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  1. Richard Auld

    Richard Auld

    Sergeant


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  2. Davejb

    Davejb

    Lieutenant Colonel


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  3. Afrikakorpsrat64

    Afrikakorpsrat64

    Lieutenant


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      255

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  4. Desert Rat

    Desert Rat

    Sergeant


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Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation since 11/04/20 in all areas

  1. Guys, as stated above. Rich
    5 points
  2. Guys, few more pics, this time of an exercise, the name of which escapes me but we had 'sim fix' which was some sort of laser quest stuff and the exercise was to determine if we would buy Challenger or M1 Abraham. At the time we believed it but it was apparently a forgone conclusion due to the collapse of the Shah of Iran's power base. It happened down by Wolfenbüttel South of Hannover.
    5 points
  3. Hi all, I managed to complete a collection challenge that I had set myself: complete an air force uniform for the major participants in the Cold War (minus France as has already been pointed out to me!). So we have USA, UK, West Germany, East Germany, and USSR. Still have a couple of variations (officer or enlisted) to display but really pleased with how this has turned out.
    5 points
  4. Afternoon all, Well it looks like FB has pulled the plug this time. So,lets make this online forum number 1 again eh. Waffy
    5 points
  5. Finally it looks like spring is coming here too. I've been doing som service on our 67 model Peugeot 404, and getting it ready for the summer season. We had some very nice weather last weekend, with a temperature around 10 degrees celcius - about 50 degrees fahrenheit. So me and my wife packed up somethimg to eat and the kids in the 404 and went for a small roadtrip/picnic in our local area last saturday. We had a very nice day, and the old Peugeot performed perfectly. 20210417_151315.mp4
    5 points
  6. Guys, This short engagement was recorded in the Ulrich Saft book Kriege in der heimat. These photos were taken post war by a young boy that used to play on the wrecked tanks, what a play ground he had! He is now in his 80s and has recently rediscovered these pictures taken before 1949 but after the war. It shows two of the tanks from the battle although he tells me there were 3 British tanks in a row in column of march and they were destroyed on the North South road that goes past the Hotel Kroepke which is still there today. those tanks were on the road circa 3 to 400m South of the hotel just before the slight bend in the road. The Tiger was further South and I will confirm the locations later. The flak was to the North East of the road described above. The old boy (Albert) has offered to walk the locations with me but he is not in the best of health. I will do it as soon as I and he can. Rich
    4 points
  7. Hi Hans, welcome to this forum. Bit quiet but I still think it will get busier when FB etc finally pull the plug, they are dyeing to do it. Best Rich
    4 points
  8. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: A multi-piece constructed linen Banner/flag that measures 56" wide and 97" drop with a printed mobile swastikas in black on a white background. There are five sets of ties along the top to tie to a pole. There are a few small marks as well as obvious fading to the central disks. There is also the maker mark in the upper corner as shown in the photo. Great bring back piece of memorabilia. £250 plus p&p
    4 points
  9. For your review...DDR NVA-Wachregiment oberleutnat in parade dress...and some more NVA-Wachregiment complete uniforms
    4 points
  10. Here are a couple of rough WW1 German canteens I have in the collection. The one with dark gray cover was one I got in a mail order auction when I was like 15. $10 I think I paid (Before the internet and Ebay!lol)
    4 points
  11. A selection of tropical pith helmets...Second pattern army was damaged by friend's son during hands on examination...appears to be easily repairable
    4 points
  12. Just got this nice Post war German Shelter 1/4 in trade. Now these use to be plentiful back in the '70's and '80's. But You dont see them very often anymore. I was happy to add this one to the collection. The WW2 ones are more plentiful! lol Infact I have a new one of those coming too.
    4 points
  13. I have a few links from a Goliath track,currently soaking in oil
    4 points
  14. Rich, it turned out to be in pretty Good shape. Check it out
    4 points
  15. Had I know what these were when I was a boy, I would have got my dad to bye some of these, Back in the 60s there was a market called Portebello in London, there was a trader that had about 20-30 of them on his stall and was only saying that they were cold winter boots, they wer,nt even described as being German, but they were the same as you and Richard have shown, and at that time I can now see why they were descibed as such, I dare say that no one new what they were, or who made them,if people had known then , I dont think there would have been many sales for the guy selling them, where he got them from God only knows
