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A update on two fantastic books. Among the Ranks of the Carrion Men: The Epic Story of the Thirty-Six-Day Fight in and around Belleau Wood covers the background of how the battle developed, the battle events, and the involvement of the United States Armies, 2nd Division AEF in the Aisne defensive. They suffered 8,177 casualties of which 1879 died. This set of two paper back volumes (unfortunately it was not published in hard cover format) are the most comprehensive books about the Battle of Belleau Wood covering its operations and events from 30 May 1918 to 6 June 1918. It does not analyze tactics. The author places the reader on the front lines utilizing a chronological narrative, utilizing first hand accounts and testimony of the Marines detailing their tremendous sacrifices at Belleau Wood. The author uses many never before seen sources such as oral histories, unpublished family letters, and WW I Marine’s written notes or short stories, newspapers, family members archived photographs and stories, USMC records and archives, meetings with other military historians, burial files, unit histories, vintage maps, and service record books to compile a narrative of the USMC company grade officers, sergeants, corporals and privates who participated in the action. The two volumes are 6x9 inch economical thick trade paperbacks produced by Lulu press. These were privately published. In an effort to keep the price down, the books have a lower quality glued perfect binding with the many pages (over 400) lacking staples or sewn packets. They are held together by glue and are less durable and will crack with age. The maps are small and difficult to see. I would have preferred full page maps. However, with a copy of the BELLEAU WOOD FRONT LINE PROGRESSION BATTLE MAP by Battle Archives, all is fine. There are many pictures of the soldiers and marines sourced from old books or newspapers of the time. Some have a grainy look, most look fine. All maps and photos are black and white. I would have hoped such significant key reference books would have been offered in hard cover, but both volumes can be rebound as hard covers. Each chapter has detailed end notes and cited references. I found a great map source to print out and use for the many place names mentioned in the books is found here: MCA Marines.com battlefield study package Belleau Wood https://mca-marines.org/bsp/bsp-europe/belleauwood/ These maps includes woods, farms, towns, roads and hill numbers as well as topographic elevation lines. Volume I of Among The ranks Of The Carrion Men with its black cover on the second edition is a paper back published in 2020, has 428 pages and has ISBN 978-1-387-98197-7. This first volume covers the events of the battle from 30 May 1918 to 5 June 1918. The first edition was published in 2018. Volume II, a first edition, has a brown cover and is also is a paper back that was published in 2020, has 598 pages, and has ISBN 978-0-359-66543-3. This second volume covers the events of the battle on a single day, 6 June 1918. There are over 500 pages devoted to the events on this single day. These are the two best books on Belleau Wood battle I have read. A MUST READ. I actually have two sets of this reference. One as a working copy with notes in the text, and one I keep clean and will get re bound as a hard cover. Here is an example of a master area map that I printed out and added notes and page references for the first volume so I can follow the locations as I read. I reduced it almost too small so it fits folded into the book for a handy reference. Each day has it own map published in the book, unfortunately they are small and do not show surrounding towns. See an example of 3 June's map found on page 270. I also added larger fold up maps for each day. 3 June, page 270

Arrived today - Kriegsmarine Kadett Matrosengefreiter Sculterstückauflagen, 3. Marine Artillerie Abteilung Württemberg, Schirmmützen Kokarde Preußen, Gefreiter ab 1916 Kriegsmarine, Offiziersknöpfe, "Kriegsmarine 1940, Aluminium

the picture is worn where the moustache would be but I think Keitel too

I thought Keitel, but is there a moustache?

I will have to check these other movies out; they look quite interesting.

That is a hard to find DVD and goes high $25-49 as new. You have to watch out for what edition you have, some DVD prints are (93min VHS), 156min. Anniversary dvd, 206 min. Blu ray DVD, and an uncensored version DVD at 4 hours. The original 1981 move was 173 min. The 4k blu ray is also 173min. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_of_the_Desert

I live rather close to Langenlebarn and a friend of mine lives ontop, what he believes, to be a former german FLAK position and wanted to know if there is any possible way of finding out if that is true. Potential documentation of german positions around the Airfield itself perhaps?

Oberst, später Generalmajor Hans Herbert Witthöft. Kommandeur 86. Infanterie-Division, XXI. AK, General der Sicherungstruppen Heeresgruppe B, Befehlshaber Venetianische Küste

I've got that film, Lion of the Desert I think it's called, always good to see Oliver Reed, they don't make actors like him anymore

First one for me too.

