Chris Boonzaier

Hi, is the crown on the italy medal a variation?

The 1952 dress uniform

Hi, can anyone confirm how many colors were lost by the Austrians at Magenta in 1859? A period Newspaper article says two. A definate one is that of the Austrian 9th inf captured by the 2. Zouave Regiment Another source mentions the 2 Feldjäger Battalion losing their colors A 3rd source mentions an Infantry color taken by the French but then right away retaken by an 18 year old Austrian Jäger. Any help would be greatly appretiated Thanks Chris

Hi, will get some pics done. It is very close to the field grey of the combat uniforms

I think I have them nailed... Blue, Blue without brest pocket and Fieldgrey

I think maybe a regional medal for agriculture? Nothing national.

Fantastic find indeed.... it seems that numbering bayonets during the war was done purely at unit initiative... and mostly smaller wartime raised units

I do not have a huge selection but on the cards I have 2.3.16 B.S. Sturmabt 11.6.16, 7.6.16, 16.7.16, B.S. SturmBatl 29.10.17 S.B. Sturmbatl. 5 (Rohr)

I have a Sturm Batl card from July 1916 with the Sturm Abteilung stamp. Sent from Verdun, just north of Stenay... maybe they lost the Sturm Bataillon Stamp and used an old Sturm Abt one? Unless the guy who sent it had an old stenay card and sent it from Rottweil?

This is also not to be sniffed at...

Hi, if I have the right guy (I think I do) it was the Morane-Saulnier MS-500 (Fieseler Fi-156) "Storch"... as an artillery spotter

Hi, the Médaille de l’Aéronautique, limited to 275 a year, they have been awarded since 1945, basically an aviation merit medal,

The medal botton right has an interesting history.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sip_Song_Chau_Tai

Unfortunately not Legion.... but impossible to pass up! ´More

Josef “Jupp” Klütsch was born on the 23rd of November 1929 in Bergheim, Germany. He joined the Foreign Legion at the age of 17 and a half in July 1947, claiming to be 19 and have been born in June 1927. Exact dates are not known but he seems to have been one of the first legionnaires to have been posted to the newly formed 5e Regiment Etranger d’infanterie in November 1949. He received his Medaille Coloniale with the bar “extreme-Orient” in February 1950. In January 1951 he received the Croix de Guerre TOE with a Bronze star for being an excellent combatant and his actions as point man in a patrol near the village of Ban Dac on the 3 October 1950. He was released from the Legion on the 11th of July 1952. In 1995 he received the titre de reconnaissance de la nation and in 2009 he was decorated with the Medaille Militaire. During his time of Service “Jupp” Klütsch wore the Croix de Guerre TOE and the Medaille Colonial. Over a year after he left the Indochina Campaign commemorative medal was introduced, he did not receive this at the time and bought one many years later. On the first medal bar he also wore the Croix de combatant, to which he was entitled. The bar also has the Medaille “engage volontaire” which has no official standing and was not allowed to be worn on the uniform. It is not uncommon to see it on medal bars of German veterans. He also has the unofficial medal of the reconnaissance de la nation with was available commercially. Once again an award which was not allowed to be worn while in uniform. The official Medaille de reconnaissance de la nation was introduced in 2002, he has a seperate ine which was not mounted on his bar. The last bar has his Medaille Militaire, TOE, Croix de Combattant, Medaille Colonial, Medaille Indochine … and once again the Medaille “Engage Volontaire”! .. unfortunately he did not mount the Reconnaissance de la nation on his bar. “Jupp” Klütsch was a long time member of the AALE in Cologne and passed away in 2015.

dude actually has great potential... I saw him on lost!

He doubles as Renner in his dreams... and as this guy in his memories ?

Hi, muchos Gracias. Is the Ministry of the interior like the new NKVD?

Hi, can anyone help with the text? What kind of uniform is this? Thanks Chris

Obviously a Navy bar, but the Extreme Orient bar is pretty rare to the navy, I am guessing the tailor at the base did not have the proper version and used one from a colonial medal?

Not to knock the medal, but they are on Ebay running between GBP150-200 .... apparently there will be 450 000 of them..... is that a realistic price or a ballooning because they are new?

