Bob Lyons

More....

Ranks....

I thought I did the 1939 cover, but I photographed 1943 again, ah well apart from the date, they are the same, here are some uniform details from the 1943 copy...

1941...

As promised, my "Dienstbuch", here are the covers, this one is 1943...

I am greatly soothed, thanks Gordon !!! I recall a military excercise we did up to far North Queensland way back in the 1970's, and our troop sergeant had a love for the damned wriggly things, and found a 6 ft python in the rain forest there, he was over the moon, had the thing wrapped around his arm and was showing the troops his latest pet, when it decided his hand looked juicy, and chomped on it, with much yahooing, it took three of the guys to prize the jaws of the thing off his hand, and then it was a sulky trip into the Cooktown base hospital to get tetanus shots, but that python went up a few notches with some of us, as the good sergeant wasn't too well liked, so I guess it was a happy ending I am off subject for the Bismark a little bit, sorry 'bout that ! Bob

Paul, I have a 1939, 1941, and a 1943 edition, my early one (1939) has the Waffenfarbe section missing, but other 2 are complete, I will take some photos for you when my wife returns with the camera early next week. Bob

Nice pick up Jan Arne, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a replacement chinstrap and a couple of NCO buttons to finish it off. Pekuro (Peter Kupfer of Ronsdorf) did make nice visors. Bob

Hi Guys, Thanks you, Joel, the camera is a Fujifilm S5500 digital, and with a bit of cropping using the macro lens the shots come out ok, using natural lighting. Yes, most of the items in these shots were picked up here in Australia, the Panzer-Grenadier cap and the tan Heer M40 were brought back to Australia by Aussie servicemen who had served in North Africa. The rest were from local collectors. Cheers Bob

Thanks guys, and yes, the Panzer-Grenadier cap is maker marked 'Carl Halfar' and is dated 1940. Best wishes Bob

Fantastic, now I wish I had persevered.... Gordon you have to do something about that bloody snake, I cringe every time I see it.. Bob

Looks to me like the original owner of the helmet has just personalized it with a small 's' to identify his own helmet from probably a stack of similar helmets, perhaps in a Flak battery or something similiar. I think everyone in the unit would know who their 'Spiess' was without him having to identify himself.... Best wishes Bob

Lovely !!! Bob

That is it, hope it was ok to post all of 'em from the various angles. Best wishes Bob

another angle...

and again...

I hope I am not boring you....

The single decal tan M40 is an Aussie veteran pick up, I have shown this one here before I think...

it is all of the same grouping, I was just trying different angles...

Another play with the camera this afternoon, the Panzer-Grenadier cap is a Carl Halfar dated 1940... Bob

Bee - yooo- tiful !!! Bob

One heck of a rare strap Paul !!! I did have an NCO's HG tunic, but I have let all of my tunics go, so that no longer resides with me, I am probably a bit silly, but tunics at the moment scare the heck out of me with the add ons etc that can be done with them, although I think the examples that I had were ok, I didn't want to expand on what I had, and space was a bit of a problem too, so I have sold them all off. (I only had 8 Luftwaffe related tunics). Bob

I am not sure which actual 'Der Adler' issue they appeared in, these photos are out of the book 'Der Adler, The Luftwaffe Magazine'. Edited by S.L. Mayer and Masami Tokoi. (Arms & Armour Press 1977). Bob

and the actual article in the magazine...

and again....