Hi Craig, welcome to the forum, you need to be a member before you can post pictures. So you should now be able to post the pictures. Would love to see the Pathe newsreel too, I did not know that existed. So I think you must be my cousin? My Grandmother Jean Bell presented the Victoria Cross to the City of Glasgow with my Aunt who I'm guessing would be your Grandmother? Kenny

After some research, I found out this is a re-bagging or reissue of the 1993 Classic Toy Soldier company (CTS) Korean War-U.S. Marine set by BMC. It is safe to assume the entire series by BMC called the CLASSIC TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR SERIES is a reissue. A quote from the German BMC set: Web source information in quote below about the Korean War set, this is an active for sale link so I can not ID it. About the BMC , American Hero collector series Korean War Winter Battle Marines.

Hi for Kenny Andrew. My name is Craig Dempsey and am Tomas Calwell’s grandson. i’m (hopefully) posting two photos; one of the clock given to him by the people of Carluke in appreciation of his VC (which now resides with me) and the other of the illuminated address given to him by the Lanarkshire territorial Forces association. I hope yo find it interesting. By the way there exists Pathetic newsree footage of his return to Carluke. Seems I can’t insert the images. If you are interested email me and I can send them. Craig

I generally only collect a single sample of some of the Plastic toy soldiers. I do favor the six inch original 1960s Marx plastic soldiers. I just recently ordered a sample bag of BMC, 60cm, American Hero collector series Korean War Winter Battle Marines. I am not sure if these are recasts of CTS older figures or something new. They are marked CTS. They are bottom signed, but are different from the normal BMC soldiers. The Russian WW II Classic Army Men Collector Series are approximately 54mm in size and made in the U. S. They come with 36 slightly smaller and thinner plastic cast soldiers with six different poses in a bag. They are not bottom signed, but they have a circular mold mark unique to American made toy BCM soldiers. These red brown Russian soldiers were originally introduced in the 1960s in olive drab green by Louis Marx Company as Allies in some of their famous WW2 Battleground Playsets and the six inch tall figures. The pose is the same. The bottom mark is somewhat similar to the original Marx maker's mark on their six inch figures. This Russian BMC set is an example of a reissue of the Marx figures. Vintage Marx soldiers came in groups of six poses for German, Russian, American, Japanese and then other figures that are rarely seen. See Marx reference: http://marxwildwest.com/6-inch figures.html#modern_military . In contrast the BMC Korean War Marines are 60mm in size, well made, and are bottom signed "CTS 2019 CHINA " The are made in China and listed from Dong Guan GD China. There are 16 soldiers in a bag with eight different poses. These I plan to keep intact and will not open the bag. I generally buy one bag as a sample of the size, quality of the cast, and overall quality of the maker's soldiers. I also want a sample of the company makers' mark. These 1/32 soldiers are very robust and detailed in thee casting. Some of the better collector plastic 1/32 scale contemporary post 1980s toy soldiers include two major producers: BMC- post 1991, and the Armies in Plastic- post 1984. Armies in Plastic is bottom signed and easy to identify. Then there are smaller companies like the TSSD San Diego soldiers, Austin Miniatures, Plastic Platoon made in Russia, Mars, Classic marked CTS, and LOD enterprises. There are many other contemporary makers, some that reissue the old 1950s plastic soldiers made by Marx, Tim-Mee, Lido, and MPC. You can really go nuts when collecting plastic toy soldiers. I tend to collect mainly the lead Barclay and Manoil soldiers and Grey Iron, iron cast metal soldiers of the past. But I must say this set of Korean BMC Toy soldiers is really neat.

It’s the first one for me.

BBC TV Documentary Series of the early 1960s

Erwin Rommel studies a map with his staff officers in North Africa in August, 1942

Landwehr IX. Reserve-Korps, Altona Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 9, Altona Schleswig-Holsteinisches Train-Bataillon 9, Rendsburg

Gottlieb Ferdinand Albert Alexis Graf von Haeseler Graf Haeseler, 1836-1919, was the oldest officer in the Prussian army Foto vom Kunstatelier Oskar Tellgmann, Eschwege

North Africa, Italians vs. British

Also see the list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_featuring_the_French_Foreign_Legion I also favor the sound version of Beau Geste done in 1939 and also on DVD

You may also like this old one from 1977, March or Die. DVD came out in 2018.

Recently watched the 98 movie, Legionnaire, with Van Damme set in 1922 in North Africa. It wasn't too bad. The best part was seeing the Lebel rifles, along with Lewis and Hotchkiss machine guns.

Attila for Gefreiten ca. 1910-13 in the modified standard configuration of 1853 One Fechtwinkel for gutes Lanzenfechten