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BADGES and EMBLEMS of ARABIAN & MIDDLE EASTERN MILITARIES:
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Metal insignia badge of the Arab Legion, for headwear. This relatively heavy metal badge features a representation of the crown of the Hashemite Kingdom flanked by two crossed swords and the Arabic legend "Al Jeish al Arabi" (meaning: "The Arab Army" - popularly known in English as "The Arab Legion"). The reverse is incuse, exhibiting sharp detail. There is no maker mark. The fastening is composed of an original hook on the right and a soldiered replacement hooked piece of metal on the left. A lovely badge with surface wear but excellent detail - and a rich history. It would have been worn on the front of "Keffiyeh' cloth head-dress or on the front of peaked helmets (illustrations are provided).
The Arab Legion was born out of Trans-Jordan Reserve Mobile Force (formed by the British in 1920) in 1923 when it merged together with the Trans-Jordan civil police. Originally led by Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Gerard Peake, the Arab Legion initially comprised around 1,100 men formed into infantry, cavalry, artillery, machine gun and signals units. Together with light British forces the Legion beat back an invasion from the area of what would become Saudi Arabia, in 1924.
Tribal unrest in 1926 led to the creation of a separate force called the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force (TJFF), which drew part of its strength from the Legion, and was tasked with guarding the borders of the territory; the TJFF served both in areas of the Palestine Mandate (it was founded at Sarafand - today's "Tzrifin" IDF base), and included Moslem, Jewish and Circassian soldiers.
The now-weakened Legion, unable to cope with tribal unrest, was bolstered by the subsequent creation of the mobile Desert Patrol in 1931 by Captain John Bagot Glubb. The Patrol took over operations in the desert areas from the TJFF, and the rest of the Legion - police and gendarmerie units - maintained order in urban areas. During that decade Glubb successfully pacified the various tribes, and by 1936 the Legion numbered 1,200 men.
Additional units were added to the Legion in response to the Arab Revolt in Palestine (1936-39) and civil disturbances in Syria - a "Reserve Combat Force" and a "Desert Mechanized Force". Glubb took over command of the Legion from Peake in 1939, and in 1940 the Mechanized Force was enlarged to battalion size and retitled the "Mechanized Regiment" of the Legion. During the War the Legion dispatched units to assist the British: the "1st Infantry Company" of the Legion guarded the Aqir aerodrome in Palestine; the Mechanized Regiment participated in Britain's re-conquest of Iraq (after the 1941 pro-Nazi coup by Rashid Ali) and also in the liberation of Syria from Vichy France, in 1941.
The Mechanized Regiment distinguished itself so well that later in 1941 it was expanded into 3 regiments and turned into a brigade. Although well trained and equipped, circumstances and politics prevented the Legion from being employed more actively in Iraq, Persia, Normandy and Greece - as the British would have wanted. Nevertheless it maintained a guard presence in Palestine, Persia, Egypt, Trans-Jordan and Iraq and by the end of the war the Legion numbered 8,000 men.
With Trans-Jordan's independence in 1946, the British-led Legion became that Hashemite Kingdom's army. In 1948 the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was disbanded with much of its strength joining the Legion, and the Legion distinguished itself as Israel's toughest Arab military adversary during the 1947-49 War of Independence: it successfully held the West Bank, captured the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem (effectively keeping Israel out of East Jerusalem, including the Old City - until 1967), and maintaining control over Latrun - a strategic location on the road to Jerusalem (although Israel circumvented this thorn during the war with a make-shift route called the "Burma Road"); the Legion's presence there however did not prevent Israel from capturing Lydda (Lod) and Ramle - a significant israeli victory.
The Arab Legion existed under Glubb's command until 1956 when he and other British officers were dismissed by the King, and the Legion became the Jordanian Army.
More pictures: front of badge, back of badge, detail of badge back and pin, Arab Legion commander Major Abdullah Tell, wearing the insignia,
Arab Legion soldiers in spiked helmets with insignia
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Item Code: 0010200 Price: SOLD
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Egyptian / United Arab Republic (UAR) Army large metal hat/beret badge. A two-piece construction featuring the eagle and an enamel colored shield in shiney red, white and black with two green 5-point stars on the white band; vertical 2-pronged back. Die-stamped with relief details visible on back; not maker-marked.
The UAR was a union of Syria and Egypt between 1958 and 1961, although Egypt retained use of this symbol until 1971. It may date from the 1967 Six Day War or the 1969-70 War of Attrition, although given it's fine manufacture it may even be from the 1958-61 period.
More pictures: front of badge, back of badge
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Item Code: 0110048 Price: €45
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Egyptian / United Arab Republic (UAR) Army small metal hat insignia badge. A single-piece construction featuring the eagle and an enamel colored shield in dull red, white and black (small chip missing) with two green 5-point stars on the white band. The badge backing is a soldiered vertical metal strip forming two straight prongs. Die-stamped with relief details visible on back; not maker-marked. The badge has a slight curve particularly to the eagle's head leadin me to conclude that it is a hat and not a beret badge. Excellent detail though with light wear overall.
