Les

I was referring to the rimmed rounds in post number 5. All of the ones in that post appear to be rimmed rounds, not rimless. The model 1895 7mm Mauser made for Spain used rimless 7x55mm ammunition. That indicates the rimmed rounds seen in post #5 are not Mauser military rounds. I am not questioning where or when the rounds were found. I would caution against assuming something found at a battlefield location, dates to the specific time period of the battle. To use an analogy Mervyn would quickly understand, is the presence of a fingerprint can be used to show that someone was present in a specific location, but not necessarily when with absolute certainty. In the context of ammunition found at a Boer War battlefield, well over a century has passed, and no one can be certain in the intervening years since then and now, that the local land owner or someone else wasn't hunting or shooting on the land either to protect his flocks/herd, target practice on a dassie (a Hyrax or rock rabbit), etc.

Mike, The rounds in the photos you posted are rimmed. In 1888, the Germans introduced the so called "Commission rifle" which used 7.92 rimless rounds with a round nose bullet. In 1902, the "S" (Spitzer) or pointed round was introduced for military long arms. If memory serves me correctly, weren't the weapons supplied through German sources to the Afrikaner Republics recent vintage military rifles, and not sporting or civilian weapons? If so, that would suggest rimmed rounds were not Mauser military rounds, but something else. I'll have to check my head stamp references when I can locate them.

Interesting... I think it might have been Tuchmann in The Guns of August, where I read that math types were frequently assigned to work on Train and supply duties. Trains, transportation, etc were all highly emphasized pre-war for providing tight mobilization schedules, logistics, etc. Developing those schedules require timing routes, delivery times, and a wide range of logistic related activities that in turn require better than average math skills. Is it possible once the trench war phase of the war started and cavalry officers weren't being used as they'd trained for, some of them were reassigned to duties were whatever skills they did have, could be better used in support of the war effort?

In the colour photo, the cloth used for the cuff, and the sleeve appear to be different colours. The piping appears to be unevenly applied. Together, these two issues suggest the original cuff was removed at some time, and altered or reworked. This is typical of many costume house pieces that have been altered for movie use, and later "restored." Consequently, I be leery of trusting the sleeve badge all that much.

Chris, I like the idea. One suggestion is to seal the wood with shellac/varnish or some other sealer. If the wood has any sap residue, it could bleed into and through the cloth and then into the headgear. Sealer and a light food grade sealer plastic, and a cloth cover that could be removed so it can be washed and put back (with velcro closures?) on the block would be the ideal way to go. A practical way to make them adjustable instead of making numerous different sizes would be really great.

Instead of two crossed bones....two crossed Austrian grenades. I forgot I had this until I found it this afternoon while looking for something else. The badge was meant to be worn on the cap, and was sewn over/onto the cloth instead of the usual methods. The finish on the front is mostly dark with very slight traces of a silver color or silver wash to the base metal used to stamp the badge from. The silver finish/wash on the reverse still has bright spots and is present over most of the surface. Small size, about one inch across or the length of the last digital of the first finger.

Many Austrian Sturmtruppen used a death's head badge, or included a death's head as part of a unit Kappabzeichen, or unit breast badge. Not all of them were flamethrower units so, caution is advised on assuming an Austrian badge with a death's head indicates a flamethrower unit. Austrian units tolerated far more leeway in the use of unit insignia than the Imperial Germany army ever did. For more information, Glenn Jewison's site has a good discussion on Austrian Sturmtruppen badges. http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/badges/sturmtruppen.html

They specifically guarded naval bases by providing perimeter security for bases, arms and munitions depot/lockers, various buildings and facilities, etc., and served on board ships as naval infantry. They were stationed almost anywhere there was an Imperial naval presence. They were different from the naval Matrossen Regiments which were also naval units, but used more or less as standard infantry units primarily in Flanders. Uniforms? More or less typical naval issue uniforms, and equipment.

