Chris Boonzaier

Hi Glenn, thanks for the Info! Any idea about the photos that seem to vary between Black and white Plumes? I guess he must have known the famous 2m tall Moroccan Schellenbaum carrier!

This gentleman served with the 1st Garde Zu Fuss Regiment 1914-18, this being a prewar photo.... I see signaller flags on his arm, do the Schwalbennester have a special significance by the guard or always Music? I was surprised to see Red Hair on the Picklehaube... I thought the 1st Guard zu Fuss had Black or White? Any help appretiated, Thans Chris

​I think that is probably where the truth lies..... I think they are very late and could probably be found with both. Maybe the GMVK a little bit more as it is possible that RAO was pretty much down at this late date? Unfortunately not directly from the family but believably close to being from non collector hands.... I think it is an obvious late war case with a very steep decline in quality.....

I think they are early and late. the silk lid liner falling away and the gold ribbed boarder becoming a cheaper paint job. I cannot see any other award that would require such a lower quality late box?

Hi, The CRS are more like mobile Riot squads and have taken over many of the Vigipirate guards details for anti terrorism, then there are many Municipal police in the cities and large towns, the Gendarmerie are basically all over and are divided into the "mobile" and "departemental".... along with specialised units including one for aviation. The one on the top is for Crisis planning, the one on the bottom for motorcycle units, I think the one in the middle is a standard one. I was actually given them as souveniers, meant to bring home for the kids, but the kids let me keep them. I did not manage to get the mountain one, but most of the guys there were in the mountain gendarmerie

Some Potsdam portraits

Am not sure why some pics have light colored and others black hair bushes on the Helmet....

Füsilier Battalion

One variation of the Militärpass cover

I spent the last couple of weeks at the Airplane crash site in the Alps and worked close with a fantastic group from the Gendarmerie and Sapeur-Pompier, was able to gather some souveniers from the Gerndarmes....

Nice simple document

I think maybe without anything on the shoulder boards he may be Generalstab then?

That is a nice find, and really, really lucky to have the photo with it!!

I had bought this hoping to identify the regiment, but there are just 2 pips.... Is he foot guards? And is that a Turkish award second from the right? Thanks Chris

A nice troke of luck, I bought this ugly EK2 Doc and Pass without knowing the contents.... his last Combat posting had him wounded at Fleury.......

Looks like an "H Mask" with radio cord for the oxygen mask, also WW2-Korea

I think this is a Brit 1943 pattern "E" Helmet, used in WW3 and korea. Is there any date stam or Broadarrow?

Hi, looks very much like a Rote Adler, but is I think very late war with a much lower quality than most Adler I have seen..... but then i must admit, its not something I have ever really concentrated on....

Hi, my feeling from the photos is a box that was made for XXX married to a badge that is either period, but from something else, or is a copy. So the box could have been used for something else for 30-40-50 years, and recently gotten itself "Badged"....

I agree, any officer who did that would have felt himself an ass.... :-)

Nice! A WW2 Artillery Brigadier or Colonel?

Hi, My gut feeling says post WW2, I dont think this is period.

aaaarrrrggghhhh !!! OK.... me the fool ;-)

I really cannot believe this.... a Beret is a source of pride.... France intends to do away with the different Berets "red-Para, Green Legion"... and give everyone blue... http://www.lopinion.fr/blog/secret-defense/fin-programme-beret-rouge-22881

Fantastic! Is the cotton thin and fragile? I have never seen one before...