is the year the pistol name was changed to Pistole 1904 from Selbstladepistole 1904. Also, the contents of the P.04 section contain aiming and shooting instructions with illustrations which coincides, time wise, with 6 March 1907 navy orders or instructions to determine how many pistol cartridges were required annually for shooting practice (RMA AVb.1962).⁷

Although in the subject service handbook there is a similar shooting instructions section for the Gewehr 98 on pages 129 and 130, apparently as the navy was re-arming with the P.04 (Karabiner), specifically the Torpedo Division, they were simultaneously withdrawing the Gewehr 98 from their inventory as: "Space restrictions on these ships (Destroyers and Torpedoboats) meant a higher than normal quota of pistols, as no rifles were carried."⁸ In support of the above statement the Inspektion des Torpedowesens reporting on 7th November 1909 that: "with the rearming of the torpedo-divisions with Pistole 1904 (instead of Gewehre 98) now being complete a suitable alteration of the personal shooting-record books [Schiessbücher] of the enlisted men is now necessary"⁹

As pointed out in The Navy Luger book on page 81 in picture and text, the 1916 dated Torpedodivisionen und Unterseebootsabteilung Service Handbook caption on page 123, paragraph 8 states that "the description of the safety systems refers only to guns with manual and grip systems." The same identical text Section 8 paragraph is located in the 1907 Torpedodivisionen Service Handbook, except on page 214. As to whether the first 1906 published Selbstladepistole 1904 instruction manual and especially the later 1913 revised printing of the Pistole 1904 instruction manual describe the P.04 safety system in the same Model 1904/06 grip safety terms is unknown. Although, if described, more than likely they are the same as the Model 1908 P.08 style, no grip safety navy Luger wasn’t available until late 1914.¹⁰

As a matter of note, it should be mentioned that the differences of content of the 1906 Selbstladepistole 1904 instruction manual from the 1913 revised Pistole 1904 instruction manual are not technical and minor in nature, substituting ‘Pistole’ (Pistol) and ‘Pistolentasche’ (holster) for ‘Selbstladepistole’ (Semi automatic pistol) and ‘Lederfutteral’ (Leather holster). No mention is made of guns other than those with grip safeties.¹¹

Another interesting aspect of the P.04 section of the [19] 09 Torpedo Division Service Handbook is the page 216, paragraph 165 inclusion or description of the Hirschfänger [71] as P.04 regulation issue equipment or accessory. The Hirschfänger or bayonet is pictured numerous times with Kaiserliche Marine sailors with P.04 rigs, but this the first instance of original P.04 text association. The association of the Pistole 1904 and a bayonet is made reference to in the 1909 version of the Tirpitz principles regarding the P.04: "4) Personnel of Torpedodivisionen, the U-Boats-Kompagine and the Minenabteilung (nautical and engineering personnel alike) will receive Pistole 1904, and excepting petty officers, a bayonet."¹²