Nice tunic. I know where this piece was before it turned up on the collector market within the last six months. The colored stripe ("Egaliserung") was worn on the collar to designate the regiment of the wearer. The Austrian uniform regulations used a combination of button colors (white/silver or yellow/gold) and a piece of colored wool to designate the regiment. This particular tunic has vegetable ivory buttons, but does have gold stars indicating metal tunic buttons would have been yellow/gold. If you check the gold/jaeger green color combination, that will give you the particular regimental number and whether the unit was part of the "Austrian" or "Hungarian" branch of the Imperial army. I don't have the list at hand, but a quick visit to Glenn Jewison's site on the Austro-Hungarian army ought to turn that information up for you. After 1922, the Austrian Republic used jaeger green as the standard color for all infantry collar patches. They vary. Officer's tunics turn up on the market more often than enlisted tunics. Also, WWI era and post-war Republic tunics (prior to the mid-1930's) are similar enough that unscrupulous people have attempted to convert pieces. There is not a big demand for Austrian Republican uniforms from the 1922 through circa early 1930's era, while there are people who do collect WWI era items. In the US, the demand is relatively "small" and "Echte" Austrian WWI feldgrau tunics bring about a third of what a German WWI era feldgrau tunic brings. In Europe, the situation is a bit different, particular in Italy where there is a thriving market for Austrian WWI era items. Over the last ten years, I've seen several, and would advise caution when buying these. The wartime "feldgrau" tunics were made from all sorts of material: imported German woolen cloth, captured and converted Italian tunics, Austrian made wools (which have even more variation then German WWI feldgrau uniforms with colors that can include grey, green, dirty browns) and also cottons. Post-war Austrian Republic uniforms are very similar, but have different collar patch and color systems. I have seen altered Republic era tunics that appear to have had the collar patches removed, and "iffy" looking patches added. People attempted to turn them into WWI looking tunics, not always convincingly. This particular piece hasn't been altered or converted. I can say that from having handling and looking at it directly. I looked at the construction methods, how the stars and "Egalisering" were attached. There is nothing suggesting the piece is anything else than what it appears.

This has been setting in a bottom drawer for a while. It resembles a JHW in some ways, but there are also definite design differences. The frontal devices are not damaged or bent on the front, and on the reverse they are fastened with very small collet screws, not rivetted. The detail and workmanship on all parts is first rate. There is a a small amount of enamel damage that detracts from the piece, but considering the overall quality and condition of the rest of the piece is something I can live with in my collection. Unfortunately, there are no maker or silver content markings.

"Lufti" Andreas' auctions have been good to you in the past, and I can understand why you'd go with him again. He'll do well by you again, with the Schwaab group. Aviation related items and groupings are a specialized area of collecting (and investing) that operates a bit differently from the common and low-end place items you (and I both) feel will be littering the floors in the not so distant future. There is a difference between people who collect for the joy of collecting, and there are people who are most or less investors who collect or trade in items with the primary drive of making a return on their investment, and not taking a loss or hit when they resell whatever it is. There are people who are one or the other, and most "collectors" probably fall somewhere between and hope/pray they won't lose money on whatever it is they bought and at some later date expect to sell. Your point about "buyer psychology" is well taken, and applies to collectors, investors, and collector-investors alike. Is the Schwaab group destined for being bought by a collector, or an investor, or group of investors? The way high ticket items are often bought by investors hoping to buy and sell again at a later date, and the associated hype of "value" by collectors, there are times I wonder if collecting is not that different from a Ponzi type scheme driven by people manipulating the collector and investor market. A few years ago, many of the items in one of his auctions (which included some items from your collection at one time or another) very likely went to "eastern Europeans" who made quite a lot of money in oil-related matters. Some of the newly rich oil folks from eastern Europe may have bought investment items -outside- their home country/countries thinking that a government which could make them rich, could also strip them of money or holdings inside their country. Many high ticket items are bought as a potential hedge against home governments going south, hedging against future bad economic situations, and of course, ego satisfaction and bragging rights.

I not an expert on these, but I don't like this one: for starters, the flat crescent (these usually have a center ridge), the parallel edging details, and the shape and sides/edges of the pin are out of the norm seen on the usual German made pieces. I have doubts about this one.

Morris went to the University of Michigan and then graduated from Annapolis and joined the US Navy for a few years, then worked for the CIA before he retired from government service with his first pension, circa 1971/72. He started writing for a Houston newspaper for several years, and honed his ability to write easily read and understandable text. The clear writing style sets his book apart, rather than the other subject material that was available when the book first came out, or since. When he died in 2002, he was in his late 70's and had heart problems for a while. It's too bad he didn't live longer and manage another book. (He wrote a total of two.) In the early 1990's, he was in Lesotho at least once as an elections observer. Mervyn, did you meet him at that time, or later? His wife's maiden name was "Mart" Botha, a South African (?), and inspired his interest his South Africa and by extension, other parts of Africa.