The UAR was a union of Syria and Egypt between 1958 and 1961, although Egypt retained use of this symbol until 1971. It may date from the 1967 Six Day War or the 1969-70 War of Attrition, perhaps also from before.
More pictures: front of badge, back of badge
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Item Code: 0110049 Price: €40
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BADGES and EMBLEMS of FOREIGN ARMIES and WORLD WARS:
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Armshield badge of the Albanian volunteers in the 21st Mountain Division ("Waffen Gebirgs Division") of the Waffen-SS, 'Skanderbeg', 1944. The second division of Muslim volunteers (after the 13th Croatian "Handschar" and before the 23rd Croatian "Kama" Division), Skanderbeg was formed in Kosovo in the summer of 1944 and number 6,500 volunteers by September. Assigned to anti-partisan duties, the unit suffered mass desertions and numbered only 1,300 by October of that year, and was subsequently disbanded.
The German cadre of the division was transferred to the brutal 7th "Prinz Eugen" Mountain Division, also involved in anti-partisan operations. The badge is in excellent, preserved condition with black borders (in the Waffen-SS style) and with black cloth backing (with two dots of glue from where the badge was originally mounted in a book).
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010092 Price: €150
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Belgian "Korea-Battalion" cloth formation arm patch. The Belgian battalion in Korea was formed under the auspicies of the Belgian United Nation Command in 1950 and dispatched to the Korean campaign in January 1951, where it fought until December 1954 and returned to Belgium in June 1955. The battalion numbered about 700 men but received new recruits continually throughout the war. It served initially in the Waegwan area, then along the Han River near Seoul, afterwards along the Imjin River, Haktang-Ni and Chatkol - earning battle honors in many of the engagements.
This patch is the Belgian- (not Korean) made issue from 1951-55. The design is based on the second formation insignia of the wartime 1st Independent Belgian Brigade (1944-45). It is thick, extremely well-manufactured and physically intact though some of the light-blue felt has been picked away in parts of the cross. Scarce.
More pictures: front of patch, back of patch
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Item Code: 0010040 Price: €50
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Bronze field cap badge of the [free] 1st Battalion Belgian Fusiliers in the United Kingdom. This unit was the first "free" Belgian Army unit to be created after the fall of Belgium in May 1940. The unit was raised in Tenby Wales, in October 1940 and later attached to the 36th British Infantry Brigade, from March 1941 until November 1941. When the 1st Battalion became operational in September 1942, it was came under the command of the 49th (West Riding) Division. In January 1943, the 1st Battalion was disbanded and integrated into the newly created 1st Belgian Independent Group.
This bronze badge is one of three 'ramping' Belgian lion emblems worn by the 1st Battalion - in this specific case, worn by officers; the others were in silver (worn by non-commissioned officers) or brass (privates). This emblem was instituted in October 1940 and worn at first on its own, on the left side of a field cap; in December of that year is was worn on top of a Belgian tri-color strip, and then on its own again, from May 1941 until the end of the war.
This badge is in excellent, preserved condition with light wear - and appears used. The reverse is scalloped, with some obverse detail incusions visible. There is one soldiered pronged hook at back and there appears to be signs of where a second - now missing - prong would have been. The badge is not maker-marked. Rare.
More pictures: front of emblem, scalloped reverse of badge
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Item Code: 0010037 Price: €200
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Armshield badge of the Wallonian (Belgian) volunteers of the Waffen-SS. Unlike many other foreign volunteer formations, the Wallonians primarily used this German "Army" styled sleeve patch as opposed to hand-made or Waffen-SS styled patches (with the thick black borders). As such, this badge may have been worn either by the early volunteer unit of the German Army (the 373rd Infantry Batallion, the 'Corps Franc Wallonie' - or, Wallonian Free Corps; later the Wallonian Legion), in 1941-43 or by the subsequent reformation of the unit, in the Waffen-SS: the Wallon SS Assault Brigade (SS Sturmbrigade Wallonie), 1943-44 or the 28th SS Volunteer [Panzer] Grenadier Division 'Wallonie', 1944-45.
Of all the foreign volunteer formations of the German military and Waffen-SS, the Walloon units - the Wallonian Legion - probably received the most coverage and promotion in the German press. The units were staffed largely by volunteers of the Walloon "Rexist" Party, whose leader, Leon Degrelle, became a favored icon amongst the Nazi leadership as a symbol of collaboration and military volunteership.
