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I found an interesting Belleau Wood post card that shows the visitor and caretakers building under construction, scaffolding is seen against the walls so this card most likely dates around 1930-1931. A second view from a later pre WWII card, most likely around 1937-1938, this shows a completed complex and front gates. The Boston architectural firm of Cram & Fergusion designed the 1929-33 plans for tall new Chapel, entrance gates, and the two buildings show in the cards; the vistor building and the staff care taker building at the Aisn-Marne Cemetery (American Expeditionary forces Cemetery Number 1764-Belleau Wood). On July of 1923, the Belleau Wood Cemetery was dedicated as an American battle monument site. After improvements, the newly named Aisne-Marne Cemetery was dedicated on 30 May 1937 with the completed Chapel sitting at the base of Belleau Woods. The second later view of the completed complex. Below are some views of the structures. Here is a view of the early 1920-1928 wood buildings at the gate prior to the 1929-1933 improvements. HABS report source

French Soldier with a captured German MG 08/15 mounted on a wagon wheel for Anti-Aircraft use.

More images of a French soldiers using the VB launcher.

US soldiers demonstrating with the VB launcher on M1917 rifles (1st photo). 2nd photo, US troops with the M1903 rifle and launcher. Note the different style of launchers used for the rifles.

Thank you. You may be right, as on the reverse side there is a name Gosch and a serial number that suggests he could have been a maker of the decorative frames appealing to the cuirassiers tradition.

3. Eskadron and Monogramm of König Christian IX. von Dänemark, Regiments Chef With Paraderabatt

Thanks Paul, as always your support and help is greatly appreciated

No, ranks this grade and higher typically command high prices, that is why I don't have much of them, lol. I only go for the yellow- and orange-colored groups to match other items I have.

Here is another French specialist patch, this one for Engineers.

Kenny: 4,000 plus views, I am at a loss for the words to express my gratitude. Many thanks to everyone. I look forward sharing other pieces from my Kriegsmarine collection with the Forum. Best regards John R.

As promised on a previous thread, I’ll post some different manufacturing examples of belt buckles. It won’t be exhaustive and will be more interesting to those that aren’t familiar with belt buckles- to others, I might be teaching you to suck eggs ! Anyway, here goes…….. First up is a Gustav Brehmer, painted steel combat buckle on a blue webbing tab. One piece construction with maker mark, and date correctly marked under the hinge post.

Not Landwehr! There were no Landwehr buckles

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&sca_esv=5fee7d56a3546583&sca_upv=1&q=buch+koppelschlösser&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjezKXX2sSEAxUNVPEDHS1aAGQQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1138&bih=489&dpr=1.2 Books on belts and buckles https://fjm44.com/articles/aluminium-buckle-heer-dransfeld-co-1937/ a further buckle similar to the first one, an original

One piece nickel HJ buckle, nicely marked but had a tough life!

Small ‘Turnerbund’ buckle- interesting furniture on the reverse - but totally period and original.

Two piece brass buckle with nickeled field and roundel. NSKK buckle in this instance. Based on an SA buckle but all silver in colour. This example has the ‘sun wheel’ swaz.

Two piece construction buckle with a brass body/ field and a silvered rounded- this time an early DJ/HJ buckle. Smaller in size than a standard buckle.

Another DJ buckle but this time it is a two piece construction, with the rune soldered on to a factory painted black field - vary hard to find

Eddieq , Thank you for your expertise and knowledge and detailed observations and comments. The buckle looks so common, I had my doubts. Not what I would call a high quality buckle. As support for your facts, this did come from a US Army guy's attic, but I thought it was a fake because it looks so new and low quality. It has a lack of patina and wear like the first buckle exhibited. However, this one's historical provenience suggests it is real. I know bayonets and rifles , but not uniform treasures. So that buckle is likely a real thing? I added more photos as evidence.... I am a boot to German buckles. Again a huge thank you for your input.