Mervyn, obsidian is the raw material par excellence among stone age tool makers who had access to obsidian and a choice over using it, versus other stone materials which could be shaped. Volcanic materials are relatively rare in Europe, and obsidian is not a material stone age tool makers there could use with any regularity. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are obsidian outcrops, however, surface outcrops are not that common and far and few between. Obsidian as naturally formed material, comes in various grades, with or without inclusions, and grades. The higher the silicate content and uniformity of the material, the easier it is to work. Bottle glass is a pure silicate, and as such, easier to work, and if someone is used to working the material, high quality results are not only possible but commonplace. Bottle glass is usually uniform in it's composition, and should be easier to work than naturally occurring obsidian which can have inclusions and irregularities. That doesn't mean obsidian can't be found in an almost pure silicate state; in the western US, it was a plentiful and preferred material and often very high grade not that different from bottle glass. Aboriginals in the western United, the Mayans and Aztecs (and so on) used obsidian whenever they could get their hands on it, and preferred it over flint, chalcedony, chert and other metamorphosed rocks. Obsidian from California was traded throughout western America, and some has been found as far east as Ohio. The normal process of knapping starts with shaping a cobble using a stone hammer to create a cleanly exposed flat striking surface for knocking off rectangular shaped blades or blanks which can then be shaped further. A stone hammer is relatively crude to use for refining the shape of blades into smaller tools. Once the cobble is formed into a "core", often the stone tool maker will stop using the stone hammer, and use bone tools for the intermediate shaping phase. A third phase, in which edge forming is done, is termed pressure flaking and is done by using smaller pencil shaped sized bone, antler tips, and even specially hardened wood tipped tools. The bone, antler or wooden tip is pressed at an angle against the edge of the item being shaped, and small spalls of obsidian can be neatly and precisely pressed off. The Indians of Mexico developed making obsidian tools into a form of art. Obsidian was formed, and finally pressured flaked into two-sided objects resembling animals, human heads, deities, and other objects in addition to projectile points, and a embedded into a range of weapons. Indigenous Australians not only used bottle glass to make projectile and spear points. Electrified fence insulators made from glass and the odd ceramic top, have found their way to a few museums and private collections. Years ago, I experimented with making stone tools, but couldn't get enough quality stone to practice enough to get "good." A couple of my personal friends are professional archaeologists, and are that good. One was my upstairs neighbor for a while, and on warm spring days and summer mornings, he'd be setting in our shared driveway busting rocks, and I spent more than a few hours setting next to him trying to pick up pointers.

Calling notice to a thread on another forum may bother some members, but in this case, there is evidence the Godet firm of J. Godet and Sohne was bought or merged with another firm circa 1929. About the same time, the firm of Gebrueder Godet emerged. It appears there were two firms using a variation of the "Godet" name. I'll let you decide if it's worth reading the thread, and thinking about the questions of what happened to the old dies and stock of the parent company, and then the questions of what each firm made. So far, this is a very good thread on the Godet firm(s). http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488912

