Chris Boonzaier

Saw this on ebay... can anyone date it?

What she be getting the medal for? Miss camel-toe 2007?

Maybe so ;-)

A good system... I suppose it stopped POWs from saving real money to use to escape with, or pay a local lady for some jiggy jig.

Think the last one is a coronation one... difficult to read though...

The hook is also set quite a bit higher...

Here are two Freddies, The one with the slightly rusted core has a slightly larger crown....

I think the list has been done with a collector saying "A possible match..." and putting the name down. As Gordon says, Frank and Reif is and was a "metal stamping" firm, Would be curious to know WHAT they were called back then, but the FR on the crosses must be someone else.

Hi, there is an online list where it is mentioned as Frank and Reif as well, it is easy to make the mistake. All the best Chris

I am a whhhhhoooooolllleee lot younger.... I would have it before you even got your false teeth out of the glass, sttod up and finished your prune juice....

Its the danger of matching initials with names that may or may not fit. They may seem logical.... but.... I just spoke to Mr Reif on the phone, first thing he said to me was all the badge making dies were long gone, I guess they get a lot of collectors calling. When I said I just wanted to know if they had made WW1 Iron Crosses stamped FR, he said no, the firm had a different name back then and FR could not have been Frank and Reif. Best Chris

I have no idea who made it.... but I know who would take it in an instant.... and he be sitting right here mon!!!!

llll

Here are two with slight similarities....

how about trying to find the earliest dated postcard with guys wearing these?

Here is the MGK from R.I.R. 221... I think it was taken in August 1916.... so no bages yet...

A funny thing is... I have the 1917 Prussian, 1918 Saxon and 1918 Bavarian Training manuals for MG08 companies. They have sections on medals, uniforms and distinctive badges (as well as tactics, weapons etc) included are badges for musicians, flag carriers, waffenmeister, pilots.... In none does it mention the MG badge. Does anyone know the exact date they were introduced and where the regulations can be found?

Tom Young is helping proof read a looot of text. The latest thing finished is a brief overview on the battle of the Somme. Anyone withand Iron Cross documents to Sommek?mpfer will find it of use. http://www.trenchfighter.com/41902/45701.html All the best Chris

I think there may be a danger in simply matching them with initials that may fit. There are countless makers with similar names and initials.

Just where is this? The mast is very imposing, the drill square looks as cold, miserable and wet as any other in the world :-)

Well, thats something missing from most collections!!! The "Off the wall" stuff is often very interesting.

I used to have a group to a Navy officer, who served with the Luftwaffe as a long range observer... then transfered back to the navy, did U-Boot training but the war ended before he could serve on a U-boot. In 1957 he joined the Bundeswehr in a Panzer Brigade. So U-Boot, Panzer and recon flyer ... some guys get around ;-)

Now that i think of it... I have 2 milit?rp?sser to guys who failed the MG school and still served on in MG units.

Hi, it is January 1918. Here is a thought... Some guys qualified through the REAL machine gun schools (D?beritz, Rozoy off the top of my head) The A.O.K. ran their own training courses for the Regts under their command. And the regts attached people to M.G.K. that carried water and munitions and what have you (ie. not all MGK personnel would have been trained M-gunners). In this photo there are MAYBE, qualified machine gunners (with the badge) and the rest of the company that carry the heavy ammunition, the hand grenades and bottles of beer ;-) The guys on the photo with the badge all seem to be pretty proud of it and do their best to have it seen on the photo. The "Elite" MGSSA were formed in late 1916 it I remember correctly (The Rozoy school"), but of experienced machine gunners, who would surely not have been transfered en masse into a Reserve regt MG Komp?

Indeed. I was however too slow on the uptake and missed buying the medal :-(