Daniel Murphy

Jos, What no electrically heated flying helmet? Just kidding, but if it existed you would have one. That is the best set I have ever seen, truly in mint unissued condition. I had a set of jacket and pants many years ago when I collected TR. This brought back some old memeories of them. The sleeves on the jacket were frayed some, but the pants were in great condition. I love that right side pistol pocket(P08, P38 size not for some wimpy little .32) on these. Dan

Kjell, When the Russian surplus Tokarevs started being imported into this country, I bought one and found that it was a converted AVT. It had the stock with two safety cutouts and all. It had been converted to Semi auto and the safety lever only turned one way. I sold it a few years later and wish I still had it, it would probably worth some good money to a serious collector. You have a nice piece, you should take it out and fire it just once. Dan

Nice grouping of items. The German dog tag was for a man of the 5th Company / Landwehr Infantry Regt. (L.J.R.) 36. LJR 36 was in the 5th Landwehr Division throughout the war and were at St. Mihiel during the american attack. This is most likely where he acquired the dog tag. "The (5th Landwehr) division was engaged in the attack in the St. Mihiel salient. It lost heavily in prisoners.... The division retreated with orders to take up positions between the first and second positions of the Hindenburg Line. Here it had orders to hold the St. Mihiel zone under all circumstances. The division continued in line until the armistice.... The 5th L.D. was rated as a fourth class division. In 1918 it held the Apremont sector continuously, showing no initiative of capacity for offensive operation , but due to small losses and a heavy number of effectives it offered as much resistance to our attack in September as did the other German divisions in the salient. " Source: Histories of the 251 divisions of the German Army which participated in the war (1914-1918), London Stamp Exchange 1989 reprint. Dan

That is a fantastic piece. He must have just returned home from being held as a POW (or enemy alien) when DSWA was taken in 1915. Dan

Christophe, I hope that this helps, but it does not give dates for his WW1 EKs. Dan DIRLEWANGER, Dr. Oskar (RK; DKiG) (1895 - 1945) SS-Oberfuhrer d.R. (W-SS): B. 26. Sep. 1895 in W?rzburg/Franken. D. 7. Jun. 1945 in Altshausen, Possibly beaten to death. NSDAP-Number.: 1 098 716 SS-Number.: 357 267 SS-Oberfuhrer.d.Reserve.: 12. Aug. 1944; SS-Standartenfuhrer.d.R.: ; SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer.d.R.: ; SS-Sturmbannfuhrer.d.R.: ; Medals: Knights Cross if the Iron Cross: 30. Sep. 1944 as SS-Oberfuhrer. d.R. and Kommander., SS-Sturmbrigade "Dirlewanger" on the Eastern Front; German Cross in Gold: 5. Dec. 1943; 1939 bar to the 1914 EK I: 16. Sep. 1942; 1939 bar to the 1914 EK II: 24. May 1942; Antipartisan Badge in Bronze; Wound Badge, 1918 in black; Wound Badge, 1939 in Gold; Honor Cross with swords; Other States awards

I am still confused by this as well. Rick, I trust your judgement on these things, but I have some questions. This on a Bavarian Badge is OK, but the same back, well and flaw on a Prussian badge is a fake? OR is a Prussian badge like this only a fake when Juncker marked? Is that the Key? Has someone been stamping unmarked original badges to try to increase the value and turned them into fakes? Dan

Eric, If it is of any help the Bund Oberland was formed by members of the Freikorps Oberland after the latter was dissolved in 1921. The Bund Oberland aligned itself with the NSDAP and particpated in the 1923 Putsch. Here is a link to the Blood Order of one of his comrades now for sale. Dan http://www.emedals.ca/catalog.asp?item=GRC337

MOC, Sorry, perhaps my reply was not as specific as it could have been. I was speaking of the original one that Igor posted. I have a couple Imperial Russian pieces, but nothing to really speak of, I would love to get a George Cross someday. I am by no means an expert on this. Merry Christmas to you as well. Dan

Open.

