Tim De Craene Collection

[Tim DC]

I thought I'd share some recent images from my three year old militaria collection. What attracts me most are items which tell a story, and in which you can feel the history. I guess that is why I am focussing on photos and paper items. However, there is a part of equipment, uniforms etc as well. Though mainly German, there are some Belgian and American items as well related to the war in my home country Belgium. I hope you enjoy.

[Tim DC]

I'll start with my humble Wehrpass collection. Nothing extraordinary about the 7 Werhpasses and 1 Soldbuch, but these eight men all followed the same route during the may 1940 campaign in Belgium. The route can be seen on the map. All survived the Western campaign, but three out of eight were killed later on the Eastern Front. Two others earned the EK1 in the East. All were united on one point, but their faith would be very differing. Makes you wonder..

[Tim DC]

This display is devoted to the Belgian victims of both German and allied bombardments.

1. German 'Blindg******228;nger'
2. A recovered silver pocket watch
3. This plastic id-tag was worn by a 3 year old girl, so she could be identified when she got lost or killed ...
4. A German V2 hit a cinema in Li******232;ge, 1945
5. Shell fragment
6. A mother and her two teenage girls, killed during an allied airraid in july 1944
7. This document had to be filled in when a bombardment victim was recovered

[Tim DC]

One of my sideprojects: Third Reich family portraits.

1. A proud father with his 3 decorated sons serving in the Heer.
2. An SA-Sturmfuhrer from Munchen with his wife and twin kids.
3. A Wasserschutzpolizei officer with his wife and daughter
4. Decorated officer with Krimshield
5. Neat portrait of a mother with her Mutterkreuz and three sons: a Luftwaffe NCO, a decorated Heer officer, and an Army priest !
6. The oldest son of this family was in the Grossdeutschland Division, wearing a Feldgrau wrapper with GD cufftitle.

[Tim DC]

Some material related to the Belgian resistance. Some go with a long story but I'll try to limit the information cause this is way off most people's collecting field.

1. Joris De Baets was killed during the German retreat. He was armed and running through the street heading for a hidden airman, when some of the retreating Germans stopped him. He was killed with his own gun.
2. Former Belgian Army member Andr******233; De Schoenmacker was killed while trying to round up a collaborator during the liberation. The son of the collaborator shot him in the chest, and only gave himself up when the resistance asked a Sherman crew to have a go at his house...
3. Gaston Roelandts was executed for spionage activities. The matchbox was made postwar to fund the memorials at the place he and dozens of others were executed.
4. Two brothers, both died in Neuengamme.
5. Resistance membership card. Victor D'Haese is the only one from this display who survived.
6. Collective death card for 4 more resistance members.

[Tim DC]

I'm not very much into awards and insignia, but you know how it goes ... you pick up a small piece now and then.

[Mike TM]

Nice collection, well documented
Mike

[Tim DC]

My German 1940 combat soldier, still legless in this photo but I found the trousers.. Also found the chinstraps and shoulderboards, but still looking for a few equipment items to finish this project.

[Tim DC]

Thanks Mike! Nothing near your collection, I see, but we keep working on it

Closeup of the helmet: it's an Austrian M17 reissue with nice apple green paint. More photos can be found here

[IanC]

Tim, as some who is interested in the early part of the war that is a fantastic collection you have.

Your Wehrpass collection is superb and nicely photographed too! Also your combat solider is looking great, what field gear pieces are you looking for?

Thanks again for sharing.

Cheers

Ian

[ADOLPH]

Hi Tim,

Nice stuff. I really like how you have everything by subjects specially your project of Third Reich family portraits.
Take your time to complete the combat soldier. The same happends to me.

Regards,
Adolph.

[Tim DC]

Ian and Adolph, thank you very much for your kind comments. I am still looking for EM combat boots, as well as some less hard to find combat belt and folding shovel.

Here's one more item. I found no better way to show it than to stick it in my garden, but boy, if this piece of metal could speak ... It's a Strandversperrung I recovered myself from a vegetable garden in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Omaha beach sector in Normandy, only 300 metres from the shoreline.

[Jonathan M]

I like your approach to the hobby Tim, thanks for sharing your collection with us

Jonathan

[PZIV]

Yes Tim you seem to be obviously more interested in history than value of anything.

I'm glad to have you as a fellow collector!

[Tim DC]

Thanks for the nice comments Mansal and Jonathan

Here's one more display which tells a moving story from the May 1940 campaign in Belgium. The five death cards, one death notice letter, one Livret Matriculaire (the Belgian equivalent of Wehrpass), and one grouping of posthumous awards result in a sad display of eight young lives wasted on the same day. They all died within a few miles of each other on the 23rd of May 1940 at the boards of the Gent-Terneuzen canal, which can be seen on the photo in the centre of the display.