unknown GAB

[aktinium]

Hy,

have tried to find my new GAB in Franks book, but without a result.

Has somebody an idea?

thanks for your help.

Stefan

[aktinium]

<img src="http://mitglied.lycos.de/wuffel24/GAB%2001.jpg"><p>
<img src="http://mitglied.lycos.de/wuffel24/GAB%2002.jpg">

[Philippe DB]

Hi Stefan,

IMO a Mayer that was heavy polished and received a replacement set-up.

KR
Philippe

[aktinium]

Philippe,

what do you mean with replacement set-up?

Do you think the needle and catch is not original?

Stefan

Hi Stefan,

IMO a Mayer that was heavy polished and received a replacement set-up.

KR
Philippe

[upbeek]

11

1,what is this in the pic
regards chay

[upbeek]

1

sorry

[Philippe DB]

1,what is this in the pic
regards chay

Solder spill.

@Stefan. Well that was my first thought based upon the extensive solder spill in the catch area. However who knowns maybe it's a variant. Apart from the classic set-up on BH Mayer/F&R design PAB's IAB and GAB's some variation is possible but this also makes it very difficult because of the fact that the type of set-up and die variation almost excludes that only the above makers were involved.

Your GAB can be found with the classic set-up but also with the set-up encountered on the L/18 pin marked heer combat badges. But that set-up is different from your badge.

I'll see if I can poist some pics this evening.

KR
Philippe

[Philippe DB]

Ok Stefan here you go,

What you posted is Franks type 1.21.1, the only type of Mayer GAB ever encountered with an L/18 mm on the pin, and as far as i'm aware of always encountered without the cut-outs under the swas.

This is the set-up you would expect to see on these badges

[Philippe DB]

same set-up on a "Mayer" PAB. I only know of ONE L/18 marked PAB with this type of set-up

[Philippe DB]

and then ofcourse we know this "Werstein" set-ups on the "Mayer/F&R" design PAB's

[Philippe DB]

While posting this it all of a sudden dawned on me that the hinge on your GAB most likely is a customised "Wernstein" hinge, so not a replacement. Same goes for the catch, a customised catch of the type the PAB's in the above post feature. These guys for sure had time to trim little pieces of metal in to shape.

To make it all a litte more complicated this "Wernstein hinge" was also used on the IAB, by some bleived to be a F&R badge, which IMO makes no sense at all and your fist badge underlines this.

He who can solve the puzzle please step forward

KR
Philippe

[greg.hays]

Any chance you could post the obverse of that IAB Phillipe? Is the design the "straight left talon " type with the round oakleaf?


By the way very nice call on that custom hinge.........looks like a very possible explination.

[Philippe DB]

Here you go Greg

On the hardware I'm confident that it's modified "Wernstein" stuff.

These set-ups are very rare on PAB's and for some reason were only used for a very short period of time. Seems like they could apply it without a problem to the IAB and PAB but had to be inventive to get the GAB's out. For sure there are more of these GAB's out there. Taken in to account that this is the most common of the early GAB's its odd that we never before seen this.

KR
Philippe

[greg.hays]

Thanks Philippe, that was the obverse design for that IAB that I thought it would be. It seems, from the pics I have collected so far, that hinge is used with the straight talon design but not with the bent talon design which is nearly identical. Possibly a clue in the BH/F&R dilemma?

As to the hinge, very good points and good eye catching that. I also wonder why that type of custom hinge isn't seen more. Maybe not cost effective so they opted for a more expiditious set-up for the GAB? Either way it is a really interesting GAB.

[Bill in VA]

GAB...a little confusion here

Bear with me, I'm certainly not an RKI with GABs (or any other Third Reich badges, for that matter) but I've always been under the impression that the only GAB that did not have the cut-outs between the swastika and bayonet blade/grenade handle were the Frank and Reif GABs, and that those were solid, not hollow-back GABs. Am I mistaken?