The armshield is in excellent, preserved condition, stitched to a swatch of uniform, whose fabric is visible on the borders.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010093 Price: €400
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Belgium: armshield badge of Flemish (Belgian) volunteers in the Flemish Volunteer Legion of the Waffen-SS, 1941-43. This is the seldomly encountered thick, woven version of the sleeve shield (with the paper template inside), which characterizes the shields of the early years of the Legion. The Legion initially served on the Leningrad front, in November 1941, and when re-organized in 1943 as the Volunteer Assault Brigade "Langemark", it fought in the Ukraine. In excellent condition.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010091 Price: €400
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Britain - cloth shoulder patch of the 'Desert Rats' - the British 7th Armoured Division, 1940-45. The division was formed in February 1940 in the zone of the Libyan-Egyptian frontier, and fought against the Italians and the Germans (the 'Afrika Korps') in the North-African campaign of 1940-43 - including the battles at Sidi Barrani, Tobruk and El Alamein. Following its capture of Tunis, in 1943, the division was transferred to England where it participated in the Normandy landings in June 1944.
The division fought into Belgium and the Netherlands; in March 1945 it crossed the Rhine into Germany, and ended the war capturing Hamburg and helping to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The division continued to serve in Germany after the war; it was disbanded in January 1948 and reformed again in 1949 to be part of the British Army on the Rhine (BAOR), but was finally disbanded in 1957. A lovely badge from a military unit with so much glory.
More pictures: front of patch, back of patch
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Item Code: 0010127 Price: €35
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British Army on the Rhine (BAOR) cloth formation patch. This is the insignia patch of the British soldiers assigned to the Hamburg and Low Countries region. The patch is in excellent condition but remarkably rudimentary in manufacture: the cross and shield insignia is machine woven on light-brown, lightweight fabric but the stitching at back looks hand-made. The Hannover district of the force was created in 1947; judging by the patch's manufacture, I would date the piece from 1947 to the mid-1950's.
The BAOR was officially created in August 1945 as the British occupation force in Germany; in November 1952 its occupation function ended and the force became merged into NATO's Northern Army Group force. Although a British military presence remains in Germany to this day, the BAOR itself was disbanded in 1994. It numbered 80,000 troops at its height.
More pictures: front of patch, back of patch
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Item Code: 0010038 Price: €20
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British Army on the Rhine (BAOR) cloth formation patch. This is the insignia patch of the British soldiers assigned to the Rhine Army. The Rhine district itself was created in March 1952. The patch is in used and somewhat deteriorating condition. The sword, cross and shield insignia is machine woven on dark-brown, lightweight fabric, but the fabric is rough and brittle: the edges of the patch have some pock-marks and the stitching holding the edges to the back has been removed. Given the rudimentary nature of the patch's manufacture I would date the piece from 1952 to the late-1950's.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010039 Price: €12
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British hat badge of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) of the British Army, 1941-45. The Womens' Auxiliary Territorial Service began in 1938 as an attachment of the Territorial Army, and after 1941 was one of four auxiliary services available for women to join. The duties of ATS servicewomen included manning radar stations and anti-aircraft gun emplacement; driving and vehicle maintenance; and ferrying aircraft from factories to airfields. In Palestine during the war, about 4,000 women served in the ATS and in the Womens' Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). The badge offered is in excellent, preserved condition - in brass - and is not maker-marked.
More pictures: front of emblem, back of emblem
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Item Code: 0010003 Price: SOLD
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Croatia: armshield badge of Croatian volunteers of the Croatian Legion, 1941-45. The Croatian Legion comprised three legions - army, navy and air-force units - raised by the wartime Croatian government and bearing Croatian national insignia, though operating and uniformed by the Germans.
The Croat Army Legion was titled the "Verstartken Kroatischen Infanterie Regiment 369" - the 369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment - engaged in anti-partisan activities in Poltava, took part in the advance against Kharkov, and later fought at Stalingrad, where most of the Legion was lost. It was succeeded by three more divisions of Croatian volunteers, who were assigned to the Russian front and domestic anti-partisan activites.
All the Croatian Legion forces wore a national armshield on their sleeve, and in this case, this is the German-made version, thick and woven, with the paper template visible inside, and bearing "Hrvatska" ('Croatia', in Croatian) - as opposed to "Kroatien", in German, as appears on most armshields of this type. A rare version of the shield, which has become scarcer to come by in recent years. In excellent condition, with light wear on the reverse edges.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch with paper template visible
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Item Code: 0010090 Price: €400
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Hand-made armshield badge of the Danish volunteers of the Danish Free Corps ("Frikorps Danmark") of the Waffen-SS, 1941-43. The Free Corps was raised in June 1941 and fought on the eastern front, notably at Demjansk, and was disbanded in May 1943.
Former members of the Free Corps later served in different military units, including the SS Grenadier Regiment "Danmark" of the 11th Nordland Division (1943-45), as well as in the rough Schalburg Korps security organ. The armshield is in excellent, preserved condition, and appears made out of the pieces of a Nazi armband all stitched onto a swatch of a Waffen-SS uniform sleeve, and represents a rare piece of foreign volunteer militaria from an "Aryan" albeit small contingent.
