landsknechte

The first page of his unit history:

Can anyone make sense of the last entry on the page on the left? It almost looks like he was awarded the Ostmedaille twice.

I had a rather fortunate turn of luck today, and found a Soldbuch that belonged to the same soldier as a Postsparbuch I already had in my collection.

From Volksbund.de:

Nachname: Kottemann

Vorname: Friedrich

Dienstgrad: Unteroffizier

Geburtsdatum: 20.03.1916

Geburtsort: Strang

Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 10.08.1944

Todes-/Vermisstenort:

Friedrich Kottemann ruht auf der Kriegsgr?berst?tte in Marigny (Frankreich) .

Endgrablage: Block 2 Reihe 24 Grab 898

.....

...

I came across this curious knife at a militaria show, obviously a DIY job by a bored soldier or sailor somewhere in the PTO. I'm hoping that one of the experts in this forum might be able to date the Fuchi by the design or the construction.

Gotta love Osprey...

Just a small one...

I can't begin to explain it, but here it is just the same...

All is not lost! It took a couple months longer than expected, but the bar is now in my grubby little paws.

I'm trying to see what sort of materials, other than the standard bark-textured paper, were used for Heer Soldbuch covers. If someone has got some examples, I'd ideally like to see how they're constructed (i.e. the printing on the back cover, and whether or not they have the same "pocket" flaps on the back.)

I'm trying to recreate some books for my reenacting group, but a reasonable facsimilie of the normal cover material is proving to be nearly impossible to come by.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

--Chris

...and a couple more photos:

I'm guessing this messkit might be Soviet, judging by the colors. Can anyone confirm?

...and it appears that it's lost in the mail.

I think the only alteration on this photo is the addition of the text.

Having actually worn hobnails on hard flat surfaces, there's a certain "resonance" to this picture.

There was always "Mad" Jack Churchill:

http://wwiihistorymagazine.com/2005/july/col-profiles.html

He was reputed to have carried one into battle on a number of different occasions, in addition to the longbow he was fond of. Yes, longbow.

Cheers for the link,

Yes, given what you've said, combined with the previous member's comments, it seems that ownership WAS circumscribed by social status but as the feudal order fell apart, skill and financial cost became the biggest determining factors. As with many things, I imagine the sword also remained the preserve of the higher and and military ranks out of tradition whilst lower classes retained alternative, cheaper and more available means of self-defence such as daggers and clubs. I've been having a look at George Silver's fencing manual (which casts amusing aspersions on Italian techniques) but I shall have a look into some of the other sources you give. Thanks.

George Silver is just a wee bit on the curmudgeony side...

For what it's worth, when he refers to "Italian", he's referring to rapier based schools.

The regiment was raised in August 1939, and then was redesignated a "Grenadier Regiment" in October of 1942. I would presume it came from somewhere between those dates, unless it was already stamped and given out to someone subsequent to that date. If I remember correctly, the Infantrie Gesch?tz company would have been numbered "13". Maybe someone got superstitious.

Thanks guys!

The man behind the bar:

One for a Bavarian, Luftwaffe Major Friedrich Freiherr von Berchem

I've got a Saxon Friedrichsorden that faded almost completely to white. A lot lighter than this one, in fact. Now that you mention it, the green does have a vaguely similar hue to it the Hungarian decoration. Not quite as "forest green" as normal.

Could it have been someone's odd take on "Prussian first" precedence?

Ebay's FLKeys911

Hello from the Conch Republic!

I am an ebayer down in the southernmost USA-- the Florida Keys! A buyer and a seller, I have a wide range of interests and deal in a variety of items on ebay. Please understand I have TEMPORARILY made my feedback private due to the holiday season and NOSY friends and family....I have no negative feedback and will go back to a public listing after the holidays!

I am employed as a Police, Fire, and Rescue Dispatcher for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, that covers all of the Florida Keys excluding Key West. For those unfamiliar with the Keys, the island chain stretches from Key Largo to Key West, for a total of 106 miles. US 1 is the only road that spans the Keys...one road in, one road out. Key West is the Southernmost point in the USA...the island is 125 miles to Miami, but only 90 to Cuba. Originally from South Bend, Indiana, I moved to the Keys over 5 years ago. I never plan to leave...I highly recommend visiting if you haven't before.

That PEACH color was DARK GREEN?

Does it come out looking the same if you scan it as in the seller's scan?

I can't seem to nail a spot on photograph of it, sitting here in my flourescently lit office with a dinky little point & shoot digital. Ugh. The ribbon in question is a smidge more yellowish than it appears in the photo, but it's pretty close. Depending on where you are on the ribbon, it ranges from a dingy dirty white to white with a hint of pea soup green.

The colors are off, but this photo shows the extent of the fading.

The precedence here is totally messed up, but without knowing exactly what REAL colors that 4th ribbon are, I'll wait for an accurate description.

Got the ribbon bar in hand with today's mail. Pryed up the fold in the ribbon with my fingernail, and voila - a very faded Anhalt.

Similar, but less dramatic fading, on all of the ribbons. The backing is actually a very dark Navy blue. If it's a fake, it's a very very old one. Looks to be genuine, IMHO.