Your Collection Displays - Let's see them!

[morrosch]

...it started with an old british canteen for 5€ from a shop in Normandy.

[SARGE]

You know morrosch, that is how these collections start out.  Just like potato chips... you can't eat just one.  

 

A very nice display.

 

[Proud Kraut]

Amazing display, morrosch. Would love to see some close-ups of the showcases.

[morrosch]

Amazing display, morrosch. Would love to see some close-ups of the showcases.

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[morrosch]

Amazing display, morrosch. Would love to see some close-ups of the showcases.

[morrosch]

Amazing display, morrosch. Would love to see some close-ups of the showcases.

Any comments are welcome...

[Proud Kraut]

Wow  what a fantastic collection! Thanks for sharing the close-ups!

[bryang]

The vintage militaria I collect is packed away.  I've got so many different items from WW1 through Vietnam that I'd have no place to even attempt to display.

 

Rather instead, I've adorned my 'man cave' with things special to me from the 28 years I was in uniform.  My father was also career Army, and so I lived my life on and around military installations.  Elementary school in Germany, middle school in Belgium, two different high schools, etc

 

At age 17 my folks signed the waiver to enlist in the Army Reserve.  I was in the 11th grade, and did my basic training at Ft Dix, NJ the summer of 1980, between my junior and senior years in high school.  I joined the 11th Special Forces Group as a support Soldier, and right out of high school trained as a Radio Operator then to Airborne School.  Three years in 11th SF Group, I went Infantry and joined the 5th Pathfinder Platoon, at Ft Meade MD.

 

Three years later, in 1986, I enlisted Active Duty to be an Intelligence Analyst, and went right to 5th Special Forces Group, where I served the next 11 years.  I was in the First Gulf War with 2nd Battalion, 5th SF Group, and went into Kuwait with the Egyptian 9th Commando Regiment during the ground invasion.  I was awarded the Egyptian Commando Badge by the Egyptian Army afterwards.

 

I deployed three times to Somalia - twice with 2/5th SF Group and once with Special Operations Command - Central (SOCCENT) - as well as training missions to Zaire, Kenya, Egypt, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, among other places.

 

I served in Korea, as an advisor to the Republic of Korea VII Corps for a year, then to U.S. I Corps G2.  Trips to England, Thailand and Japan, followed by assignment to the 101st Airborne Div and USCENTCOM.  After graduating the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy I pulled some strings and returned "home" back to 5th Special Forces Group to conclude my career where I started it.  I made it back to my 2nd Battalion, and pulled two tours to Iraq with the unit.

 

I retired in 2008, and some of the former SF guys I'd known for many years pulled me over into a defense contract company with them, where I worked for 5 years, spending time in eastern Afghanistan.

 

For years my wife had tried to convince me to display some of my military stuff, but I never really wanted to do it.  We lived in relatively small places, and I just didn't feel comfortable with it.  We bought a large home with an office.  While I was in Afghanistan my wife painted the office, put up curtains and furnished it with a nice heavy desk, chair lamps and book shelves.  When I returned home from Afghanistan in 2011 my wife surprised me with the office.  She told me to make it mine.

 

It took some time, but I started to pull a few things out of my storage trunks and closet, and came up with a few ideas on how I wanted to put them up.

 

In the end, I literally covered my walls with items and photos which had special meaning to me.  This is my sanctuary.  We very rarely entertain company.  We have custody of two granddaughters, who like to play on my office floor while I work on the computer.

 

I hung up uniforms I wore in Gulf War, Somalia and Iraq - the helmets aren't the original ones I deployed with, however all the hardware: covers, NVG mounts, goggles, helmet bands, etc are the ones I actually wore at the time.

 

Some of my Iraqi bring-back helmets from the Gulf War and from Iraq, along with some of the other Iraqi items I brought home.  Special photographs of friends I served with. Some of my awards (Airborne, Pathfinder, Jumpmaster and Sniper school certificates.  My medals, as well as other assorted odds and ends.

 

I started with the helmet my father brought me when he returned from Vietnam.  I mounted it alongside one of my Iraqi helmets, and framed items from his time in Vietnam alongside similar items from my deployments.

 

[Proud Kraut]

I really enjoyed reading your intro and regarding your "man cave" (which is in fact a personal military museum IMHO"), AMAZING! Thank you very much for your outstanding contribution to this topic!

[Hermann]

Could you post a picture of your medals please.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

Herman 

[Vortex13]

 I would like to say that there are some fantastic collections shown here. Well done. 

I don`t have my collection on display, but plan to do a couple of small group displays. 

Here is a photo of most of my collection, I add to it often. As time permits I will do individual posts of items in their perspective forum. 

Thanks for looking.

 

 

[gunnertwo]

Newbie here, thought I'd start with the collection displays. Have always liked military arms of the world. Here are some pics of the "man cave".

 

G2

 

 

[warguy]

Holy smokes, you have a nice collection and beautifully displayed. Thanks for sharing! Kevin

[gunnertwo]

Here's a couple more, my English rifle collection and modern Sharps. My Quigley guns. Love that movie!

 

G2

 

 

[warguy]

Very nice!

[RRA227]

Great stuff guys!

Old pics of my Italian display cases and drawers.  Rich A. in Pa.

[kilgarvan]

I love all the ideas on how to display my collection, thanks.

