dond

Got a pic of the back side?

Can I get a copy of your copy, please? :whistle:

Some folks here may find this interesting: http://sergeantyorkproject.com/fight-for-the-right-site.htm

And I will concede that "total" may be a bit too strong. Perhaps "decisively" is a better choice.

Clausewitz, read it, and 100s of other books on military strategy and history. European history is filled with peace settlements, usually followed within 20-30 years with another contest of strength. Negotiated peace never satisfies anyone. Only when the loser acknowlegdes total defeat can a solution be implemented. Cases in point: the American Civil War and WW2. Both played out to unconditional surrender and both have brought enduring peace of a sort. On the other hand, negotiated peace where there was no clear loser has a worse track record for peace. Look at Vietnam, Gulf War 1, and all the Arab-Isreali Wars for examples of failed peaces. The problem with war is that politicians start them and then try to meddle in them when the military (the SMEs) are on the brink of decisive results. Had we pushed another 100 hours in the first Gulf War we would not be in the mess we are in today. Of course, our state department could always bore the enemy to death......

The 1945 solution would not have worked in 1918 because the Germans did not consider themselves beaten. That is why the "stab in the back" myth gained so much traction. Had the Allies refused to accept an Armistice and continued pounding the German forces until they admitted defeat then a different peace could have been imposed. You have to decisively defeat someone before you can impose your terms on them and have them accepted as a good alternative.

The GAB die (#3) appears to be from a Gablonz maker, RK.

A truely rare find. How'd I miss this thread anyways?

Nice cross. Do you have the whole FLL catalog?

Nice bars. I hope you get to reunite them in the future.

The Germans did it to themselves. They voted for change. Having a former Corporal as the fearless leader was a big change.

But you can say the same for most groupings. That's why I'm more interested in the individual pieces vice the "grouping" as a whole.

So why summarily dismiss it out of hand? Perhaps the seller would provide better pics etc.....

Has anyone ever seen a cuff title like that before?

Robin, is it a put together grouping or a mix of good and bad? I believe the wound badge might be suspect but the EKs look good to me. The ribbon bar and eppalettes may be good too. What are your thoughts on the skull and cuff title? Have you ever seen a real one to compare it too?

The different lengths of the ribbons and the bent tabs on the back are cause for concern.

Is this a good one then: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=45803

Gordon is correct, a Floch.

with swords, with oak leaves, and with oak leaves and swords.

Has anyone ever seen one? How can a major retailer not leave a paper trail?

I like it. That would be a fine addition to any collection imo.

This is news to me what with the Serbs taking the rap all these years. :rolleyes:

Scott, that's why I discourage posting links to items that are for sale. People too lazy to do thier own searching will jump on an item if given the chance. Not saying that has happened here but it has happened to me elsewhere. Find a good mentor/someone you trust and ask them to look at items as a second pair of eyes. It works much better than showing it to the whole world and risking someone else buying it. Of course even that method is not fool proof. I showed an item to someone I trusted and they hemmed and hawed with thier response until they found it and bought it for themselves.

Way to go Rick. :beer:

Excellent post Rick and many thanks to Paul for getting it here. Rick is an archeologist peeling back the layers of history for us mere mortals.