While we are on the subject, I assume this is a re-enactment fake, It appears to be aluminum, magnetic does not stick and no makers marks, with a steel cross pin. The top eagle portion is actually a separate piece attached to the buckle plate. Comments? To me this is a cheep dime store fake. I known nothing about these, so I am asking about a rummage sale $1 item. Lets here what the experts say.... Anyone see such crazy stuff?

Berlin 1945

1960s 13. November 1963 Zwei Männer öffnen eine hohle Metalltrommel, mit der drei westdeutsche Männer ihre Freundinnen aus Ostberlin, Deutschland, 1965 über die Grenze brachten. (Foto von Express Newspapers/Getty Images) Beamte inspizieren den Schaden an der Berliner Mauer in Ostdeutschland und treffen Vorbereitungen für deren Reparatur, nachdem ein Ostdeutscher mit einem Armeeauto die Mauer gerammt und erfolgreich entkommen konnte. (Foto von Keystone/Getty Images). 1963 Eine von den ostdeutschen Behörden errichtete Barrikade, um die bestehenden Barrieren zwischen Ost- und West-Berlin zu verstärken. (Foto von Central Press/Getty Images). 22. November 1961 Stacheldraht vor dem Brandenburger Tor. Das Schild weist Sie darauf hin, dass Sie West-Berlin verlassen, wenn Sie diesen Punkt passieren. (Foto von John Waterman/Fox Photos/Getty Images). Um 1962 Zwei West-Berliner Polizisten mit ihren neuen amerikanischen Schnellfeuergewehren im Einsatz mit einem Schneemann am Weihnachtstag vor der Berliner Mauer am Brandenburger Tor. (Foto von Keystone/Getty Images). 25. Dezember 1961 Britische Truppen sind im Falle von Unruhen an der ost- und westdeutschen Grenze, nahe dem Brandenburger Tor in Berlin, einsatzbereit. (Foto von Keystone/Getty Images). Oktober 1961 Edmond Kayat aus dem Libanon trägt ein 80-Pfund-Kreuz, um „Rücksichtnahme auf die Menschlichkeit“ zu fordern, das von der Volkspolizei am Brandenburger Tor in Berlin zurückgewiesen wird. Er versucht, durch Ostdeutschland zu reisen, nachdem er die Schweiz und Westdeutschland durchquert hat. (Foto von Keystone/Getty Images). 5. Oktober 1961 Am 20. August 1962 verhaftete die westdeutsche Polizei einen jungen Mann aus der wütenden Menge, der Steine auf einen Bus voller sowjetischer Wachen warf, der zum Sowjetischen Ehrenmal unterwegs war. Die Menge war empört über den Tod des 18-jährigen Peter Fechter , der einige Tage zuvor beim Versuch, die Berliner Mauer zu überqueren, erschossen wurde. (Foto von Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Ein Lautsprecherwagen der West-Berliner Organisation SAS (Studio am Stacheldraht) kommt am 23. Juli 1962 an der Berliner Mauer an, wo ein neuer Abschnitt gebaut wird. Kurz darauf tauchte ein ostdeutsches Polizeiauto auf und explodierte Musik und kommunistische Propaganda aus seinen Lautsprechern. (Foto von Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Nice image of an Austro-Hungarian soldier, out fitted with several M17 grenades, wire cutters, and a Kugel Grenade.

You must have a lot of these! Where did they all come from?

2nd Motorsturm of Motorstandarte 76, located in Aachen, under the Motorgruppe Neiderrhein.

1st Motorsturm of Motorstandarte 79, located in Schweinfurt, under the Motorgruppe Franken

I just read yesterday that they are thinking of doing a new reboot of the Battlestar Galactica series. No details or anything yet. Could be good or bad...