Ecstatic to find a small biography of the colonel, just bits and pieces of info, but added to the bits and pieces I already had I am able to get a good overview of all his postings..... Born on the 16th of March 1927 at Saint Laurent sur Sevre. He finished his schooling at the Ecole Prytanee National Militaire. Admitted to St Cyr from October 1947 until October 1949 he left as a sous-lieutenant and continued his training at the ecole d’aplication d’infanterie. In May 1950 he was posted to the 1 RE in Sidi Bel Abbes where, in December 1950, he joined section training recruits for their postings to Indochina. On the 26 June 1951 he debarked in Indochina and was posted to the I/5e REI. In October 1951 he was promoted to Lieutenant. On the 12 June 1953 he was wounded by shrapnel from a booby trap in North Vietnam in the Coi-Tri region. In July he was repatriated due to his wounds. After his recovery he was posted to Tunisia joining the 2e CSPL at Laghouat on the 22 June 1954. In November 1956 he was posted to the CIC of the 1 RE GILE. He was promoted to Captain in April 1958 and took command of the company in June 1958 until September 1959. On the 1 October 1958 he was posted to the 1 CSPL at Fort Flatters in South Algeria, taking command on the 15th of October. In January 1961 the Compagnie was renamed 1 ESPL, he remained in command until the 6th of March 1961 when he was posted to the General Staff of the Laghouat sector. On the 1 October 1961 he returned to France joining the Section Technique de l’armee before being posted to the EMSST (Enseignement Militaire Supérieur Scientifique et Technique) in Paris. On the 1st of July 1965 he was promoted to Chef de Bataillon followed by a posting to the section technique de l’armée at Bourges. In September 1967 he joined the 81st Promotion of the école supérieure de guerre (Staff college) followed by a posting to the 8° groupe de chasseurs mécanisés in Germany in August 1969. In August 1971 he joined the EMAT (Etat Major de l'Armee de Terre – Army General Staff) in Paris. He was promoted to Lt Col on the 1st October 1971. He arrived in Corte on the 1st od August 1974 and took command of the 2 RE on the 12th of the month. On the 1st October 1975 he was promoted to Colonel. He handed over command of the regiment to colonel Mougin on the 12th August 1976. Posted to Lille he joined the General Staff of the 2e Region Militaire at until September 1977 when he was posted to the direction technique des armements terrestres à Saint-Cloud (Technical directorate of ground force weapons). From 1977 until 1981 he served as the “Conseiller Militaire aupres du Directeur du GIAT” (Groupement Industriel des Armaments Terrestres). In November 1981 he was posted to the 3e Corps d’armee in an administrative role. At his request he retired on the 1st of April 1984, promoted to général de brigade the day of his retirement. Awards: Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur – 6 November 1953 Officier de la Legion d’honneur – 13 August 1971 Commandeur de la Legion d’honneur – 14 October 1981 Croix de Guerre TOE – 4 Citations Croix de la Valeur Militaire – 3 Citations Medaille Coloniale – “Extreme Orient” Medaille Commemorative de la guerre d’Indochine Medaille Commemorative Afrique du Nord – “Tunisie” + “Algerie” Gallantry Cross of Vietnam Wound Medal – (He only wore the red star on the Indochina Ribbon)

Hi, It looks to be one of the early DRAGO restrikes, before they started dating them with "R" and the year... "R78" for example

Lets not forget, most of the photos we have are not unique.... I paid top price for the Leib regt Photo.... and a week later the seller had another, went for quite a bit cheaper, then some time later another!!! I mailed and asked what the story was... he said he had the whole group for the guy (not for sale and no photos) and there were a batch of the same photo in the group. So when we pay top dollar for a photo... be prepared to see it for sale some time later ? ... of course, if it has the same rips or folds... the fish stinks!!

Wow... I never thought this post would take on such dimensions! A really interesting discussion indeed.... way more complcated than I thought. I am assuming then it was possibly made in italy for Export to China or Japan? From the quality and the production I would have guessed a Factory in Europe if early 1910-20. Having said that... the addition of a horseshoe is confusing....