    4 points
  16. Guys, been very distracted by our spiral into despair here in Germany due to the gas situation. I have been busy trying to shift my reliance on gas to having a back up in the form of a couple to three wood burners. I have all the required products now and am waiting for my workmates to set a date to start rebuilding the existing chimneys and cleaning one out. Luckily they are qualified builders and recon its a days work! Being ever the pessimist I will plan for 3 days to cover any unforeseen issues. To give you an idea of what is going on over here right now, my pal paid €3200 last year for his annual heating oil refill, this year he paid in excess of €9000. This is quite simply not sustainable for every household in Germany and will be pushing us into an economic collapse. The knock on of which may take down the EU in its current format. Just my opinion but I think we are being fool hardy getting involved in another US proxy war, what could go wrong with that?
    3 points
  17. Picked up this Reichsbahn 1st aide supplies tin with the grenade box. 1st one I have encountered. Nice addition to the railway collection.
    3 points
  18. Cant think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than having a cold one and chatting helmets and collecting. Hope you all are well. Would love to see more collections being post! Cheers! The Afrika Rat
    3 points
  19. Hi, welcome, it is quiet here but we collectively can probably steer you in the right direction. Best Rich
    3 points
  20. Ive baton on the fence for now. Going to convert to concrete panels were that wind blows through. Looks like all calmed down now.
    3 points
  21. Just added this one. 1st I have ever owned. Made at the end of that era, as Hitler had taken power.
    3 points
  22. And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours Richard, and also to all the forum members.
    3 points
  23. hello all! just signed up today and have been going through some of the sections. interesting indeed. i am from the United States and am a long time collector mostly in American WW2 items. i buy and some times sell. history is my corner stone interest in life. i like viewing members finds and find it interesting what lead them to collecting. i feel it is important to preserve the past as it serves as an ever lasting memory to those who served.
    3 points
  24. I’ve got a few parachute mine related bits. My Gran always referred to them as ‘land mines’, but they were actually ‘sea mines’. (Try telling her that, as one destroyed the street in South London she lived in, which was some distance from the sea!) This is the end cap I have from one that was recovered from the Thames Estuary. The cap was jettisoned as the mine fell, releasing the parachute which was designed to break its fall in order to protect the delicate magnetic influence components within. – I have some bits of the parachutes and chords – I did pick up one piece of parachute that I am a bit sceptical about as it is of a different type of material from that normally seen, like that above. – I acquired this from somebody in America. They didn’t know anything about it and were not aware of the significance of the writing on it – If the writing is to be believed, then this was from the first magnetic mine that the British successfully recovered, thereby learning the secrets of how they worked. As a result, degaussing of ships could be developed into an effective counter-measure. At that time Britain’s supply lines were being choked off by these mines, so it was a major turning point, so not just related to acts of extreme bravery, but a major historical event in WW2 – hence I framed it with signatures of the men involved in its recovery. I’m always a bit dubious about ‘fake’ provenance, but I paid absolute peanuts for this. Like I say – jury is still out as to its authenticity, but worth a chance as it is documented that the parachute was recovered from that mine. I also acquired the condolence slip that was in the medal box, (no medals unfortunately!), and some photographs relating to CPO Baldwin who was one of those involved with the recovery. CPO Baldwin was killed attempting to recover another mine a few months later. Below is a hydrostatic clock from a German mine. As I understand it, if the mine reaches a depth of around 24 feet or more, water pressure going in the small hole you can see in the above photo, causes a switch to operate that energizes a fuse delay switch. The clock in this unit runs down until the point is reached when battery current is applied to the magnetic firing circuit. Basically it makes the mine become live after a set time in suitably deep water. These