Hello everybody,
 
and especially to Germans readers,if you could help me...
 
I'd like to know what is exactly an Armierungsoldat in a ArmierungBataillon  
 
thank you,
danke schön    
 
Mireille

Hello,
 
I've found the response:
 
these soldiers Armierungsoldat were not combatants;
they were dedicated to the digging of the trenches;
and they were in charge of the transport of food and the transport of the ammunition;
they were like true convicts at the bagne and were called "schippers" (= Mann mit Schaufel/man with shovel)
 
if someone had photos or another details,don't hesitate to post them here.
"my" soldier armierungsoldat was only 31 when he died in 1918,he wasn't very old,
why he was not a combatant?
 
best regards
Mireille
 
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j'édite ce message afin de le traduire en gros en français:
 
ces Armierungsoldats n'étaient pas des combattants;
ils étaient voués exclusivement au creusement des tranchées,des transports de vivres et des munitions.
c'était de véritables forçats,on les surnommait les "schippers"=les pelleteurs
 
"mon" soldat avait 31 ans quand il est mort en 1918,pourquoi n'était-il pas combattant?
(peut-on les comparer aux Territoriaux?)

An Armierungs-Bataillon was a labour unit composed of men (Armierungssoldaten) who, for one reason or another, were unsuited to bearing arms.  
 
At the start of the war, Armierungsbataillonen were assigned to fortresses. (The term Armierung refers to the activity of placing a fortress in a state of readiness for siege.) Later, they were employed behind the front lines in much the same way as French or British labour units.

There were some 218 "Armierungs-Bataillon" by the end of the war, much more than at the beginning. These units also had a disciplinary side and those assigned to it were considered as "tough customers". One famous member of these units: Karl Liebknecht....