XEN, First of all, welcome to the forum. Secondly, I was not around during WW2 to verify first hand a side to this dicussion. I do not collect in this speciality. You are right in that there are tons of variables and non standard pieces. But at the same time, Bob has been collecting this stuff for well over 50 years. How many people can say they have 50 years of experience in anything? The war was only over for just over 10 years when Bob started collecting. Tons of this stuff was readily available and not really desireable for collectors. I am sure that Bob has seen and forgotten more than you and I have combined. With that being said, I would trust his expertice and knowledge over any printed non period reference on the market. Joe is right... we are all members at this forum to learn from one another(hopefully). There should never be a need for hard feelings. There is nothing wrong with having varying opinions. We are all friends here! Just my take. Merry Christmas. Regards Paul