More pictures: front of armshield,
back of armshield
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Item Code: 0010094 Price: €400
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Armshield of Danish volunteers in the Waffen-SS, circa 1944-45. This is the printed version of the national colors in the Waffen-SS design of 1944, with a thick black border all around. This shield would have been worn by volunteers in the [Danish] 24th Panzer-Grenadier Regiment of the 11th SS Division 'Nordland'. In excellent, preserved condition, though with age-stains. Seldom encountered.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010058 Price: €100
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Finland: armshield badge of Finnish volunteers in German military service, circa 1941-43. This armshield was probably worn by members of the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS ("Finnisches Freiwilligen Bataillon"), formed in June 1941 (and disbanded in June 1943). It may also have been worn by Finnish volunteers serving in the 5th 'Wiking' Division of the Waffen-SS, or in the NSKK or Organisation Todt. This is the printed version of the national emblem, cut from sheets, and the border is visible on this piece. Excellent, preserved condition.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010057 Price: €100
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Armshield of the Hungarian volunteers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, 1944-45. This is the Bevo weave version of the armshield issued to Hungarian volunteers in German military or paramilitary units. This piece is in excellent, preserved condition (see John Angolia et. al., Uniforms and Traditions of the German Army Vol. 2, p.315).
More pictures: front of armshield,
back of armshield
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Item Code: 0010004 Price: €200
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German pith-helmet shield of the [Free] Indian Legion ("Azad Hind" - Free India). The decal sports a diagonally-striped tricolor of orange-white-green (from top left to bottom right). On the reverse side the badge has 3 thick, flat and bent-down 'pins' with slanted, sharpened ends, functioning as the hooks which would have held the badge in place on the helmet.
The reverse side shows the imprint lines shield's borders and of the sections which on the reverse side form the borders of the tricolor pattern. The reverse is also maker-maked "K.W. 41" in raised letters (see close-up in link to pictures). The badge is physically in excellent condition, displaying no physical damage. However most of the color is missing, and to judge by the silver-gold-black discoloration of the surface, it seems to be the result of water damage and erosion.
Though it may be tempting to suggest that this piece is actually Italian, this conclusion would be incorrect because a) the Italian colors are green, white and red, and b) the Italian shield on helmets and armshields of that period are in the order: green-white-red (see Littlejohn, Foreign Legions Vol. 2, pg. 242-243).
The "Free Indian Legion" was founded in 1942 by Subhas Chandra Bose and consisted of Indian volunteers and prisoners of war; in June 1942 it was designated the Indisches Infanterie Regiment 950 / Legion Freies Indien of the German Army. It was initially deployed to the Netherlands and then to northern France in 1943. In August 1944, numbering around 2,300 men, it was transferred to the Waffen-SS and re-titled the "Indische Freiwilligen Legion der Waffen SS". Around the end of March 1945 the Legion was captured by Allied forces.
During the course of its existence the unit was issued with the lightweight tropical German uniform (including all the associated tropical-style insignia on it), and wore a mixture of turbans, steel helmets (some, apparently with a shield-decal of the Indian national colors), and probably therefore also the tropical pith helmet from which comes this insignia. Rare.
More pictures: front of shield,
reverse side of shield
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Item Code: 0010008 Price: €275
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Armshield of the Latvian soldiers serving in the Waffen-SS, circa 1944-45. A nice, preserved piece exhibiting age and possible wear, with neat embroidery lines (in contrast to many of the mint-looking thickly-woven pieces for sale on numerous sites today). This shield would have been worn by members of the 15th ("Latvian 1") or 19th ("Latvian 2") Waffen-SS Divisions.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010060 Price: SOLD
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Norwegian Nation Union party rally badge - Rally Badge for the Nasjonal Samling's rally of 1-2 November 1941 in Oslo. The badge depicts in relief form the party's emblem on top (with the circle's background in red as per the emblem's design) with the date and location in sham-runic script at the bottom, with Akershus Castle, in black, in the background. The badge is shield-shaped with a border, and has a thin pin soldered on at the back. The NS suncross emblem has been stamped in from the back. Excellent condition though shows signs of aging and small chips of (black) paint now missing.
More pictures: front of badge, back of badge
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Item Code: 0010001 Price: SOLD
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Norwegian 'Frontkjemper' (Front Fighters) badge in zinc. This badge was instituted by the Quisling government in October 1943 and issued to all Norwegian volunteers who saw active service on the eastern front, primarily in the ranks of the Norwegian Legion, Police companies, Norwegian Ski Battalion and the Grenadier-Regiment "Norge", all of the Waffen-SS.
The badge was awarded in one 'silver' class, though two versions exist - one for male receipients (this example) and another for females. In the course of the war, zinc surplus, pattern and replacement pieces were manufactured and this piece in zinc appears to be a late-war issue of one of these types.
The badge is not maker-marked (the silver issues are stamped '830S'). Its surface on front and back is smooth, with no rough or unfinished edges, or seam-lines along the edge (i.e. there are no signs of counterfeiting). The reverse of the viking's shield is curved as it should be, and the hinge and safety-hook on the reverse are as they should, although the thin pin on the badge is clearly not the correct type.