bookends were made using the brass ring that held one of these clocks in a parachute mine. The bookends are written on stating the ring came from a mine that fell at Newton Green, Sudbury, Suffolk. Another item I have is a clicker unit and a photo of the mine it apparently came from. This unit could count the number of times the magnetic influence occurred. So, for instance, a ship could pass the mine 11 times without it going off. But the 12th time it would go off. This meant it could be set to catch a big ship in a convoy rather than the little ones that went before it. Also the same stretch of water would have to be swept numerous times. The guy who disarmed the mine was Lt Crane, (back to camera). I’ve not been able to find a good photo of him. Here he is looking through a telescope somewhere on the Norfolk Broads with other RMS, (Rendering Mines Safe), personnel, with his hand in front of his face. Anyone would think he didn’t want to be photographed! – Below are some fingerless gloves and text book that belonged to a Lt Cdr Hodges. He got the George Medal for working on parachute mines. Every day as I drive to work I go over a railway bridge at North Sheen, S.London. Hodges worked on a mine that fell unexploded on this bridge, along with Lt Spiers. As they worked on it the fuze started ticking. These fuzes only ticked for up to 17 seconds – might be the full 17 or just tick for 1 second. Both men made a run for it. Spiers got further away and took cover behind a fence. Hodges decided not to run so far, but instead lay down in the gutter hoping not to be upright when the mine detonated. Referring to the subsequent explosion, Hodges said ‘It hit me hard, tore my coat, half wrenched off a shoe, seemed to fill me with black grit and left my ears bleeding.’ You’ll notice some of the houses around the bridge are newer! As I said earlier these mines were meant to blow up ships but the Germans realised how effective their blast was in cities. They were actually fitted with a self-destruct mechanism that would blow them up should they fall in shallow water, or on land, thereby protecting the secrets of how they worked. This self-destruction would occur around 17 seconds after the mine struck, unless in the meantime the pressure of surrounding water over-rode the self-destruct switch. These mechanisms often failed, however, when the mine hit a hard surface, despite the parachute, (which was really meant for a water impact). The mine would then remain unexploded, but further disturbance, even the slightest vibration from a nearby vehicle, or a man attempting to defuse it, could re-start the self-destruct mechanism running down the final seconds to detonation. Last item that’s mine related is this cup. I picked it up at auction for literally the price of a burger. It is engraved ‘In appreciation from the Officers of SS Salvestria 27th July 1940.’ I was fascinated to know the story behind it. Found a photo of the Salvestria – I located the Court of Inquiry record at The National Archives. The ship was en-route from her South Atlantic base to Grangemouth with a cargo of oil. Along with other ships it steamed in line up the narrow safe channel marked by buoys at the entrance to the Forth Naval base. On its final turn to approach the gate ships of the boom guarding the entrance to the port, a mine exploded beneath her, killing 10 of the crew of 57. The ship was on fire, with the stern sinking first, the bows settling in the shallow water. HM Drifter Betty Bodie went along-side and took aboard surviving crew. The Norma also came to the rescue, picking up men who were in the water. Many were injured, suffering from burns. The water was thick with oil, one of the men on the recue ships described it as ‘so thick, on going through it, was just like churning through butter’. The Inquiry concluded that the cause of the explosion was a magnetic mine. The Salvestria is one of the largest wrecks in the Forth.
    3 points
  25. Guys, fairly sure these are South front. Rich
    3 points
  26. Just arrived, care of Sensai Paul Lomax. not one, ..but TWO WW2 RAF Type C Flying helmets, one is almost complete, with unissued MkV111 goggles..and will sit well with Stenuits Elevator....the other will be moved on.... Also arrived was this ICAN Flying Computer used by the RAF from 1940 to app 1945....it has the pilots/navigators notes too....another thing to go into the Mosquito Collection
    3 points
  27. Hi guys, In respect of the above, can I remind all new members to the forum, that you have to be a member here for at least a month or too before trying to sell your items, This has been a standing rule on the forum, it is a safe guard to protect the members, There have been in the past a few people who come on here, sell items then leave and then the members find out that they have been scammed. So to prevent this that is why we have these rules, by all means post your items that are not for sale so the members can see and comment, Thank you
    3 points
  28. Mike H

