Chris Boonzaier

And an unlikey place to find it... 2 US WW1 Helmets... does anyone know why :-) ?

A lapel badge

the "official" version...

Obviously the German and French soldiers were the core of fighting at Verdun, but there were also Austrian and later on Americans in the sector, all who must have had badges etc dealing with Verdun.... Lets see ANYTHING you may have with "Verdun" on it... A couple of variations of the French medal

I think it looks OK... but maybe the core is redone?

Maybe there are different bars for it? For some reason i dont think this is a simple campaign medal?

Hi Jan, Did Schwalm do a good job of mentioning himself, or did he avoid that? I am going to have to buy it at some stage (the history) and would obviously like him to be mentioned a few times :-) Best Chris

A few things up today... A new page to the Machine Gunner thread. a new WW1 FLAK photo page, some new Alpenkorps Death Cards... and a great new article abouth the BSAP Special Reserve in Northern Rhodesia in WW1... http://www.kaiserscross.com/152301.html

A few things up today... A new page to the Machine Gunner thread. a new WW1 FLAK photo page, some new Alpenkorps Death Cards... and a great new article abouth the BSAP Special Reserve in Northern Rhodesia in WW1... http://www.kaiserscross.com/152301.html

Nice! Lucky find. "Tally Ho Lads!" and all that era.... :-)

Twins, killed within a week of each other.... The scene at home must have been terrible...

Another one killed at Verdun...

Very cool indeed. Pity he did not think of us collectors and add a name and unit.! Best Chris

I am not so sure about them becoming meaningless after 1916, there is no great inflation of awards, until the end of war rush... and even then, it was usually catchup for guys who had been fighting for a long time. That more soldiers per company in 1918 had it than in 1915 is sure... but the companies had seen a lot of combat by then and the men had had a lot more time to earn it. A WW1 soldier generally saw a lot more fighting than one from 1870, and experianced much more (Trenches, Artillery, attrition etc.) Best Chris

He too was a fine man, 34 years old, happily married with a 5 year old son. It is difficult to comprehend how rapidly their lives were snuffed out. After this the enemy artillery fire died down, ours was relatively quiet as well. Suddenly we received orders, the enemy was about to attack, we were ready, but they did not come. Last night we were told that the enemy was to attack. We stood ready, but were then able to stand down. We had arranged ground sheets over the simple trenches and could at least rest sitting down. At 11:00 the soup arrived, already cold, as was the tea with rum, the only ration we see. We are happy to get anything at all to drink, even if cold. This evening the artillery was not as strong as yesterday night. 1.3.16 Last night was relatively quiet and I was able to get an hours sleep. Today we got the first mail in 5 day<s and I was able to mail off a card. Wife, one card from 22.2 and 2 letters 22.2. and 24.2. 1 card from Friederich 24.2 and one from Offz. Stellv. Lichtenberg 25.2. From August (brother) a food parcel which pleased me no end. Wrote a card to wife and gave it to the Postordonnanz. Wrote a letter to wife to answer hers. No coffee this morning. We are happy enough just to have water. Such is war. At home when you have a cold you should not drink cold liquids, in war there is only cold drinks. In our present position food has to be fetched from the field kitchen after dark, it is half an hour away. By the time the soup or coffee arrives, it is cold. The kitchen and food wagons are under artillery fire on the road, the French know that we must go out at night to fetch rations and lively artillery fire is the result. This afternoon at 3:00 we have some lively artillery fire. 1 dead and 3 badly wounded. The other companies also have wounded. The men were wounded just next to me. Between the dead and wounded lay one man who escaped without a scratch. He had been a bit more sheltered by the trench. We also established at an Ersatz Reservist Kuckuck had been killed here by artillery on the 28.2. And so the French artillery wiped out human life. That night we dug in deeper. One does what one can to preserve ones life. After dark tonight we had heavy artillery fire again, on top of that we shivered in the frost. The men fetching the rations were caught in the heavy fire, luckily none were injured. 2.3.16 Last night was terribly cold and uncomfortable, lack of place meant men lay half on each other. Slept maybe an hour. One wonders how 5 nights without sleep are possible, but we thank God for allowing us to live through it. Every 12 hours I pray and thank him. It is a relief to be able to move each morning. This morning there was no coffee again, the fieldkitchen had to move to the rear to fetch water. That we had not been able to wash, take off our boots or change underwear for 8-14 days is nothing new. That is a bagatelle, main thing is to be healthy and with the troops. Today from 10:00 – 16:00 heavy French and German artillery fire. The shells exploded just in front and behind our positions with terrible detonations. It gave me a headache. Towards evening, thank God, it quieted down. That improved the spirits. Inspite of the heavy fire, noone was injured. Tonight a letter from Heinrich, at 22:00 the soup and a flask of coffee arrives. This is for the whole day as rations arrive just once a day. Send a letter to my wife. Was rather down tonight and thought a lot of home. Hopefully I will get some sleep.

Do they work with wives as well? :unsure:

I guess it is the BIG question... is RAL6003 the way to go for fieldgrey? Best Chris

So you did some seoul searching while there.... ? Sorry, terrible joke...

Looking through the period Photos, Postcards etc. etc... and comparing to 1870 and 39-45,.... I am of the opinion (humble as always) that the iron Cross had its heyday in the 14-18 war. The 1870 EK was awarded after the war, great for those who got it, but by that time many of the recipients were back in civilian clothes, or soon to be... in 39-45 the EK still had a value, but there were so many other awards that were bigger eye catchers... Assault badges, close combat badges, tank destructor badges etc. etc... when you look at a WW2 photo the EK2 ribbon, or even the EK1 is not neccesarily "The" award on a soldiers chest... a silver Close Comabt clasp is light years ahead... When you compare WW2 postcards to WW1 postcards... you already see the trend... You can collect WW1 postcards with EK symbolism for years and years... and still not reach the end... with WW2 cards your collection would be complete in a few weeks. IMHO it is because the EK was basically the only thing to decorate the soldiers chest in WW1, until the wound badge came along. It was a stand alone symbol for being a good soldier... there was no competition to it... and as a result, the EK was king. What do you guys think?

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More for this cold weekend :-)

More for this cold weekend :-)

Fantastik as always....