Any DAK items

[Fred S]

"There is a very neat story about these binos!!"

And what is that story. Fred, what is your story about the Cagne sur Mer helmet as well?

JL

Thanks for the nice comments Mark!

Salut Jean-Loup,
here's the story about this sexy salty one:


I knew that one since 1991, it was stored in a cellar belonging to a friend family in Cannes since the 50's. The father of my friend gave it to me in 2001, it came without insignias and chinstrap, 3 holes were present on each side.

It story is pretty funny: august 1944, german left the French Riviera on their way to retreat while a group of german had a stop in a isolated villa belonging to a part of the same family, in Cagnes sur Mer (between Cannes and Nice).
There, they left all their uniforms and equipment and then left the villa dressed as civilians (for unknown reasons).

While he was a child, the father (he's 66 now) of my friend had the pleasure to play "war" dressed with real uniforms, caps and helmets,....Unfortunately he and his cousins didn't treat really well those pieces of history and everything seems to have finished in a garbage.

I've visited the villa in 1996, nothing more left.
This pith helmet was saved as one day he brought it back to his own home in Cannes.

As pics show, it's a green canvas, size 56, inside of the leather (still very souple!!!) was stamped with a big 6 and a circular stamp where I can read "Holland",something as JP MOL BREDA. I've found on E-stand matching insignias.

If my would have to sell all my stuff ( ) I would keep this one: comes from friends (which are for me part of my family), I know where it comes from and is really sexy....

Link to the previous thread (page 4/5)

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=175282&page=4

[Jean-Loup]

For those who are not local, Cagnes sur Mer is the city next to Villeneuve Loubet, where I discovered a mass grave of german soldiers a few months ago (click on the link in my signature.)
Thats realy interesting Fred, maybe you can put me in contact with the person one day so I can interview him. One Villeneuve inhabitant told me that several german soldiers wanted to exchange their uniforms for civilian cloths, but he pushed them out of his house, and didnt give them cloths because he thought it would attract trouble. Maybe its these same germans who went on to Cagnes sur Mer, and got rid of their equipments there. They quite obviously wanted to desert, as was happening a lot in southern France.
Anyways, what those germans did was a smart move: it prevented them from getting KIA and buried in the grave at Villeneuve for 60 years.
What part of Cagnes was that house in? Near Villeneuve, or far?


So as not to make my post a complete waste of space in a thread about the Africa Korps, here is a photo of a monument near El Alamein. It marks the most extreme point of advance eastwards of the axis forces on the costal road. The inscription is somehow amusing, and typicaly italian: "We were missing luck, not courage". As is written, Alexandria was only 111 km away.

JL

[Jean-Loup]

And so as not to offend any italian forum members with the above post, here is a photo of the Folgore Division taken at El Alamein. It shows the rare italian paratrooper helmet in wear. You can see a similar helmet in my avatar.
The Folgore Division was a paratrooper unit, that was more or less completely destroyed at El Alamein, while covering the retread of other axis units, including the German paratroopers. Chruchill called them "the lions of the Folgore".

[Fred S]

For those who are not local, Cagnes sur Mer is the city next to Villeneuve Loubet, where I discovered a mass grave of german soldiers a few months ago (click on the link in my signature.)
Thats realy interesting Fred, maybe you can put me in contact with the person one day so I can interview him. One Villeneuve inhabitant told me that several german soldiers wanted to exchange their uniforms for civilian cloths, but he pushed them out of his house, and didnt give them cloths because he thought it would attract trouble. Maybe its these same germans who went on to Cagnes sur Mer, and got rid of their equipments there. They quite obviously wanted to desert, as was happening a lot in southern France.
Anyways, what those germans did was a smart move: it prevented them from getting KIA and buried in the grave at Villeneuve for 60 years.
What part of Cagnes was that house in? Near Villeneuve, or far?


JL

Maybe they were the same soldiers Jean-Loup, but hard to know...But both stories would match easily. According to the map they wouldn't be from Cannes nore Antibes: those would have tried to go to Grasse (Napoleon road) I believe.