I just stumbled onto this photo in 3x5 original paper, not a modern reprint. No press release mark on the back. I saw it and purchased it asap. Apparently too fast. I was unsure if a Chateau Thierry German cemetery. It is Chateau de Chehery of the last Meuse push. I found out this is not Chateau Thierry, but the Village of Chatel Chehery in the Ardennes Argonne northern France associated with the Meuse Campaign. A neat photo dated 1919. O well.... a quote An interesting read: https://www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Section4.pdf Nearby the area where Alvan York earned his medal. Also the Lost Battalion history. Has anyone seen this cemetery view? How common is this photo of this 1919 cemetery. Anyone have a history of this cemetery ? Were these 1919 gaves relocated? A stone monument is in the center of the cemetery, yet the building complex is still in a battered shelled state in Janaury, 1919. Does anyone know this building complex? It appears a good deal of work was done to mark the German graves in this January 1919 photo. This photo was taken approximately 60 days after the 11 November Armistice and shows paper or ribbon tags on some of the crosses. This is an interesting cemetery historical photo. So much effort by who ? The villagers, the Germans,... odd no mass graves. Is the cross shapes with a roof like triangle over the cross a German or French style WW I cross? Why do some crosses have a roof and others do not? Different religions? I can show some close up views when the photo arrives. Any historical information a reader can provide is welcomed. Are the oval markers on the cross wood or metal? What style of cross is this? I have never seen this in U.S. old 1920s cemeteries. I have never seen this view also of interest: I wonder if those odd crosses are a German Catholic tradition at the turn of the 20th century. These soldiers must have been buried while the town was under German occupation and control. In most civilian cemeteries I excavated, the old wood crosses were rotted away and long gone. Only a rock or sunken ground depression marked a burial location of poor graves. Wealthy families had tombstones. This reminds me of a book I am reading ( I should do a book review on this, a fantastic book about mass graves excavation of Australian & British soldiers buried by the Germans): 'Remember Me to All' : The Archaeological Recovery and Identification of Soldiers Who Fought and Died in the Battle of Fromelles 1916, an Oxford Archaeological monograph 23

Very impressive Gildwiller ,that brings back memories, I remember saving the card backs and sending them off to get the Gold Cylon leader, my aunt then had to post it to me from Canada to Scotland. Here is my Battlestar cabinet, not the original Mattel unfortunately but they are on my list to get eventually.

Here are some of the vintage BSG toys I have, still need a few pilots for the vipers, shown are all the produced figures, plus a few extra Cylons.

Nachrichten, Leutnant. Collar patches just arrived, although they look more like golden yellow than lemon yellow.

I have done similar repairs to wool as you suggested Fritz, if possible I try to add backing material to the reverse side of the mothing to help the patches adhere better, but this is not always possible. I typically use fabric glue as well.

I honestly wouldn't know where to start with Luftwaffe cuff titles, it's not something I'm at all familiar with. I still haven't fully decided what to collect since I re-caught the bug. I've picked up a medal group and a few split WW1 single medals to a Scottish Battalion I've been interested in for a while and I've been out-bid on a few others at auction (still not fully re-familiarised with today's prices). There's lots of things I see that I'm interested in but know so little about I'd be wary of buying/collecting until I learned a whole lot more about them.

The only original cuff title I have so far

Could you post a few photos of your cuff titles?

I think I vaguely remembers those Ian, was that when the shop was in the Virginia Galleries? Those were the days when we could still buy items from the actual veterans themselves, now all sadly gone.

I have dark green matching material for the band, it could even be original material, identical. I cut the material to match each hole - this has to be accurate, and then simply glue it in place (using Revell plastic cement). Another alternative is, to shave some spare material with a sharp blade, fill each hole individually with some suitable glue - I used many years ago UHU. Then simply fill up the hole with the cloth shavings. This may need to be repeated util the hole is levelled out. This is then undetectable and probably the best method, apart from invisible mending, which is difficult on a stiffened reinforced surface under the band. I don't have any matching field grey material, so would have to leave these areas for the moment, they are only slight, apart from one on the top left side.