The pin may have been a replacement for the original, which would have been a broad and flat 'bar'. The number '132' is lightly scratched on the top-right segment of the frame on the reverse. A very nice piece in excellent condition.
More pictures: front of badge, front view at angle, front overview from angle, back of badge, close-up of pin catch, upper back of pin at angle, side view of rear pin hinge
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Item Code: 0010117 Price: SOLD
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'Kontroll Befal' - Control (police) Service badge of the Norwegian Labor Service ('Arbeids-tjenesten'), or the 'AT'. Similar to the trend in other German-occupied European countries, a national 'Labor Service' was established in September 1940 along the lines of the German State Labor Service (Reichs Arbeits Dienst - RAD) under the auspicies of the collaborating - Quisling - government.
Though an unarmed body, the AT was organized and run along military lines: its members wore Norwegian military-styled uniforms and Finnmark hats, with military-styled insignia and even military campaign ribbons were worn. The AT had guards to protect its camps, and a special police service ('Kontroll Befal') helped keep order in the organization. This is a gilt broach / badge, featuring the AT's emblem in the center; in excellent condition and previously of the Col. Dodkins collection.
More pictures: front of badge, back of badge
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Item Code: 0010118 Price: €335
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Norway - flag shoulder patch of the Free Norwegian Air Force section of the (British) Royal Air Force, 1940-45. The reconstituted [free] air force started as a core of 120 Norwegian airmen who reached Britain after the fall of Norway. In 1940, they were transferred to Canada for training near Toronto, and the first Free Norwegian air squadron (330) became operational - under the Royal Air Force's Coastal Command in April 1941. Later that year, the first Norwegian fighter squadron (331) was formed; the second (332) was formed at the start of 1942.
The Royal Norwegian air services of the army, navy and air force were unified in August 1944, so that by the start of 1945, the Free Norwegian Royal Air Force numbered just over 2500 men and 80 aircraft. This small shoulder patch consists of the Norwegian flag woven onto a swatch of dark-blue tunic fabric. It was was worn on the upper right-hand sleeve of an air force tunic; a shoulder-flash patch bearing "Norway" was then worn on the upper left-hand sleeve. Excellent condition and scarce.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
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Item Code: 0010046 Price: €75
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Norwegian 'Freedom March' pin, 1945. Issued to commemorate the country's liberation in May of that year. The badge has a scaloped back with an iron pin soldered to the rear. Not maker-marked.
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Item Code: 0010131 Price: €50
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Metal badge of the Polish Army's 20th (Krakow) Infantry Regiment, in silver/pewter color and purple enamel. This is a well manufactured piece, of thick curved metal and a screwback; features a diamond-shaped metal representation of Krakow Castle and the mountains behind, on a reverse-swastika shaped field bearing the infantry's designation in metal characters.
The piece is maker-marked on the screw: "Z. Olszewski" of "Piwna 15, Warszawa". In excellent condition with no scratches or enamel damage (even though one of the pictures suggests scuffs to the enamel surface - that was a fingerprint caught by the camera's flash).
More pictures: front of badge, back of badge with screw removed, reverse of badge at angle, side-rear view showing curve and metal thickness
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Item Code: 0010221 Price: €75
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Russia: rare hand-made armshield badge of the ‘Kaminski Brigade’. The Brigade evolved from a small militia established in the region of the Bryansk Forest and the town of Lokot, in Byelorussia, in 1941. Following the tendency of the time, whereby newly occupied regions of the former Soviet Union erupted into zones of violent anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic activity, this militia acted as a local vanguard against Soviet partisans and assisted the occupying Germans by protecting their supply routes and assisting in anti-partisan activities (including, supposedly, in the notorious Einsatzgruppen of the SD). When its leader was killed in 1942, he was succeeded by his deputy, Bronislav Kaminski, a chemical-engineer who had been jailed in Stalin’s Gulags as a bourgeois intellectual.
Kaminski succeeded in turning the Lokot region into a sort of regimented, self-sufficient pro-German fiefdom, providing the Germans both food and armed force against the Soviet partisans. By 1943, his militia numbered around 10,000 men and was equipped by the Germans with some 20 captured Soviet T-34 tanks and field guns.
Around this time, the force became known in the German order of battle as the Kaminski Brigade, although Kaminski himself named it the Russkaya Ovsoboditelnaya Narodnaya Armija (RONA), or the Russian National Liberation Army. RONA engaged in ruthless anti-partisan security operations in the summer of 1943 and earned a reputation of cruelty and ruthlessness.
However, as the Soviets succeeded in pushing the eastern front further westward, toward Germany, RONA-men dependants in the Lokot district began to retreat together with the force into Galicia. In July 1944, RONA was absorbed into the Waffen-SS as an independent unit, SS-Sturmbrigade RONA.
