DR 12 assault troop

A mysterious photo with a cap badge has come up again. Most of the soldiers in the photo are wearing helmets, which suggests that we are seeing an assault platoon in the photo. The NCOs are sitting in the middle: two sergeants, a platoon leader and a corporal. They are wearing field caps. And they are suitable for pinning a cap badge on. There is one in the middle, on the cap of a sergeant sitting on the ground.

I recently showed another photo, in which we could see a similar oval, enameled badge. Unfortunately, due to the reflection of the shiny surface, the inscriptions on the badge cannot be seen either there or here. We can only try to guess which badge it is based on the shape of the badge. Here we see a badge where the oval central field is interrupted only at the top by the imperial crown. This makes the task much easier, because in most cases a small plate with an inscription was also placed on the lower edge of the badge. There is none of that here. Of all these, taking into account the elongated shape of the badge, we can think of the badge of the 12th Dragoon Regiment.

The 12th Dragoons fought in the 7th Cavalry Division during the war. This supports the line of thought so far. The 12th Dragoons provided a company of strength to form the division’s assault half-regiment. So here, I think, the stormtroopers of the 7th Division, presumably the soldiers of the 12th Dragoon Assault Company, are seen in the picture in a photograph from the end of the war.