Mathias Lechermann (right) and (probably) his brother Hans (R)

The troddel colors are still being discussed, as is the identity of the men on the left.

 

Mathias Lechermann (standing) and his brother Hans, circa 1918 (?).

 

Mathias and his brother were the sons of a Bavarian farmer from Ingolstadt and they both fought in France as part of a Bavarian unit. Mathias passed away in 1974 from the after effects of the mustard gas he inhaled during the battle of Verdun. He was awarded the Iron Cross second class.

 

Please take the time to read the comments and follow the detective work done by fellow flickr members to unravel the history of this two men and the mysteries of Mathias bayonet troddel.

 

 

I did the easy part, recoloring the photo, equal credit and my gratitude goes to:

 

Mathias Plank, for sharing this and other photos of his ancestors and trusting me, a stranger, to color them.

 

Sam Wouters (a.k.a. Paranoid_Womb), this was only a photo, now it has a history thanks to Sam.

 

xiphophilos, for all the amazing information we can read below.

 

 

Original b&w property of: Mathias Plank

 

Done