Kaminski was granted a commission as an SS Brigade commander of his own force. The ‘Kaminski Brigade’ - and its leader - reached their zenith just prior to the Warsaw uprising in the summer of 1944. When the uprising broke out, a few detachments of the force engaged the Polish Home Army but exceeded their mandate in numerous acts of rape, murder and pillage.
Kaminski was summarily court-martialled and shot (at the order of HSSPf Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, an 'anti-partisan' SS commander responsible for numerous anti-Jewish actions in Poland, the Baltic and Russia; and the one who proposed the estabishment of Auschwitz) partially because of the excesses of him men and possibly because his men may have raped and killed two German girls as well. The remnants of RONA were dispersed to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) of Andrei Vlasov.
RONA did not have officially manufactured unit insignia, so its men created their own hand-made armshields which bore a black Maltese Cross on a white background, within a border. Armshields with a white border were worn by officers and those with a red border (such as this one) were worn by enlisted personnel.
The armshields were made from a variety of materials, some on a base of German uniform cloth and others on a base from cloth of Soviet uniforms (as is this one). The unit name, RONA (POHA in cyrillic letters), was stitched in a unique chain-stitch pattern on the badges. Very few genuine armshields exist and none are alike. The badge is in excellent, preserved condition and is one of around 10 acquired by Jamie Cross Militaria in the early 1990s from a former British POW camp guard who took them off his prisoners who served in RONA.
More pictures: front of armshield,
back of armshield
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Item Code: 0010119 Price: €600
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Armshield of the Russian Liberation Army, serving alongside the Wehrmacht, circa 1943-45. This is the machine embroidered version of this shield, produced on a denim base and incorporating a thin, thread 'border' edge. The armshield is in excellent, preserved condition with some glue spots and fragments of paper on the reverse.
This emblem was worn by Russian volunteers serving in the Russian Liberation Army ("Ruskaya Osvoditelnaya Armya" - POA in Russian characters) led by former Soviet General Andrey Andreyvich Vlasov. This force included navy and airforce elements and numbered up to 800,000 men at its height.
More pictures: front of armshield,
back of armshield
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Item Code: 0010059 Price: €125
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MEDALS & DECORATIONS OF ARAB and MIDDLE EASTERN ARMIES:
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Egypt: Palestine Medal ("Medalyet Falasteen"), ND circa. 1949-1950; manufactured by Tawfiq Bichay; weight: 28.05g.
Obverse: modern styled seven-sided (heptagonal) medal depicting left facing profile of King Farouk between the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Egyptian Parliament building, with legend "Medalyet Falasteen" (Palestine Medal).
On reverse, image of 3 standing soldiers (one of them an airman) above fleeing [Palestinian] civilians, with burning town in background, with Christian and Arabic dates "1948-1347". Standard green-red-yellow ribbon missing.
The date of this medal's institution is unknown, though it exists in two forms: one from before King Farouk's overthrow in 1952, and another (with plain side, lacking Farouk's portrait) issued after. The medal was issued for service in the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli War, and most probably issued just after its cessation.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
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Item Code: 0130075 Price: €35
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Egypt: Palestine Medal ("Medalyet Falasteen"), ND circa. post 1952 issue; manufactured by Tawfiq Bichay; weight: 27.55g.
Seven-sided (heptagonal) medal based on the original pre-1953 design of 3 standing soldiers above fleeing [Palestinian] civilians, with burning town in background, with dates "1948-1347", but lacking on the other side the portrait of the now deposed King Farouk (June 1952). With green-red-yellow ribbon.
The date of this medal's institution is unknown, but was issued for service in the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli War and appears to have been issued for many years thereafter: Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who did not serve in this war is nevertheless a recipient of this medal.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
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Item Code: 0130098 Price: €35
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Iraq: Medal for the Palestine War ("Nut Herb Filistin") of 1948-49, (1959); struck in white metal, with colored enamel detailing; weight: 28.4g.
On obverse, map of Palestine (in black) with image of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and an Iraqi soldier advancing, sumounted by 8-pointed star with flames; the legend on the lower left says "Aaidoon" ("We will return"). On reverse, Arabic legend "Al-Jamhuriya al-Iraqiya" ("The Iraqi Republic"), above a blank scroll below. The medal is connected to a round tallion which holds a black-green-red ribbon.
The medal was instituted in 1959, and commemorates Iraq's participation in the first Arab-Israeli War - the Israeli War of Independence, which began in 1947 but turned into an international conflict the day Israel declared independence (14 May 1948).
Iraqi forces, consisting of two infantry brigades and an armored brigade, fought in the area of Tulkarem and Netanya between May-June 1948, attempting to drive a wedge at the narrowest 'waistline' of Israel, in order to split the country into two. The force was about 6 kilometers from the Mediterranean before being held back and fended off.
It was in this battle where Israeli forces could have mounted an attack to capture Jenin and Nablus, to widen Israel's corridor, but poor preparation and command missed the opportunity, and even Tulkarem on the foothills of Samaria could not be captured from the Iraqi forces. In EF-UNC.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal, closeup of obverse, closeup of reverse
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Item Code: 0130099 Price: €35
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Jordan: Trans-Jordan Long and Faithful Service Medal ("Midalat al-Taqdir lil Khidmat al-Makhlis"), ND (1948); struck in bronze; weight: 27g; size: 38mm.
