Chris Boonzaier

I am a firm believer in a profi army, especially nowdays. The Bundeswehr needs a total makover. Tonight on TV they showed the 50th Birthday of the Bundeswehr on the TV... even the military bands were playing very limp classical music instead of marches... not so long ago an officer refused to train his men "for war", he was disciplined... took the Bundeswehr to court... and WON !!! to require him to train his soldiers fr war is unconstitutional !! I think it takes at least 3 full years to train a soldier, months is a waste of everyones time.

The same way I hated jackson Brown as a kid because I knew he was playing Doctor with Daryl Hannah... I heard the keyboard players has dibs on the blond in ace of base

A rather cool site, http://www.project-x.org.uk/sa80.html

Well... that succeeded... bloody nice indeed !!

Maybe the answer to the "Ban" is the following...... We have to "create" a MOH destroyer who has a webpage... he could live in ..say Vladivostok and is an oil billionaire.... his hobby is buying and destroying MOHs... create a web page with fuzzy photos of him apparently destroying MOHs under the treads of his restored T34... THEN... publish these photos all over the web with a story saying "Why can anyone (Osama, Castro or the keyboard player of "Ace of base") legally buy and DESTROY these... and a patriotic, dues paying member of the OMSA who would love, treasure and respect the piece would end up in Jonkers with "50Cents" posse holding him down if he even tried to outbid the Russian T34 owner bent on destroying the medals". The outcry would be so big... they would be begging youse to collect and save them !!!! Just a though... dont say it to loud !!

Then he would fit right in with the rest of the collecting community

You need a "Patriot factor" to push the price. EUR5000 is chump change for a nations highest award. Imagine Donald Trump and Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood were super patriots, wanted to collect their nations highest award and had seen this?... Would not have helped them because it would be illegal.... but if it was not? No foreigner would pay what British Patriots are paying for VCs. They may find it intresting, but they would not pay the prices that Lord Fauntleroy is paying..... to get those prices you need to go out of the regular collecting circle... and as long as it is banned....

I think the poster had made an error in the identification. Helmut Kinz was in a recon unit of the handschar, got the KC in May 1945, it cannot be the same man. best Chris

Does anyone have a photo of the Handschar KC winner Kinz? Thanks Chris

What would a nice non silver and zinc cross bring today? Best Chris

It seems to be a factory made band with the EKs and skript added by hand at a later date? Is there any origin to this piece or photos of it in wear? Best Chris

Rick, you be to fast for an old man !

Hi, Sounds like a very above average Trio. He moved from the Shropshire light infantry to the Royal Flying Corps, if you are very, very lucky, he may have been a pilot !!!!!!

By touching the screen and using my mental mind waves... I get the buzzing thought "Virgins" this smells like Virgins, young women...... am I close ?? Am I close???? Keys to a chastity belt ????? (Yeah, yeah... I know, I cheated....)

You lucky man you ! I have a numbered, unissued set kicking around somewhere.

Hi, whats the wing number? Best Chris

We probably DON'T want to know Will post a string more next week as I get the write ups finished. best Chris

Hi, He was on the Westerwald at the outbreak of the war, then the destroyer Bernd von Arnim at Narvik, then at the 3rd U-Boot Flottile in La Rochelle, then the 2 U-L.D. He was actually wounded on the way to Narvik when they were fighting the british GLOWORM. I have all his awards, documents etc. Sometime in the future i will do a write up. Best Chris P.S. If you are really, really nice to me I will post the report he did about V.D. in the 3rd U-Boot flottille !

The best way to see a narvik Shield... The wifes grandfathers.... now MINE !!

The top two are superb!! Any chance of seeing the naming on the back of them? Thanks Chris

The field they charged over, this was the forrest the 3rd Dragoons under Vincent charged...

These were Vincents medals The 6th Cavalry Brigade mounted detachment, which consisted of fifty men apiece from the 3rd Dragoon Guards, l0th Royal Hussars, and Royals, and was commanded by Major Watkin Williams of the l0th, was ordered at about 2 p.m. on the 24th March to make a mounted attack on some enemy infantry and machine-guns, who were in action in front of two copses on the rising ground just west of Villeselve. The detachment, which was formed into three regimental troops, of which that of the 3rd Dragoon Guards was led by Lieutenant A. B. P. L. Vincent, moved off immediately along the road to Villeselve with the 3rd Dragoon Guards troop leading. Orders were given to the troop leaders on the march, after which the squadron rode on at a steady trot, turning left off the main road and taking a sunken track leading north into Collezy. It then came under heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of Golancourt, but took cover behind a number of large farm buildings. Here it was between elements of British infantry who were in action east of the farm, and elements of French infantry lining the sunken track in rear. Wasting no time, as the orders had already been given, the squadron passed through the British infantry and began to gallop towards the two copses with troops in line; the 3rd Dragoon Guards against the right-hand copse and the l0th Hussars against the left-hand copse, with the Royals 150 yards behind. They started knee-to-knee, across about 600 yards of ground, of which the last two hundred were ploughed. They came under heavy machine-gun fire immediately and this, as well as the fast pace, caused them to open out, so that when the charge was sounded they were fairly well extended. The moral effect on the enemy was very surprising. The moment the men cheered, and the swords came down to the "sword in line", they either put their hands up or else bolted into the copses. This did not save them, for once cavalry had been launched to the charge it was always far too late for the enemy either to run or to make placatory gestures. They were ridden down and 100 sabred, while the 3rd Dragoon Guards troop, on reaching the right-hand copse, dismounted and chased them through the trees, bringing twelve back alive. In this attack, besides the 100 sabred, 107 Germans were captured as well as 4 machine-guns. The infantry, which had followed up closely, having completely recovered their spirits, captured many more; for the Germans continued to surrender freely, although before the attack they had held the initiative. Casualties to the squadron amounted to seventy-five all ranks. This was half its strength, but out of the total only one officer and a few men were killed, and the wounds of the majority were slight, so that in most cases they were able to continue at duty. Had the infantry attempted to cross the 600 yards of ground they would have been decimated to no purpose. It was enfiladed by at least five machine-guns- only one of which escaped capture- while some 500 riflemen were covering it from in front, with mortars and artillery at call. The exploit was in fact only practicable to cavalry at the gallop. Although only a very small affair on this vast battle front, the charge at Villeselve had most important immediate results. It enabled the exhausted and disheartened infantry to advance and retake an area of great tactical importance, and it secured the left flank of the 14th Division, thus preventing a major breakthrough at a most awkward and shaky part of the line.

These may have been for one of the last charges on the European continant.

The nice one is of course the top one.

They are much finer than the later/WW1 ones...