IrishGunner

How much for a cannon?

I'd be surprised if "snake eaters" was a period term for WWI "ski troops." First of all, snakes are dormant during winter - so that connection seems dubious at best. Second, I believe the term "snake eater" had its origins in the 60s with US Special Forces - eating snakes as part of survival training. It has expanded to all special operations forces. So, why would ski troops "eat snakes"? Survival? Again, tough in winter. And I've only been a temporary resident in Europe, but I never considered snakes a ready enough source of food in Europe (unlike the swamps of North Carolina where SF train). I'd chalk this up to "snake oil" from online collectors. Perhaps because they have equated "ski troops" with "elite troops" - and by extension, special operations forces. Thus, snake eaters. Kind of like calling Manfred von Richtofen - "Top Gun" PS: Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

Interesting that his sons became U-Boot captains.

Nice. I just happened to be researching his birthplace of Graudenz (now Grudziądz, PL) a few moments ago.

I am not an expert and Chris has probably done this once or twice, but I would think anything abrasive - no matter how fine - would be a bad idea. A quick Google search came up with this: http://www.german-helmets.com/RUSTY%20SURFACES.htm Maybe helpful.

Bronze is for 10 years service. Looks like 1935 Kingdom type. Weren't these for both officers and NCOs? Probably a sergeant (or maybe a lieutenant if officer).

If I ever bet off my lazy butt and start putting together the website I've considered dedicated to the German artillery, I might be able to answer this one... I've recently added a lot of new regiments, need to get more organized.

Several great comments regarding WW1 to WW2 German bars. And it's all subjective, but I'll add my two cents. On any bar from any period from any other country than Germany, I have no problem with any medal. As for Germany, like many have said, I prefer bars without TR medals (although I do have a couple TR medals). I agree Imperial bars w/o the Hindenburg are a premium, but I have no particular problem with a bar if it has the Hindenburg. I'm becoming more interested in "short" bars - an EK2 and only a State's (ie Wuerttemburg or Hamburg or etc) equivelant military merit medal or cross. These pre-Hindenburg pairs are becoming my favorites.

Yea, I'm looking for something that has details - one to learn to be able to identify the various types and countries; two to be able to decipher particular makers marks etc. Mainly, need to get smart so as to not get fleeced by someone taking advantage of my lack of knowledge.

UN use seem plausible...but couldn't find an image of Japanese troops on Golan Heights wearing this patch. They have been in other UN missions as well. Not conclusive by any means... Coincidentaly, however; Yesterday The Japanese government announced it will be pulling out the Self Defense Forces (SDF) from the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) stationed in Golan Heights after this rotation. Japan has been in Golan Heights since 1996, making it the country’s longest-running peacekeeping operation. There are currently 47 SDF personnel stationed there.

True. This is the second Wuerttemburg one I've missed. Next time they won't know how high I'm willing to go...

Ne poznaję o waszym Japoński "patch" ale - Witam w GMIC!

Just missed winning one of the Wuertt. Kriegerbund ribbons on eBay the other day. I was outbid by less than $1

Would the CAL insignia replace the US? What type saber would go along with this?

I'm getting the itch to purchase a bayonet. But since I don't know much about them, I'm looking for a recommendation on a good guide book. I'm only interested in bayonets 1800-1918; mainly WWI - especially German. Thanks in advance!

Difficult to say without the links / visual facts, but sounds odd to me to have "identical" pictures...enough to make me turn away. I think you answered your own question. You are wary. When in doubt, turn away is my advice.

I see... Interesting regarding unit stamps. Some better to collect than others I presume... I guess you get what you pay for...

I'll play along...just to learn something today; What are they being paid for?

As Dave and others have already said, this task is very subjective in time and space. But I'll add my voice. Ranking of units is only a snapshot in a particular moment in time. How good a German Div was in 1915 or 1916 before the Yanks arrived on the battlefield has absolutely nothing to do with how good a German Div was in 1917. So, coming "too late into the theatre" has no real bearing on the ranking. And as Chris suggested, most of the data came from the French. For that matter, a Div could be "good" one day - and "less than good" the next day due to changes in command, attached/assigned units, casualties etc. Everything is very subjective during the fight itself. Historically, however, we should be able to go back and look over time, as you suggest, and come up with a good overview. Assuming the study agrees upon specific criteria. Another study might consider other criteria. Again, very subjective results. It does make for good discussion over Scotch and cigars though, does't it?

I just noticed that the star on the EAME on the plastic coated bar looks silver. A silver star equals five bronze stars - the number on the other bar. Five campaigns and two Presidential Unit Citations - the recipient of this bar saw a lot of combat.

Each star on the "European-African-Middle Eastern Theater" campaign medal. represents a military campaign in which the recipient participated; for example "Normandy", "Northern France" etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European-African-Middle_Eastern_Campaign_Medal The blue ribbons are unit awards - Presidential Unit Citations - the oak leaf represents a second award. The recipient would have served in a unit when it earned the distinction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Unit_Citation_%28United_States%29

"Well" - for the record, I never said "Ohio" I consistently use the term "Ohio River Valley" which indeed touches parts of all the states you name. While wiki-links are sometimes useful (and always suspect), this particular one you've posted seems to be a bit of an orphan and goes nowhere. Of course, as you perhaps suggest, "Bricks" could be a relative term - except the article explicitly says "regular brick masonry and ruins of Forts." Doesn't sound like pre-historic mound builders to me... And as I re-read the article, we may be missing the real story - or should I say we are missing the dinosaur in the fort for the bricks. A jaw-bone with 5lb teeth? From what I've read, T-Rex had the largest teeth of the dinosaurs - and they reportedly weighed 1-2lbs. But you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Or maybe even 200+ year old newspapers. We might conclude that the General is the ancestor of Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer - other tall tale spinners from another famous river valley. :P

To be earlier than the French forts the bricks would have to have been made by native Indians. I'm not an expert, but I think only the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest made mud bricks - adobe houses. Indians in the Ohio River Valley would have used wigwams made of bark and branches or log homes. There is evidence of stone chimneys, but not brick. I think this article could have done with a bit of "fact-checking" or the French general was trying to spin a story to something more interesting.

I'd be willing to wager that the brick ruins were old French forts destroyed after the French and Indian War that perhaps were forgotten. The Ohio River Valley was in the area claimed by France; a large stretch of territory west of the Allegheny Mountains and past the Missisippi River was French territory that later would be sold to the US Government in the Louisiana Purchase. Around 1753, the French built a number of forts from Lake Eire to the Ohio River. As English settlers moved west this precipitated the French and Indian Wars of 1754-60, eventually being lost by the French when England committed 30,000 troops to fight alongside the colonists. After the fall of Montreal, the French were essentially defeated and they surrendered. The Indian tribes who were allied with the French felt betrayed and continued the fight - eventually destroying several of the forts and massacreing their occupants. After 1763, the Ohio River gradually became the de facto border between land settled by English colonists and the Indian wilderness to the west.