Early wool eagle on Grünmeliert green step-in smock

[JAMES.M]

Hi John,
I'll see about some photos, although I wouldn't be able to post them. Willi had posted pictures of the helmet some time ago, but the photos at that time weren't the greatest as they were the ones sent to me from the fellow I bought it from. The helmet was aquired in Tunisia by a Brit during the war. I know of it's history from that point, but just wish I could have gotten something in writing from the vet as where and when exactly it was picked up!
Cheers,
James

[Willi Z.]

James, glad you got that smock from Bill. There was some discussion to restore that eagle, but we thought it was best to leave it as is. I even offered to complete the cut to get the eagle.....Bill said I could buy the eagle for $3500.....lol.

No story on that eagle Walter. I have found eagles all over the world, but with no interesting stories. Mark Bando does have a few nice eagles sewn to smock pieces that were brought back by 101st members at Normandy. I think there is a photo of some in one of his books, or he might have sent me some photos.

Here is another wool eagle on a peice of splinter. There appears to be blood on the left wing. Note how crudely the cloth was cut from the smock...it has that bayonet look!

James, I remember that helmet. Maybe I have some photos somewhere.

Willi

[WalterB]

Very, very nice Willi. How rare is it to run into things like these?

[Willi Z.]

They are not common Walter.....tough to find, high demand. Lots of competition between Steve, John and I....

[SMP]

Hey Willi,
Have you changed your thinking regarding blue-wool eagles? I know you sometimes find them on early splinters (and splinter on olives), but how common are they on green and tan/water smocks ? Some blue eagles on bits of t/w materials may be from LW field jackets. Also, why don't you cut that blue eagle off the gruenmeliert and see if it's camo'ed on the other side

I'll have to send you some of my eagles to post sometime.

Regards

Steve

[Willi Z.]

Hi Steve,

Well, I have seen one green step-in with a wool eagle......and then my cut eagle. I have never seen a wool eagle on a splinter step-in. Have seen several 3rd model splinter smocks with wool eagles. I have never seen a wool eagle on a water patern 3rd model smock. I have never seen a wool eagle on a water pattern ground division smock either. But, most of the eagles I have seen on splinter ground division smocks have been wool. About a 2 to 1 ratio of wool to green HBT on those.

John, what do you think?

Willi

[John Hodgin]

Here is one of Steve's fine eagles. A wool one from an HBT field division jacket.

Willi, I've never seen a step in with a wool breast eagle. IME, step in smocks are so scarce it's hard to have seen enough for an accurate judgment. How many step ins do you have in you data bank? Would like to see a photo of the step in with a wool eagle that you have seen. Like you, most of the splinter field division jackets I've seen had wool eagles, as Steve's example here. And, just as your experience, I never saw a wool eagle on a tan/water field division jacket. That is, the three tan/water field division jackets I've seen in my entire life
Best,
John

[John Hodgin]

Here is the reverse of Steve's eagle. Thanks a lot for sharing this with us Steve!

[RCE]

Thanks for showing, great looking at fine examples of cut out been there eagles, love the one Willi posted