Obverse depicts left facing bust of as-Sayyid Abdullah bin al-Hussein (1882-1951), the Emir (and future King) of Trans-Jordan, with Arabic inscription below, "Sharat Taqdir Al-Khidma al-Mukhlisa" ("Medal in Appreciation of Loyal Service").
On reverse, the royal crown with Arabic inscription "Abdullah Ibn Al-Hussein", surrounded by two olive leaf branches. Though missing the ribbon, the medal retains the claw, ball and suspension device.
Although the medal is not dated to its period of issue, it was instituted in 1948 to recognise long service and good conduct (without court martial) in the uniformed services - 20 years for officers or 15 for non-commissioned officers. The date which does appear on the medal "١٣٣٩" (1339AH, or 1921) refers to the date in which Transjordan was founded. The portrait of Al-Hussein dates from that period, when he was Emir of Transjordan. In VF.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
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Item Code: 0130072 Price: €50
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Jordan: Medal for the Battle of Karameh ("Midalat al-Ma'araqa al-Karama"), 1968; struck in gilded bronze and detailed with colored enamel; weight: 37.85g.
Obverse depicts three green colored soldiers in an anti-aircraft battery, with white missile overhead and Arab date "1968" below; on reverse legend in Arabic. This is a 3-piece medal consisting of the round medal itself, olive(?) leaves above, and soldiered loop holding the yellow-green-light blue ribbon.
This medal was instituted by King Hussein in 1969 and commemorates the defense of the village of Karama by Jordanian forces against an Israeli incursion on 21 March 1968, during the 1967-70 War of Attrition.
In this period, guerilla forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) operated out of Jordan against Israel; in March 1968 they attacked a school bus, which in turn led to an Israeli operation ("Operation Explosion" - Tofet) against the PLO base at Karameh, across the Jordan River. Israeli infantry, armoured and paratroop forces participated in the operation, and although Jordanian forces did not always participate in PLO operations, in this instance the Jordanian Army fought against the Israeli incursion.
In the end, the IDF took control of the village and cleared out the PLO forces, though they withdrew under Jordanian fire by that same evening. The battle at Karameh inflicted relatively heavy losses to both armies and the PLO, and exposed tactial errors among the IDF command. Ironically, the growing presence of the PLO in the late 1960's culminated in an assassination attempt by the organization on King Hussein, in 1970, which led him to quash its presence in Jordan in September of that year (an event known by the Palestinians as "Black September"). In EF-UNC.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal, close up of obverse, detail of joints, obverse, detail of joints, reverse
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Item Code: 0130101 Price: €70
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Jordan: Silver Jubilee Medal ("Midalat al-Iwabil al-Fazi"), 1977; struck in silvered bronze; weight: 34.05g.
Obverse depicts King Hussein in Keffiyeh; on reverse, crossed swords motif with dates "1952-1977" (written right to left, as in Arabic).
The medal was instituted by King Hussein in 1977 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne. This medal was also awarded for personal and meritorious services to the King and so given a certain prominence above other commemorative medals. In F-VF.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
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Item Code: 0130088 Price: €35
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Syria: Order of the Palestine Campaign ("Palestine Medal"), 1948; struck in bronze with green enamel; weight: 22g.
A single piece medal depicting "greater Palestine" across both side of the Jordan River (though the contours are poorly shaped) and key cities dotted on the image (Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tulkarem and Gaza), with icons of a Christian Church and an Islamic Crescent Moon above; legend says "1948" and "Palestine"; surrounded by green olive(?) leaves.
This medal was instituted in 1951 and issued in one class for service in the conflict, but does exist in two versions: this version has a tallion loop with a red-white-red ribbon; the other version has a two-pronged pin on reverse and a red-black-red ribbon. Some accounts say this medal was also issued posthumously, and it is possible that the type with the black striped ribbon was issued for that purpose.
In the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli War, Syrian forces initially fought in the southern tip of the Sea of Galillee and later further north around the area of the Golan heights. In EF-UNC.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
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Item Code: 0130100 Price: €50
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MEDALS & DECORATIONS OF FOREIGN ARMIES and WORLD WARS:
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Belgian Croix de Guerre (War Cross) 1914-1918, for the First World War, with monogramed bronze palm/laurel leaf for the wearer's inclusion in a unit included in an army despatch. In VF-EF, this is a solid piece exhibiting excellent detail, with little surface wear, and light oxidation in the upper-left corner between the sword and cross. This is the fuller (i.e. not flat) version of the cross, whose sword handles touch the edges of the cross; missing only the simple two pinned prongs to enable mounting on a uniform.
