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Waffen post card. Pretty famous picture. Real or Fake - reprint?

Here are a stack of, what look to be voting slips. I HIGHLY doubt the are legit. But it never hurts to ask. 5 3/4 inches tall x 8 inches wide. Paper yellowed with age.

Thanks for that!!

Thanks!

Here's another version currently listed on "The Bay": https://www.ebay.com/itm/392188338410 Here are a few more available examples, pre-WW2, WW2 era and post-war: https://picclick.com/Vintage-WW2-Souvenir-Solomon-Islands-Tribal-Wooden-War-153849478720.html

Any opinions?

Preppy Picker- I think the detailed Japanese mannequins are pretty nice as well. On the other hand, some folks have said that they are so life-like, that they sometimes give them the creeps! In any case, I bought mine from Yanks Mannequins. See enclosed link: https://yanksmannequins.com/small-male-mannequins/23-military-mannequin-japanese-asian-nva-vietcong-vietnam-mdj01-0053176075112.html?yoReviewsPage=4

Original material for all this; Italian Parachute Captain. From Peter Darmans' old book, 'Uniforms of WWII'.

Thanks Tony!

James Great looking badge ! Tony

Hello, I just wanted to share my latest pick up, a LW ball hinge Flak badge. I've always loved the look of these, especially with the base metal popping out of the original black finish. Thanks! James

Interesting details Patches, many thanks for adding them!

The White Ribbon - A German Children's Story (Das weiße Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte) is an outstanding and multiple award winning film by Austrian director Michael Haneke. Set in the year prior to and leading up to the First World War, the film examines life in rural Northern Germany and the conditions that helped make the populace more radicalized. Especially the children that, after the ending of this film, some of whom in the future would had gone on to embrace extremes like National Socialism. In this sense it is quite a powerful story. Director Michael Haneke remarked that, "Ideology is an absolute idea. Wherever there is oppression, humiliation, unhappiness and suffering, the ground is prepared for every kind of ideology. That's why 'The White Ribbon' is not to be understood as a film about German fascism. It is about a social climate that makes radicalism possible. That's the basic idea.” He also added, "The real issue is, at least that was my intention, to show how people under pressure become susceptible to ideology, that is, how they even create an ideology for themselves; how they absolutize an idea and then, with the help of this absolutized idea, punish those who preached the idea to them but live differently than the idea demands.”[1] This modern film is in black & white, which adds a eerie sense of foreboding to the story. All of the actors are superbly cast, and the historical references and costumes are accurate to the period depicted. Available on DVD & Blu-ray (for example: https://www.amazon.com/White-Ribbon-Ulrich-Tukur/dp/B003OAL58E/), the film can also be viewed streaming here (in German language with English subtitles): https://archive.org/details/AFitaBrancaPrt.1/A+Fita+Branca+prt.1.avi. Very highly recommended. [1] https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_weiße_Band_–_Eine_deutsche_Kindergeschichte

During training in Belgium troops would have been around 17 years old and 18 when they saw action in Normandy. Other SS men, the Cadre were of the youngest possible men transferred from the other Reichsdeutsche SS Divisions, your officers and NCOs, your 19 your 20 your 23 etc year olds. Even senior ranking officers, as witnessed by guys like the division commander himself Fritz Witt a general a SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS at the age of 36, Wünsche too, a SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) at age 29, 29 going on 30. Kurt Meyer, age 33 among others. Do believe replacements however did see some 17 year olds coming from Germany after basic and arm training to the front in France, and we gather after the remnants escaped from Falaise, and what little in the way of replacements received in a constant state of tying to rebuild and recommitted to the front line during September. most definitely for the remainder of the war, like when it was finally rebuilt to a great degree before the Ardennes Offensive.

The Young Lions is an excellent film. Some of the concentration camp (KL) scenes involving Marlon Brando (as Captain Diestl toward the end of the picture) were filmed at an actual preserved KL, that being the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains. Some information about the place: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natzweiler-Struthof_concentration_camp

That kid is young enough to look like he is still in the HJ and not the Waffen-SS HJ Division (but he obviously is in the SS and a private). I think the Waffen-SS took them in at 17 years old. Wonder if he survived the war... also looks like maybe Max Wünsche partially visible in the background?

I can definitely sympathize with you on that. I have friends that invested in weapons many years back and held onto them (class 3 firearms in the US such as an MP-40, a StG-44 and others) that are so insanely priced nowadays that I highly doubt I will ever own one. Oh well... what is that saying about owning a boat? That it is better to have a friend with a boat than to own one yourself? Or something like that. Maybe the same can be said for hideously expensive weapons. And did you see mention in the article I linked to, about certain dealers "making up No. 5 carbines by cutting down No. 4 rifles from the post Korean War era until as late as the early 2000s"? As those circulate and are resold on occasion, new owners may be unaware they really have a messed with piece. This was something I was unaware of until reading that article. So buyer beware. The article also mentions that "for the civilian today, the simple fact the gun may not have its original magazine (magazines were yanked for importation in 2014) and may balk at running properly is a concern." I still want one of these carbines but probably just for display and not as a shooter (although it would be great if it actually operated). Good luck to you.

In use as a Bundeswehr backpack until the late 1970´s/ early 1980´s. These Rucksacks are very common. They were worn on the back with standard shoulder Y-straps, I think your set is arranged the wrong way up.

just a thought, but you might consider a Russian Moisin-Nagant 91-30 with PU scope. They were an allied nation (then) and prices may be more attainable than other scoped WWII rifles.

Italian Camo cap, HJ Normandie.

Spotted this one, a German Soldier who is clearly wearing a captured British Khaki Tunic, not sure on how he came to wear it, could be an issued captured one, that maybe was dyed and given German buttons. He is escorting a RFC Pilot forced down in German territory, pilot looks uninjured but badly shaken and stunned.

This first video got deleted, so lets do it again, this one a extended version AI into her old age.

thats unfortunate, I have been looking for an allied scoped ww2 gun that doesn't cost an insane amount (like the 1903A4 or the no4.mk1 T)

Maybe a training grenade?

I am not an expert on these, but from what I understand they will not accept a scope without modification. In other words, they were not originally designed to have a scope on them, but scopes have been added (by others, examples can be found online) after the model was dropped from service. Accuracy was also a problem and one of the reasons production was ended. Some additional information is here: https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/enfield-no-5-mk-1-rifle-history/392546 I plan on getting one of these carbines someday and am eager to learn more about them. So if anyone has more details to share, please do so.