    DDR

    Anyone else collect DDR? (East Germany) 2 place medal bar consisting of ( L to R) Bronze Merit Medal and 5 Year Long Service Medal.
    3 points
  29. 6 miles isn't to far in my book for militaria my question is do you have competition in town? Antique stores or anything else along those lines.
    3 points
  30. As you might have seen, we have a Troll that keeps posting on the forum, please do not reply or comment to him I have been removing him and flagging him as a spammer, one day he might bugger off
    3 points
  31. Excellent and Prime condition! I sadly sold my Green LW 1st pattern. I also owned a 2 tone LW 1st pattern, another one I regret parting with! I just have the one Heer at the moment.
    3 points
  32. Its strange but if you think about it, uniforms have,nt changed a great deal over the years,its just the insigner
    3 points
  33. Thanks both. We hope to do a bit of off the radar exploration. On a visit to the Somme Battlefields we came across an old Luftwaffe airfield and found some underground bunkers. Very interesting.
    3 points
  34. Aye well, if that pair above can come back...then so can I....;) Hello chaps...:)
    3 points
  35. Got a Reichsbahn visor cockade in today. To add to my Railway odds and ends. I love trains. The cockade is an AssMann and has all pins. Just need a cap! The O scale Model railroad is being rebuilt this weekend.
    3 points
  36. This one is new to the collection, and not pictured together with the other ones. I bought it for a fair price (around 160 Euros) from a family in my local area, only last weekend.
    3 points
  37. Thanks Dave There is no Troll but I have always had very good luck, when it comes to find and obtain nice stuff. Also German ww2 militaria has become rather expensive in the last few years so when I occasionally buy a new item for my collection, I am very picky of what I spend my hard earned money on.
    3 points
  38. Thanks. Yes, I also found the Westair owl of Athens / Minerva references. The closest I have been able to find is this Greek air force officers cap badge: Which has a number of similarities but doesn't explain where my badge fits in. I translated the text in Google translate and it's just the manufacturers details: ΚΑΠΝΟΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΑ ΙΔΡΥΘΕΙΣΑ ΤΩ 1899 ΕΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΣ Ν.ΜΑΡΓΑΡΙΤΗ TOBACCO INDUSTRY ESTABLISHED IN 1899 IN ATHENS N. MARGARITI Not sure how tobacco industry comes into it but that could just be due to wartime changes of use.
    3 points
  39. Wow, that award really looks like a fancy Mothers Cross, I just read about these not too long ago.. inscribed ‘ORDO TEUT. HUMANITATI’ (Teutonic – or German – Humanitarian Order); the reverse with a circular central white enamel medallion bearing the date ‘1871’ in black enamel letters within a black enamel ring; on original trifold ribbon. The Order had its origins in the time of the Crusades during the siege of Acre in 1190 with the establishment of a hospital for German soldiers but had largely disappeared when it was revivified in 1871 under Imperial patronage with first Archduke Wilhelm and then Archduke Eugen as High Grand Master to encourage and support voluntary hospitals and medical care. This striking award is relatively rare and was not awarded after the fall of the Hapsburg Empire in 1918. the hanger is silver very good condition dimensions: only the cross 4 cm and the hanger 5 cm, DON"T QUOTE ME ON THIS, there is a good resemblance and there may have been different classes or altogether a different medal, as the man pictured is wearing a really beefed up one with all the trimmings.. Let me do some research on my end and see what I can come up with ! G
    3 points
  40. Late to the party, but here's my 'Blitzlicht' bomb. Not in quite such good condition having gone off. I've read they were used when taking night-time reconnaissance photos. When they went off, they apparently produced 60,000,000 candle power for 5 seconds. No wonder there's no paint left on it! Quite a firework!
    3 points
  41. Guys, Just found a picture of me back then, it is a bit the worse for ware due to dampness as I have never looked after my stuff. One forgets that as we get older we are too a part of history! Rich
    3 points
  42. Glad that you got it sorted, but you need to be careful with these zip ties, are these metal, plastic etc some plastic ones can affect old wood, metal can leave heavy scars in old wood, Its not really an ideal fix, show them on hear, that way we can see whats been done
    3 points
  43. Lenny, I will sort something soon. I am thinning stuff out so I will offer items to members here if they make a contribution to the upkeep. Rich
    3 points
  44. Bavarian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class, 3rd form (1913-1918) with matchbox type case.
    3 points
  45. I've had this one awhile. Nice matching J.Sch. 1940 with Early tropical frog. In my opinion, the frog has always been with this one. The Blade is unsharpened.
    3 points
  46. Mike H

    DDR

    Grenztruppen display I put together. Long Service on top row, 2nd row Merit Medals, 3rd is a Qualification Badge and last is the Cuffband
    3 points
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