What's your newest militaria III

Rather modest ,but still the hardest piece to find for a canteen : a 1934 dated German ESB maker cup . I even suspect some initials to be decyphered on it. Not bad for 3 euros. I also picked up this badge. The story that goes without it is funny. The guy told me it was French colonial and equivalent to the RAD....... Quite a royal Republic with the George VI crown isn't it? He wasn't so far away with the Pioneer idea compared to the RAD....

 

Actually, that cup is the sort of thing I like. Inexpensive, but it has character and is definitely not a 'fake'......

 

Exactly and for ten canteens you will only find one cup. They usually sell for 15 euros a piece if not more.

 

A good day for me. This morning as I arrived at our local flee market I was told to go and look at a helmet that was for sale. It looked good but hadn't been sold because the seller wouldn't let buyers strip of the ersatz zeltbahn camo from it . The four iron hooks were rusted and so were the rivets (on the picture they are cleaned and saved) . Removing it ad-hoc would have meant destroying for good. The seller then told me the story that went with this helmet. I was told not to believe because every helmet today comes from Normandy with a story. But as a matter of coincidence the names evoked all rang a bell, because my own mother lived in the village next door. This is how I was convinced this helmet had to be a good Normandy Battle relic and Idecide dto invest in it without actullay having seen the outside..... Mind you the inside and cover looked good enough to take a risk , not to mention the gorgeous Bayonet that came from the same estate. To give you an idea this is what I saw :






markings are E.T ....? number at the back unreadable, but you can see a read ink "a" and and a red ink cross as well . The white on the front could be the left over of a name but it too faded to read.

 

inside without cammo





camo zeltbahn net

 

and the surprise when I got home! It looks all clean now, but it took me an hour to remove the hooks without damaging them.

I didn't rub anything , just cleaned it and under the excellent oakleaf sheme you can still find the initial Felgrau layer at some places.

 

Quite a catch you made there Skipper!!! Congratulations!

 

Thanks Sky, it was quite a gamble and very stressful until I made sure it was agood one and the icing on the cake was whne I found out it was an original oakleaf cammo. I haven't ventures looking for a decal yet, Isuspecthtere could be something under it, but I don't want to ruin it, so I'll bring it to a pro you can remove old a sample without ruining anything .
I'd rather wait a week or two than alter this gem

Here is one with the 4 wire grips

 

I scored some nice items too!

Another rocket for the bazooka.




A second double-mag for my UD M42!




A four cell mag pouch with 20rnd mags for the UD M42, I'm very happy because these are as hard to find as the SMG itself!
















GI Shoepacks.

 

Sweet items Sky, I love the shoepacks a lot, I have a pair on my USAAF airman

 

Skipper does it again....I actually woke up this morning feeling quite good ; but now my day has been ruined !

A fantastic 'find'................

 

Wonderful isn't it? I didn't mean to ruin your day Martin. I still don't want to go too fast, but I'm starting to think I got a real Waffen SS lid with Normandy oak leaf Cammo. I know the exact village where it was found and will see who went through there.

 

I am kind of thinking you do too

 

Skip, you have a wonderful example of an M40 lid manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerke of Thale, Germany. The company was one of the largest producers of helmets for the german military during WW2.

Now the last thing I want to know is that you paid 'a few Euros' for the helmet...that would spoil my day also!

 

A couple of interesting postwar autographs...

Hans Hönscheid, 1922-2001,
war reporter of the para troops.

Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hönscheidt is credited with the destruction seven enemy tanks with antitank mines during the fighting retreat to the area of Frosinone and Monte Cassino. He also responsible for capturing a total of 827 prisoner of war as shock troops leader. Hönscheid transferred to the Heer on 14 September 1944. He was nominated and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions in Italy in final days of the war. His last assignment at the end of the war was with the Regierung Dönitz (Dönitz Government) as a correspondent and spokesman in Plön and Flensburg.

------------

Wolfgang von Obstfelder, 858. Eichenlaubträger

Wolfgang von Obstfelder - Lexikon der Wehrmacht

 

Thanks for the Eisenhutte addtional info John. I knew about the M-40 model , but not the maker. I paid "a few" euros for it.

 

Skip why do you think you may have a W-SS Helm ? am a bit confused on the helmet paint job as in Normandie anyone can really bet there would of been a SS-camo cover and not the Heer Pz Grenadier one if indeed you have a W-SS job. you can also bet during the chaos of the retreat both branches are covering one another's rear just to get out of the way of the Allies quick advance. In whatever case a fine looking piece to the collection...................

 

Still not certain who wore this, but the oakleaf cammo was rather widely used by the SS as opposed to the greenish cammo which was used by about everyone. I'm still figuring out Erich. There is most likeky a decal under the cammo cover, but I really hesitate but touching anything, it might ruin the authenticity and the general aspect.



For now: my first finnish Winterwar bottle , dated INT 1940 and made by PELTITEOS OY !

It's in perfect condition with markings even on the strap .

 

Nice find Skipper! I love that bottle!

 

Thanks , I can't wait for Kai to see it .