Early ZB and THW items

[Gordon Craig]

A side view of this cap.

[Gordon Craig]

A nice Alkero makers mark inside.

[Gordon Craig]

Now an early THW schiffchen.

[Gordon Craig]

A side view.

[Gordon Craig]

The label in this cap.

[Gordon Craig]

A different label from a cap identical to the one above.

[Gordon Craig]

Another THW cap but the fake fold down sides are different dimentions to the cap above.

[Gordon Craig]

A side view of this cap. The THW triangle is a different colour than the other two I posted above. I wonder if the THW wore traingles on their hats to match the colour of their particular job/pipping on the collar tabs?

[Gordon Craig]

A different label again from this latest cap.

[Gordon Craig]

Now, on to buckles. The first one is a rather large THW steel box buckle painted silver.

[Gordon Craig]

The reverse side of this buckle. It was obviously meant to be rivetted to a belt. Probably the web one since it closes on the belt with a pressure device. The NATO stock number are visible as is the makers mark. An H with a crown on top of it.

[Gordon Craig]

Next up is a smaller brass buckle with a silver metal THW in the centre. This is a very impressive looking buckle.

[Gordon Craig]

The reverse of this buckle. Looks as though it would be worn on a leather belt.

[Collectinsteve]

Classy buckle, Gordon. I suppose that was used for "parade dress" and the aluminum one for field use? Unfortunately my THW belt buckle is identical to the BW issue, but in aluminum. Rather boring.

As for RAKA... I got curious and did some checking. They apparently made a bunch of stuff for the BW as early as 1959. I saw at least two collectors with Filzlaus items made on that date by RAKA. So it seems to be fairly diverse things they made. Which now makes me suspicious that RAKA was a German firm making Belgian items as part of war reparations (a German firm made Belgian shelter halves for sure). Interesting, as I think most camo collectors assumed RAKA to be a Belgian company.

I did a search and the only company I found, "RaKa Flugzeugwerk" in Kassel, was an aircraft manufacturer. And apparently only in the 1920s. So that seems to be something different.

Given the quantity, duration, and diversity of items made for German instituations, I'm going to switch assumptiosn that RAKA is a German firm. Still odd to not find any info on the web. Most often all that turns up is references to Belgian stuff (made in 1956, primarily).

Steve

[hoover]

Here is my "Bergebeil" (recovery tool).
It was carried by all aides of the LS-Bergebereitschaften.

It was modelled after a tool carried in the Britsh Bombers in WW2.


The leather carrier.




You can use it as a pickmattock or a shovel


Or as a saw.

It is quite heavy and was normally carreid in the rucksack.