Those would remove the cosmoline, however, putting anything on the blade afterward is something to consider before doing it, and then putting oily or greased blades back into the scabbard or saya. If the blade is a traditional hand made one pre-dating the modern era, decide if the condition and value of the sword could be affected by what you do. If the blade is a mass-manufactured machined piece of steel made between circa 1920-1945, how the cosmoline is removed and what you do in the process and afterward may not be all that important. The best surface protection for Japanese blades with a high polish, is to keep the blade as dry as possible, and wiping it down every few days or so, to keep moisture and rust from starting on the surface. If possible, keeping the blade in a dust free, temperature and humidity controlled environment will go a long way to keeping moisture down and away from the surface. A grease or oil "wets" dust and other particles, which helps the dust (whatever) to stick to the surface. When the blade is put back into the "saya" the gritty surface can rub against the polished surface and in time can leave rub marks. Oils or grease on the surface of a blade can be transferred to the inside of the saya, and once that happens, the oil or greasy spot will start picking up stuff that can and will rub on metal, and vice versa. The Japanese used clove oil to clean a surface and/or displace water or moisture from the surface of the metal. The heavier oil would display the moisture to the surface of the oil. The surface is then lightly wiped with a special absorbent rice paper to remove the surface moisture, then the oil, and finally to leave a bare metal surface. Then, the next traditional step is/was to tap a cloth ball on a stick, filled with a powder or pomice and spread along the blade, that was used to absorb any moisture that might come in contact with the blade inside the saya. Japanese blades were usually kept as dry as possible, and any dust or grit adhering to the powdered surface would be wiped off during the many inspections of the blade. The Japanese guy who carried the blade daily and felt his life depended on the condition of the sword, may have cleaned and wiped his blade daily, a practice not so different from the more modern soldier who is taught and told to clean his weapon daily.

Franz Schlund: bombers.

Here's a little more by way of news dispatches, and mentions the capture of English artillery units and notes how many guns were lost... "Freiburger Tagblatt, No. 85, March 26, 1918: WTB [Wolff Telegraph Service], General Headquarters, March 26. In the continuation of the “Big Battle” in France our troops have achieved new successes. English divisions and French troops brought up from Flanders and Italy attacked desperately. They were beaten back! [ . . . ] Since the beginning of the battle, 93 enemy planes and 6 air balloons have been shot down. Captain Freiherr von Richthofen achieved his 67th and 68th victory in the air, Lieutenant Bongartz his 22nd, First Lieutenant Loerzer his 24th, Vice Seargent Baeumer his 23rd, Lieutenant Kroll his 22rd, and Lieutenant Thuy his 20th. The number of captured artillery pieces has grown to 963. More than 100 tanks lie in captured positions."

Translated news dispatch; see paragraph 5. "Freiburger Tagblatt, No. 83, March 24, 1918: WTB [Wolff Telegraph Service]. General Headquarters, March 23. Under the leadership of His Majesty the Kaiser and King, the offensive against the English front near Arras-Cambrai and St. Quentin has been going on for two days now. Good progress was also made yesterday. Divisions of the army of Crown Prince Rupprecht stormed the heights to the north and northwest of Croisilles. Between Fontaine le Croisilles and Moendre, they forced their way into the second enemy line and took the nearby towns of Boulx-Braucourt and Morchies. A strong English counterattack was unsuccessful. Our army broke through the first two enemy lines between Connelieux and the Omignon stream. The heights to the west of Gonzeancourt, Hendicourt and Viller-Faucon, were taken. In the valley of the Cologne stream, Roisel and Marquaixe were stormed. The battle for the heights around Epchy was especially fierce. Surrounded from the north and the south, the enemy had to surrender these positions to our troops. Between Epchy and Roisel, the English attempted to stop the advance of our victorious troops with strong counterattacks. Everywhere, the English were thrown back with very heavy losses. The heights to the north of Vermand were stormed. We are standing before the third enemy line. These successes led the enemy to retreat from his positions on the bend southwest of Cambrai. We followed him toward Demicourt, Flesquiere, and Ribecourt. Between the Omignon stream and the Somme, the army of the German crown prince, after taking the enemy’s first positions, fought its way through the Holnon forest and over the heights of Favy and Rouzy and penetrated the enemy’s third lines. To the south of the Somme, divisions broke through the enemy lines and, pushing forward without reserve, threw the enemy back behind the Crozat canal to the west. Rifle battalions forced them to cross over the Oise to the west of La Fere. Working with the divisions that followed, they stormed the heights crowned by the military fortifications of La Fere to the northwest of the city. "

The 35te kuk Division was at St. Mihiel at that time, and the next nearest Austrian units were in the front and rear areas of the Meuse-Argonne. The composition of the 35te kuk ID around August 1918 was: StBaon 35 (most likely the Austrians seen in the photos.....) 69 Ibrig.: IR 62 (3), 64 (3) 70 Ibrig.: IR 51 (3), 63 (3) 6. Schwd.HR.4 35. FABrig.: FAR. 35, 135, sFAR.35, GbAA.35 SB. 35

If anyone is interested, the list and related details can be found at this link: http://cefresearch.com/matrix/Utilities/War%20Trophies/ A comment made on that site mentions there was a Commission established in 1920, to organize the distribution of war trophies to various communities. The Commisssion stated that any/all such trophies were Crown Property and communities being assigned trophies were required to keep them in good order, and had no legal authority to dispose of them. I don't know if that clause is still in effect or not... :speechless1:

Neal got it directly from a member of the Boelcke family a little over ten years ago. There was an understanding on both sides that the piece would not be resold or placed on the collector market and eventually donated with the rest of the O'Connor collection to a museum. Claudio, thanks for posting these photos of the collection.

