Chris Boonzaier

I know who engraved the SA ones as well

In answer to this...

Maybe all us German collectors are not as dumb as we seem? Happen to have done a bit of archive diving as well......

You mean the clasps financial reasoning is wrong? Best Chris

As he could not award it to himself, it took a letter from the other heads of the German states telling him they thought it only fitting (as they had the EKs) that he now too wear them. He then thanked them, ordered up a set for himself. So the Prussian head of state was awarded the EK by the Bavarians, Saxons etc.

I am pretty sure that the clasps were not made because it would have cost a lot of extra money and the crown was pretty close to running on empty financially. Best Chris

A real old school "Spare the rod and spoil the child" kinda old guy ;-)

A great pic indeed. Can you do a close scan of the cross on the right?

What a great group to pick up. Unusual to get a group direct from the guy in this day and age. Best Chris

Hi, I think that is probably a myth. 1) I dont think any neighboring foreign countries would have needed to wonder who the Whiteies were that were operating in their areas in the first place. 2) SA had enough captured weaponry to use that without taking numbers off them 3) Its not by taking a umber off a South African made FN that you will fool anyone when a neighboring country find the body of a soldier in the bush. Best Chris

forget the above, looks totally different. My mistake.

I think it is the Zeit-freiwilligen Korps Leipzig. They have a rather distinctive "Flat top" to the upward pointing leaf on the inside of the collar. (The wifes great grandfather served in this unit)

I seem to have read somewhere that it was a single shell. Bgged if I can remember where....

When I was in the army I always mounted my own awards. My last rack was a really good looking bar. It is made from a cut up shoulderboard, lots of super glue, the plastic from an Audio cassette box.... In 80 years someone should post it :-) But back to this guy. I think we should not underestimate how backward and poor many areas of Germany were in the 1930's. I live in a fairly suburban village, but descriptions of the village 1945-50 make it sound like something from the middle ages. Customary to keep pigs and cattle in the house, in 1950 still sand roads and only 2 cars in the village... Kinda like in the Borat movie... Now it is fully suburban high tech... in the 1930s.... probably very backward... and the owner of the bar was probably in a similar village. Wanted to wear his awards to the volunteer fireman parade, had little money and the tailor was 15km away.... so he mounted them himself... and out in tha ass end of nowhere... noone even noticed.

Ahhhhh.... could very possibly be. Had not thought of that.

Just to see if any of the newbies has an idea about this? Best Chris

This stuff from the forum reformed into a web page part.. http://www.kaiserscross.com/40047/40450.html

Does anyone know what the SB on the stamp (Joe's) stands for? I have seen it on a number of stamps like this one (but with other units)

Hi, was looking through the book but cannot find the pic. Have you any idea where it was? Thanks Chris

Check out the whats new section for some new articles, this time the medical corps. and some rather graphic text about field hospitals on the link from the main medical page. http://www.kaiserscross.com/40020.html best Chris

pics and postcards needed (Scans of them) Thanks Chris

Good to open paint tins with, no more. Ats an issue bayonet turned into a fantasy award piece. Best Chris

Hmmm... the Foreign Legion Pioniers have an apron just like that and carry their axe just like that. Seems to be a pionier tradition thing.

Are there any concrete examples of this happening? I think in the military there are often things that are possible in theory, and the way things really are. best Chris

Sorry, thought it was all one guy. Would have been a career too good to be true. Best Chris