Gildwiller1918

Romanian Soldiers training with the Chauchat. After staying neutral for the first 2 years of war, Romania decided to enter the war on the allied side. After some initial success's the Romanian's were pushed back and part of their country was occupied. In early 1917, the Romanians decided to rebuild and re-equip their forces, with a huge influx of weapons and equipment mainly from France which had troops there as well to train the Romanians. Some 2600 Chauchats were delivered for their use. However by the end of 1917, with the collapse of Russia, the Romanians were surrounded and sued for peace

German MG08's with crews, most likely the Eastern Front. The gun on the left, is not mounted on the sled, however it uses an expedient mount, an example of which is in the second picture. Image source, internet.

Early war U.S. trials of a "portable" body armor unit. The soldier is using the Springfield model 1888 rifle with a rod bayonet.

Nice view of a Lewis Gun Crew, note the 2 canvas carriers off to the left of the gun which held 2 magazines. Image source, internet

Another image, not crisp, but showing the VB launcher on the rifle, 4th on the right. Note several VB grenades in the soldiers hands. Image source, internet

1916 Observation post. Grainy image, however the VB launcher is quite visible. Wartime photo's of the VB in actual use are not easy to find. Image source, internet.

Hello, well I cannot speak to EU/UK prices, but for the US the grenade which is a Russian F1 runs about $50-$150 dependent on condition . The mortar is the 8 cm Granatwerfer 34, which runs about $350.00-$400.oo, or more depending on condition. The Russian F1 grenade was basically a copy of the French model from WW1, however these were produced in WW2 onwards and was supplied to friendly or soviet controlled countries. The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 was the standard mortar for German forces in WW2, with over 74 million rounds produced during the war.

Hello Hannah, could you post an image if you get the chance? The US forces used these helmets for some time, and it is not uncommon to see repairs or parts swapped out as needed. Most of the US forces in WW1 used the British made helmets until production could meet the demand in the US. Also the US forces did not immediately leave after the war, they had occupational duties. Additionally some of these helmets made there way to US possessions such as the Philippines, and some even underwent conversion to the M1917A1 Kelly helmets.

Regarding the loops for the shoulder boards, most of the shoulder boards seen today are the sew in type. Very few examples of the slip on type are seen today, do you know which was more prevalent? I think the slip on type would be better as they could be easily removed or changed as needed, versus the sew in type. Just curious.

I have not seen a screw back silver wound badge before, very nice!

The seller has multiples of the same disk and claims they can make any upon request.

It could be the same helmet, construction looks the same. Only difference I see is that the Norwegian one in the link says they have a smooth olive drab finish, whereas yours has a sand texture.

I have been seeing an increase in repro WW2 German ID disks. Mainly coming from Easter Europe/Russia. These are aged and look decent. Buyer beware. Below is an example listed as a reproduction.

Members of the 52nd Division displaying captured MG08/15's and MG08's as well as a few other items, September 1918.

Wow from 1871? Seems a little extreme. Guess they want to cover all smokeless powder weapons all the way to modern ones. As far as the dagger goes, WW2 German items as well as copies are still easy to find in Spain. More so on the copies now though...