If I can remember (we went there by night and had a drunken party...HICCCCC )the villa was close to the small (old) roads who go from Cagnes to Vence, back in 1996, close to Villeneuve, no?. The villa was still alone with a big garden, down a little road (about 2 or 300 metres from the main road), anyway on the way to north.

The helmet wasn't a luft, nore a KM I think (due tro inside colours), so can be only SS (which i doubt...) or heer.
The father just told me that the german left their uniforms and equipments there and went with civil uniforms: hard to tell if they ask the villa's owner or did it on their own.


I'll try to manage an interview (the guy doesn't talk a lot and I don't know if he'll want), otherway, if he doesn't, maybe we can manage a questionnary that I'll send him with pleasure.

[Mark Gibson]

Mathew sent quite a few pics to be displayed. I'll place a couple up now and the rest of the coming days.
First up is a selection of original cufftitles, water bottles and bayonet. The cufftitles are good as Matt also sent a close up shot showing clear characteristics of originals.

Mark

[Mark Gibson]

Mathew also sent pics of some very interesting cutlery with a familiar logo.

[Mark Gibson]

and a close up of the symbol of the Afrikakorps

[Mark Gibson]

The plaque which Mathew sent is very interesting

[Mark Gibson]

...but I have to say that the matchbox doesn't really do it for me. I do believe that it is post war.

[Mark Gibson]

An extensive collection of pith helmet shields very nicely displayed from Mathew, where I shall leave it for this evening.

Mark

[afrikasandman]

The match box is a concern for myself as well. I think the engraving on the front is really well done and could maybe be period, but the engraving on the back makes me very sceptical of it. The plaque is quite unique, i have done no research on the unit that the plaque is made to but think it could be good. The wooden portion is all one solid piece. The person that made it certainly took their time to carve it out so that makes me believe that it probably wasn't faked as the small amount i paid for it wouldn't be worth the carvers time. The swastica is actually bronze or brass by my best guess and is inlaid into the trunk of the tree. The trunk was carefully cut away so that the swastica would fit just precisely. Its a really sweet looking plaque in hand!!
The pith shields are of great interest to me. I collect matched sets and singles and enjoy seeing the difference in the eagles. Each manufactorer is uniquely different, some shields are marked on the back but the majority are not. I am on a quest to own all makers of them and all eagle variances. I don't know how many are out there, but will continue onwards until i can find no more. Hope you guys enjoy them
Cuff titles are of interst to me as well. All three are a little different in construction on the back and as far as i know cover the three variances of the afrikakorps cuff titles. Hope you guys enjoy the little show. Would love to see more dak silverware if anyone has any that they are willing to post. Matt

[Jean-Loup]

The DAK silverwear looks a bit far fetched to me. Is it a general concensus that items like that are wartime?
I like the collection of eagles.
JL

[afrikasandman]

Jean, well i have seen other sets. That by no means makes them good but the wear and overall tarnish and the markings on the backs of the silverware seem to suggest they are good war time items. I believe their is a strong possibility that they are originals. I hope others chime in on them, as i think it would make for a good debate, i stand behind them and firmly believe them to be originals until otherwise proven not to be. There are many strange items that were made in the third reich period that are engraved. From cigarrette cases to watches to metal plaques. Hell you even see SS engraved silverware, though it is rare it was period done. Lets see what others have to say. Also thank you for the kind comments on the eagles, i am sure there are many more eagle variations that i need, so if anyone has some that they would like to part with send me a pm. Matt

[Hille76]

... let´s wake up this nice thread again!
Here´s mine German-Italian contribution.
My favourites are the Trento arm shield and the Ariete commemorative medal for reconquest of the Cirenaica.

[NZMark]

Indeed,
Let's not let a good thing die.
Some belts. (I know these are seen all the time, but I like them!) Except for the officers pattern, all are local pick-ups, while the tan alloy came from a good friend in Australia who found it in a second hand shop, obviously a veteran item.
Regards,
Mark.