Here is a nice trench art lighter made from shell case brass. This is so precisely made without even a seam visible, it has got to be German. A very classy and stylish piece that I purchase from a German man who collected old lighters. It is engraved only "Verdun". No need to elaborate on that! Dan Jens, I would love to know how they did the old lithography on those cigarette tins that made the label so resistant to oxidation. Simply amazing they have survived.

Don, That is a beauty. It would appear that it once belonged to a Saxon junior enlisted man with a medical connection. Perhaps a Sanitatsgefreiter during the war. And the maker marked tag actually being the backer instead of just sewn to it, is unique. I have never seen that before. Interesting that it has an Austrian Red Cross award, but not a German one. A great bar. Dan

Agreed, they are a real class act. Dan

How true, I work for the local government. I know this is off topic, but this is how government works. This year they paid good money (six figures) to do a study that found out what we had been telling them for years. That we were underpaid and were losing good employees to other counties. So they finally give us in July comparable (but not equal) pay and the Warden has us all sign a letter of thanks (manatory, not signing was not an option) to the commisioners. At the same time they increased the amount we pay into our retirement. The net pay raise was enough to buy lunch twice a week. Oh yea and the other counties got raises too, so we are still way behind. Now imagine that kind of stupidity on a grand scale. Dan

Chris, This had better be very good, for I am defending my title as Protector of the Grail. I am not really in competition with you, we just like the same things.

Back. Dan

Godet gold stickpin. Unmarked but the helmet is very distinctive and has been found on Godet button-back minis. Badge size is 17mm X 20mm.

Agreed. He was in uniform and is as much a WW1 veteran, as a stateside US soldier that never even saw a boat. He had completed his "boot camp" and was an active service soldier getting his specialized training. My maternal grandfather who was drafted and reported for duty on November 11, 1918, is not a veteran of WW1. He was told to go back home. Off topic, but I never got to meet my Dad's father. He died in 1941 (when my dad was 13 years old) due to complications from being gassed in WW1. He WAS a veteran. Dan

The Idiots! Instead of enforcing and strengthening the laws we have, they enact more "feel good" laws that they will still not be able to enforce (except perhaps for a few poor souls who run afoul of them and get crucified). I as much as anyone detest and revile those who fraudulently portray themselves as heros. Proscecute those b@st@ards to the fullest extent of the law. No, that would actually make sense, can't have the government doing that. My understanding was that the family could legally possess their relatives medals, has this changed? I have always tried to preserve my families military history and have my fathers and two uncles uniforms and campaign medals from WW2 and Korea. They might not be much, but if someone comes to take them, they have a fight on their hands. This is just so much like the gun laws that get enacted and punish the law abiding citizens, but not the punks out there with illegal weapons killing people. Wanna come take my Maxim too? (Good luck, bullet proof vests don't stop rifle rounds.) I am with you on this one Rick. Come and get me. Dan

Indeed! That is very beautiful and the highest quality modern order I have seen. When most of the modern world keeps cranking out some very mediocre pieces (including the US), the Poles have come up with a class act. Dan

Ralph, The projectile is US made with the "Mark I" designation possibly having a naval connection. The case is french made for their 37mm gun. So the pieces do not match each other. Now for the good news. The only unit that I can find as having been at Dieulouard, was the 2nd Division which contained one Marine brigade. The Marines were part of the Navy and were naturally supplied equipment and ordnance through Navy channels. That may very well be a piece of USMC trench art. Dan

Rod, Since you are obviously interested in the higher orders of the states, perhaps a Bavarian Max Joseph order. A member here had a beautiful one for sale here some time ago, I do not remember if it sold. I also would heartily second the Henry the Lion order from Braunschweig. It is at the top of my list right now. Another choice would be the Baden Friedrich Karl order. These three are at the top of the pecking order for their particlar states. Dan

Top view. Thats all folks.

A rather interesting and labor intensive repair to a damaged dismounting lever. They went to a lot of trouble to keep it all matching for me.

Other side.

Yea, I know how you gun guys are. Here is the rest of it.