New additions, one for the cap

This Gebirgsjäger just arrived from Austria, Steiermark region. Eagle has to be properly attached, still some small parts missing and some moth damage to repair. A serious restoration project, quite a bit of moth damage, missing are the red centre of the cockade, the eagle, Edelweiß, cap cords and buttons, all relatively easily replaced. More pictures later. Waxcloth sweatband needs some refreshening.

New addition, see further up Unteroffizier, Nachrichten, M.36

Here is another uniform accessory, the Serpe or billhook. This device was mainly used by engineers and machine gunners but was also used by other branches. This was considered a tool, and not listed officially as a weapon. Additionally, this was the only item that could not be worn on the wearers belt. When not in use, it was placed inside its leather carrier and attached to the pack. There were many variants of this tool made during the war. I am still hunting for the carrier. WW1 French field gear items are quite scarce in the US.

I just finished the new series, it was very good. Still a few more to buy on Blu ray which are not on the iplayer , Razor, the Plan , Blood and Chrome and Caprica but decided to hold off on those for the moment and started watching the original series again. Watched disc one yesterday it was very good but dare I say it I actually now prefer the new series. The original is quite slow in comparison but still good, in fact after the first two episodes there was quite allot of it which I did not remember so looking forward to watching it all again. Starbuck is very good and the original Cylons and Lucifer, Baltar too, going to try to watch a disc a day, 21 hours in total I think, then pick up the modern blu rays , there is also a new series coming out soon apparently so a good time to get into Battlestar Galactica.

I just bought the original series on DVD, should be here any day now. Will be quite nostalgic.

I believe they would be. These examples are fine and came from a small spot in Austria, two of them have a makers details on the back. I think some of the elite units in Russia have re-introduced the old uniforms for ceremonial dress, and there are many re-enactors in Russia. Russia is almost a monarchy again, but without a Tsar. These buttons were unbelievably cheap, and cost only 5 Euros a piece, there were only 3 on offer. Some of the present day "Imperial" Russian regalia will undoubtedly be turning up and offered as period originals!

Just arrived, 3 Imperial Russian tunic buttons, 21 mm, more or less matched, hollow, with makers names to the rear. Have had these in view for quite some time, surprised they hadn't already gone. Fotos unfortunately not very clear, the buttons have the Imperial eagle. One button has a St.Petersburg maker's name to rear, another has no maker.

Thanks. I have quite a bit more, if there is anything specific you would like to see just mention it. I have a collection of buckles, shoulder boards, some uniforms, etc. I understand what you mean when you say I won't find these things again. I have not added anything new to this part of my collection in decades, though I continue to look. The growing interest in Russia in all things Tsarist and the proliferation of reproductions has limited the availability of original items and has made purchasing anything on-line somewhat of a risk.

A few more items from my Tsarists Russian collection. They are, an enlisted man's peaked cap, a military railway belt buckle (Northwest rail line), Officer, NCO, enlisted and reservist cap cockades, enlisted man's winter cap, officer's shoulder board from the 26.Siberian Rifle Regiment, Zelinski-Kummant gas mask and a brass enlisted man's belt buckle from a grenadier regiment.

French manufactured, Russian Adrian helmet. White metal buckle for infantry and other units with silver colored buttons. From my collection.

Hello, For my work on a book about the German husaren regiment Königin Wilhelmina der Niederlande (Hannoverschen Nr. 15), i am looking for a list of the Standard bearers from the Regiment first in the King German Legion 1803 Hannoverian Hussar Regiments till 1866 And in the period 1867-1919 when it was husaren regiment Königin Wilhelmina der Niederlande (Hannoverschen Nr. 15) Tried several institutes in Germany, but unfortunately no luck Greetings, Henk Koelewijn

Hi Henk, I think Paul is the person to help here, he is our expert on these type of things