[Custermen]

Some great collections.   I would love to visit all of these man caves because you just don't find this stuff in musuems..

 

I have been downsizing since retirement.  I'm still looking to sale some items and books.  

My friends tell me don't "advertise" what I have in my home because there are some bad dudes out there.  And I sleep too sound.

 

I have been collecting British Cap badges for years.  Now I'm trying to determine which ones are "restrikes" and selling part of my collection.  

 

This photo was taken during my last move when I took them down from my wall display.  I kinda like this photo.

 

I also have a collection of WW2 maps of Italy.  These are original maps and some are printed by British and Polish engineer units and some are marked-up with units and such.  I have a few Intelligence Maps that indicate the location of enemy gun positions, mines, bunkers etc.   In addition, I have several digital copies of maps; some are downloaded from available databases.

I don't have a way to show this collection so I will post images from a few of them.

 

Typical field map in perfect condition showing Monte Grande where the 5th Army halted their advance in Nov 1944.  

These grid lines are important if you want to plot positions reported in US Army Morning Reports or Missing Aircrew Reports.

 

Intelligence Map of area South-East of Bologna.  This is the area the 34th Infantry Division and the Canadians pushed through.  

The Mortar positions labeled NEB are gun pits for the Nebelwerfer rocket launcher.  

 

Intelligence Map again of the area of Monte Grande. 
A member of the Heavy Weapons Company M, 337th Infantry Regiment, 85 Division, drew lines to possible German targets.

 

Aerial Photo Map with grid lines and labels of towns added.  Other areas of this map shows destroyed bridges.  

 

Printed by US Army in 1944.

[BrianD]

On 12/14/2019 at 11:04 AM, Eric Queen said:

4

Eric, that Heer decaled FJ helmet is just over the top!  Talk about a rare "bird" (literally).  Remember when you showed that somewhere else (either the WAF or USMF?) and was stunned then as I am again now.  Just wow..........

[Custermen]

7 hours ago, BrianD said:

Heer decaled FJ helmet is just over the top!  Talk about a rare "bird" (literally). 

May I ask;  Why would there be a Heer decal on a paratrooper helmet?  Who would wear it?  

[Custermen]

My WW2 maps of Italy has come in handy in research.  Here are two books that acknowledged my assistance in providing maps and location of places.

One is a Journal of a soldier who served in the 34th Infantry Division.  

The second one follows the story of a B-25 crew member who was shot down and hidden by the Italians.

 

The first time I helped someone was when a man from Switzerland requested a map of a town on the Swiss border that was accidentally bombed by US Bombers.  They mission was scrubbed due to weather so they dropped on their 2nd target but hit a monastery instead.  The man was helping his son do a research paper and later he sent me a DVD of his research including mark-up of the bombers flight paths on the map I provided.  

 

Another contact was the nephew of a crew member of the "Black Nan".  This is one of the most famous aviation photos of WW2.  However, in every history book, they are wrong about the Date, the Bomb Group or the Location.  Using the names of the towns in the Missing Air Crew Report, I was able to find the "town" which was actually a villa or a ranch compound.  

 

Radio Call Sign "Black Nan' A/C s/n 44-49710

779th Bomb Sqdn, 464th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force

10 April 1945   Time:  1209

Mission:  Bomb enemy troop concentrations to clear the way for the 5th Army's advance.

  The Black Nan (note a/c squadron marking) is inverted after receiving a direct hit on #1 engine.

This aircraft was equipped with a weather radar mounted in the belly.  Since it was a clear day, 
the radar operator was standing in the bomb bay: he was the only crew to escape the crash 
due to the low level it was flying when hit by enemy AA.  

 

Crash Location using US Army Road Map Sheet No. 11 in 1:200,000 scale.

My other maps can plot the grid location in much greater detail.

 

 

 

[RAB]

[Custermen]

@RAB

I'm trying to make out the details of your black berets.  I guess all of this came from Iraq?   You have several bayonets.  I hear that the Russian bayonets are hard to find or at least getting more expensive.  I have one and wondered how to date it as there is no markings except on the scabbard.  I never thought that a good source of Russian-made bayonets would be Iraq but they probably left quite a few there.  

[RAB]

2 hours ago, Custermen said:

@RAB

I'm trying to make out the details of your black berets.  I guess all of this came from Iraq?   You have several bayonets.  I hear that the Russian bayonets are hard to find or at least getting more expensive.  I have one and wondered how to date it as there is no markings except on the scabbard.  I never thought that a good source of Russian-made bayonets would be Iraq but they probably left quite a few there.  

All the black berets are Iraqi ones, as with all the items in the photo, bayonets are most likley all gulf war bring backs too, top one is iraqi made, bottom shelf one Romanian with yellow arabic painted on, three on the wall are L to R: Russian made DS bring back I got from vet, East German one with arabic writing and a polish made one with arabic that came with a large lot of DS iraqi stuff.

-Ryan

[Custermen]

9 hours ago, RAB said:

three on the wall are L to R: Russian made DS bring back I got from vet, East German one with arabic writing and a polish made one with arabic that came with a large lot of DS iraqi stuff.

I can't see the Polish one. 

Are these marked to know the county of manufacture?  Or is it the color and that shape of the scabbard?  

 

I bought this in 1991 after the fall of the Iron Curtain.