WWI German canteen help

[relicfinder]

Hi All,

Again, not sure if this is in the correct place so please move if not.

I bought this water bottle from Belgium last year. Im fairly certain it is German but what has got me intrigued is the markings on the side.
I was told it was the regiment or similar but google has thrown up nothing.

Im hoping someone may be able to help as I drawn a blank.

It looks like G.J.R (or B) 18. I guess it could even be the owners initials and age but would the do that with what looks to be stenciled?





Im guessing its original paint but not sure.

Many thanks

[Gimmie]

Generally ink-stamps are done rarely by regiments on specific pieces. Why this was done is unkown to me but I've seen it done on bags, helmets etc.

A straight guess here; Gebirgs-Jägers-Regiment 18???? (that is if the third letter is an R, not a B. Due to the length of the lower side of the letter it reminds me more of an R.)

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I know nothing about regiments ink-stamping their items.

Regards,
Bas

[relicfinder]

Generally ink-stamps are done rarely by regiments on specific pieces. Why this was done is unkown to me but I've seen it done on bags, helmets etc.

A straight guess here; Gebirgs-Jägers-Regiment 18???? (that is if the third letter is an R, not a B. Due to the length of the lower side of the letter it reminds me more of an R.)

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I know nothing about regiments ink-stamping their items.

Regards,
Bas

Excellent, thats superb.

Thank you

[aicusv]

Jäger units were battalions not regiments. My guess (if it is a unit mark and not a maker's) would be Infanterie-Regt. von Grolmann (1.Posensches) Nr.18 (Osterode) XX Armee Korps. With the GJR18 standing for Grolmann Infantry Regiment 18.

[relicfinder]

Jäger units were battalions not regiments. My guess (if it is a unit mark and not a maker's) would be Infanterie-Regt. von Grolmann (1.Posensches) Nr.18 (Osterode) XX Armee Korps. With the GJR18 standing for Grolmann Infantry Regiment 18.

Many thanks for this,

So as this is the only canteen ive personally seen with writing on it like this it wasn't that common. It came from the shop just by the menin gate in Ypres so I would hope the writing is genuine. It wasn't expensive and I bought it as I wanted the bottle and not because of the writing.

Does the writing mean it has some significance then?

[aicusv]

I would not attribute too much to the marks. It appears that different Quarter Masters took their instructions with differing meanings. I have a couple of canteens marked on the cover for the Army Corps. This regiment's QM may have had a slow day and decided to mark the canteens. It is nice to know what unit it was associated with, adds a little to the history. Maybe another member here can trace the history of IR 18 and see if it served around Ypres?

[aicusv]

Here is what I found out about IR18; 8th Army, XXArmy Corps, 41st Division, 72nd Brigade. Served of Eastern and Romanian Fronts, until February or 1917, when it was transferred to the Western Front. Fought at the 2nd Aisne and took part in the Spring Offensive in 1918. Saw action during the Allied Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

[bigmacglenn]

Here is what I found out about IR18; 8th Army, XXArmy Corps, 41st Division, 72nd Brigade. Served of Eastern and Romanian Fronts, until February or 1917, when it was transferred to the Western Front. Fought at the 2nd Aisne and took part in the Spring Offensive in 1918. Saw action during the Allied Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Thanks for the Information...That would make sense...I suspected this would be a likely possibility...Well done...And a Nice Original Example, perfect for display...
cheers, Glenn

[relicfinder]

Thank you everyone for your help and info.

With this I was purely interested in the history and not if it would make it more valuable as it is still just a bottle. But now it's a bottle that was from a specific unit/regiment so makes it even more interesting in my collection.

Other than my 150mm casing I don't have anything else that I couldn't find much info on so this is great (until I find another relic).

Thanks once again everyone.

[MAP]

Already correctly id'ed. Just a bit more..."J" in German is typically "I" in English. So G. IR 18 would be correct.