Flammenwerfer! Flames, skulls and stuff

[Robin Lumsden]

Now that's a coincidence....

I'll just wait to see if a third one turns up, now that he's committed himself to finding only two.............

[Robin Lumsden]

Herr Fuchs has another one on eBay today!

Sold for 110 Euros.

[Robin Lumsden]

Mr Fox is Heiko Fuchs.

/quote]

The Fox has some great items for sale at the moment...........

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tasse-mit-Untertasse-und-Teller-Olympiade-Berlin-1936_W0QQitemZ290341108397QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSport_1?hash=item4399adbaad&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

I wonder where he finds it all.

[Sergeant 08]

I think he is always on the hunt for interesting collector items. It seems he is a very successful hunter.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The problem with many/most hunters in Germany... they buy and resell with no way of knowing who sold to them. I used to run ads in Germany but gave up when I saw what % of sellers were crooked collectors/part time dealers pretending to be non collectors and trying to sell "Grandpops" medals.

I assume this seller buys from whoever brings him stuff and they all say "found by a Dachdecker"..

Some good, some bad, ...

Anyway, its not my beer. Robin likes skulls, this is a skull. I am happy he is happy with it. Personally I would not put it with my WW1 stuff.

best

Chris

[Robin Lumsden]

Robin likes skulls, this is a skull. I am happy he is happy with it. Personally I would not put it with my WW1 stuff.

I haven't put it with my WW1 stuff either, Chris........I've put it with my 'Prussian-style' TKs.

Here's another one I'm happy with, although I haven't a clue what it is either.

It came from Denmark with a group of WW1 German items posted on another forum.

Any ideas???

[Robin Lumsden]

Reverse..............

[Sergeant 08]

I assume this seller buys from whoever brings him stuff and they all say "found by a Dachdecker"

I think it is not only a problem in Europe. I have heard more than one interesting story about an item that came from a 'US veteran'...

PS: Btw, have you ever seen a fake offer of this seller?

Edited August 26, 2009 by Sergeant 08

[Sergeant 08]

I haven't put it with my WW1 stuff either, Chris........I've put it with my 'Prussian-style' TKs.

Here's another one I'm happy with, although I haven't a clue what it is either.

It came from Denmark with a group of WW1 German items posted on another forum.

Any ideas???

No idea! But a nice skull, congratulations!

[Robin Lumsden]

No idea! But a nice skull, congratulations!

Thanks.

Another 'mystery' skull!

[Sergeant 08]

Thanks.

Another 'mystery' skull!

Period photos show us, not every 'mystery' skull must be a fake! One example! Who has this one in the collection?

Edited August 26, 2009 by Sergeant 08

[Sergeant 08]

.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Sergeant 08

[Thomas W]

Period photos show us, not every odd skull must be a fake! One example! Who has this one in the collection?

That's an officer of the Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment. Very often the officers attached the Totenkopf directly to the sleeve, without using an oval cloth backing. It appears that officers were allowed to privately purchase badges in many designs.

[Thomas W]

Here's another one:

[Thomas W]

And another. All from my collection.

[Sergeant 08]

And another. All from my collection.

Thanks for the additional photos! If these skulls will appear on the market, I'm sure 99% of the collectors will scream: 'It must be fakes!'.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Sergeant 08

[Thomas W]

Thanks for the additional photos! If these skulls will appear on themarket, I'm sure 99% of the collectors will scream: 'It must be afakes!'

Very true! Here's one more officer:

[Robin Lumsden]

It appears that officers were allowed to privately purchase badges in many designs.

Very interesting, Thomas.

Thanks for posting these photos.

Now all I need to see is an officer wearing a black one!

[Thomas W]

Robin, my editor just sent me the mockup for the cover of my book, so we're progressing along at a rapid clip. I can't yet say when the book will be out or when I'll get my photos back, but it'll happen at some point. I swear!

[Thomas W]

By the way, I just learned the identity of the first officer whose photo I posted. His name was Karl Walter, and he was the Brandinspektor (Fire Inspector) of Bremerhaven from 1908 to 1919. Interestingly enough, the Bremerhaven Fire Department Web site shows him in his Guard Pioneer uniform, complete with Totenkopf sleeve badge. He's in the second row down from the top, on the left.

http://www.feuerwehr...de/leiterbf.htm

Edited August 28, 2009 by Thomas W

[Sergeant 08]

By the way, I just learned the identity of the first officer whose photo I posted. His name was Karl Walter, and he was the Brandinspektor (Fire Inspector) of Bremerhaven from 1908 to 1919. Interestingly enough, the Bremerhaven Fire Department Web site shows him in his Guard Pioneer uniform, complete with Totenkopf sleeve badge. He's in the second row down from the top, on the left.

http://www.feuerwehr...de/leiterbf.htm

Fire was always his profession!

[Thomas W]

Fire was always his profession!

Ha! Actually it was the profession of many flamethrower pioneers. They were firefighters before they joined the flamethrower regiment, and then they returned to their profession after the war. Here's a photo of the Leipzig municipal fire brigade, taken in 1935. Several of the men are wearing the silver Totenkopf pin that indicates their service in the flamethrower regiment during the war.

[Robin Lumsden]

Great pictures, Thomas.

So many odd TKs.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Great pictures, Thomas.

So many odd TKs.

Indeed... but surely you are not implying that if it is odd, it may be real? ;-)

Thomas, I read on the French forum that the French FW men were also firemen, that was new to me!

[Thomas W]

Thomas, I read on the French forum that the French FW men were also firemen, that was new to me!

Yup. The father of the French flamethrower effort was Captain Victor Schilt of the Paris Firefighting Sapper Regiment (Régiment des Sapeurs Pompiers de Paris). He invented the first flamethrowers and developed flame tactics. The seven French flamethrower companies were called Compagnies Schilt, and they drew on firefighters as recruits. The first French flamethrower attack was carried out at Vauquois by fifty men of the Paris Firefighting Sapper Regiment on June 6, 1915.