The last two awards are Turkish, and the "SK" placed right before them suggests the award was probably Siamese: The snipped symbol/abbreviation list from the front of the Rangliste shows:

Pershing was asked by Foch to tell him where he planned to conduct field operations during the later part of the summer of 1918, and through the fall of 1918. Perhsing voluntarily chose to mount an attack in the St. Mihiel area, and also the Meuse-Argonne. Pershing picked the starting dates, and locations for both. Foch asked Pershing if he thought the American forces were capable of reducing the St. Mihiel salient, then quickly shifting southwards to the Meuse-Argonne within a few days. Foch said one of the conditions for accepting Perhsing's plan, was that American forces would continue to hold the St. Mihiel salient when the Meuse-Argonne was kicked off, and also during the operations there. Pershing agreed. The American offensive in the St. Mihiel area went well, however, what the Americans (and Allies) did not know, was Ludendorf had previously decided on shortening the lines in the St. Mihiel area, and the German/Austrian troops there were in the process of withdrawing when the American attack started. During the Meuse-Argonne, the American advance did not go all that smoothly, and after the first phase of the offensive was over (there were three phases total), the logistics started to unravel. Troops started to experience shortages which were not critical, but left more than a few units low on food, ammunition, and a serious need of being able to move fighting units forward across the areas torn up by combat, and getting dead and wounded to the rear. More than a few men were separated from the units, either by accident or intent; observers and officers reported men that should have been with their units wandering around, etc. The overall situation was bad enough that Foch was considering asking the Allied Supreme War Council to demand Wilson replace Pershing (with another American). Arguably, what saved Pershing was the Germans being subjected to almost continuous and "all out" British and French attacks, which prevented the Germans from being able to shuffle divisions from one spot to another along the front in a fire-brigade fashion. If the Germans were able to draw on re-reinforcements to stabilize the lines, Pershing's offensive would have run into even greater problems than it was facing. Arguably, the collapse of the German army and the end of the war, allowed Pershing to see the end of the war, while still in command of the AEF. Chris (both C's), Wilson started thinking about the US getting into the war, not long after he replaced William Jennings Bryant as Sec. State. Bryant was a believer in strict neutrality, and felt that American banks loaning the Allies money was a violation of true neutrality towards both sides. Wilson's 1916 presidential run and his "peace pledge" might have bound him by his words, however, Wilson was well-aware that if the Allies lost the war, then American chances of recouping loans to the Allies would be almost nil, and American banks would collapse with the result there could be a major US economic depression. Wilson was a man looking for a cause that he could sell the American public. Yes, -this- particular subject is room for at least one, and possibly quite a few threads. Wilson reportedly was considering Maj. General Frederic Funston to head a future "AEF" before Funston died of an unexpected and massive coronary in February 1917. Funston and Pershing knew each other and served together. Pershing was not Wilson's first choice, although when the time came, and Funston was dead, the list of officers to head the AEF was a very short one. If Funston had lived (he was younger than Pershing), one or the other might have been a potential replacement for the other if things did not go well, or a head needed on a plate situation developed.

This fellow has what looks like a late Reichswehr tunic modified from a WWI era M10. During the Reichswehr era, the early feldgrau tunics with piping had the piping removed from the tunic front, cuffs replaced, and re-issued with Reichswehr era litzen. There are no NCO's or an officer in sight. Every tunic in sight in the group has rounded shoulder straps, not the WWI and Freikorps era pointed straps. If the details of the photo were really sharp and the belt buckles could be seen, a Weimar eagle would be another clue to use for an approximate date. As a guess, I'd suggest late 1920's for this group. Really nice photo!