The medal itself is a bronze cross with a rounded embossed medallion at center bearing the Belgian ramping lion on one side and the monogram of King Albert on the other; with crossed swords positioned between the branches of the cross, and with an ornate pivoting crown suspension. The ribbon correctly displays five green striped on a field of red, with three of them grouped more centrally.
Modelled on the French "Croix de Guerre", this Belgian version was instituted 25th October 1915 to reward acts of bravery in the face of the enemy or for long service at the front. Additionally, bronze, silver or silver plated palmes were awarded for various categories of Mention in Dispatches. Various later decrees modified (expanded) the award criteria to include those died of wounds, escaped prisoners, certain volunteers, etc.
More pictures: front of medal with palm, reverse side of medal, reverse side of medal only, detail of medal ribbon
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Item Code: 0110010 Price: €30
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Belgium - Belgian King Albert Commemorative Medal 1909-34 in bronze, 32mm. This is a commemorative medal for the reign of King Albert I, instituted in 1962, and was awarded for loyalty and good services to serving or former military personnel of the armed forces who served between 18 December 1909 and 18 February 1934. In EF condition.
More pictures: front of medal, back of medal, overhead view
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Item Code: 0110030 Price: €12
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Germany - Spanish Volunteer ("Blue") Division 'Bravery and Commemorative Medal', circa 1944-45. This medal was instituted by the Third Reich government in recognition of the Spanish volunteers who served on the Russian front from August 1941 to October 1943 in the Spanish Volunteer Division ("Division Espanola de Voluntarios"). The medal was awarded to those soldiers who had at least 14 days of combat particiation on the Russian Front. This piece retains most of its bronze-colored wash, and though with a few light edge nicks, is in excellent preserved condition. Not maker-marked.
More pictures: overall front side of medal, close-up obverse side of medal, reverse side and loop detail
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Item Code: 0010061 Price: €150
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Poland - Polish ministerial award: Medal for Merit for Country Defense (Medal Za Zaslugi dla Obronnosci Kraju) in bronze (1966-1991 version). This award was conferred by the Minister of National Defense in three grades to military servicemen and civilians for meritorious activities in aid of strengthening the military establishment of the country. The medal is 38mm in diameter and bears the inscription "For Merit for Defense of Country" on the obverse, and "Ministry of National Defense" surrounded by the legend "Polish People's Republic" on the reverse. Solid and nicely toned.
More pictures: front of medal, reverse side of medal, overhead view
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Item Code: 0110029 Price: €18
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Swedish "Swedbatt" 56M Battalion Sinai uniface commemorative service medal in copper, 1975: medal depicts the general position manned by the Swedish contigent of the Sinai based "United Nations Emergency Force II" between December 1974 and June 1975, with legend around edge "FN-Bataljon 56 M" and dates below. In UNC; no maker-marks; weight: 79.25g; size: 61mm. A relatively crude cast issue compared to other plaques issued for the Swedish battalion in Sinai.
More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
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Item Code: 0130058 Price: €50
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Swedish "Swedbatt" 58M Battalion Sinai uniface commemorative service plaque in copper, 1975: plaque depicts the positions manned by the Swedish contigent of the Sinai based "United Nations Emergency Force II" between June-December 1975, with legend "FN-Bataljon 58M".
The Swedish component of UNEF II rotated in and out of this sector roughly every half year, each time with a different numeric designation, and in this period its force was labelled "58M" (having replaced 56M).
The Battalion's nomenclature follows the style of Sweden's foreign contingents serving in the UN: her forces in Kosovo begin with the letter "KA", those in Afghanistan begin with "FS", those in Cyprus use a "C", etc. UNEF II was established in October 1973 to observe the cease-fire between Egypt and Israel following the termination of the 1973 War between them (this force succeeded UNEF I, which attempted to observe a previous ceasefire between the two countries, from 1956 to 1967); its mandate lasted until 1979 when it was replaced by the "Multinational Force and Observers" (MFO).
Sweden had been active in providing forces for peace-keeping operations in Sinai and Gaza since 1956, and the Swedish presence there after the 1973 War was pronounced enough to earn her soldiers a token presence as an incidental character in Israel's most popular comedy film "Halfon Hill is Not Answering" (1976). In UNC; no maker-marks; weight: 201.75g; size: 78mm x 101mm (some versions of this plaque do not have the frame around them and are a few millimeters smaller).
More pictures: obverse of plaque, reverse of plaque
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Item Code: 0130048 Price: €50
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Swedish "Swedbatt" 60M Battalion Sinai uniface commemorative service plaque in copper, 1976: plaque depicts the general location manned by the Swedish contigent of the Sinai based "United Nations Emergency Force II" between December 1975 and June 1976, with legend "FN-Bataljon 60 M".
Unlike a similar commemorative piece (item 0130048) issued for the "58M" Swedbatt (which preceeded 60M) with very precise unit positions, this plaque highlights in a general manner "Giddi" in the area of the Sinai peninsula: Giddi was a strategic pass held by Israel after the end of the 1973 War with Egypt, and in exchange for her withdrawal from there the US in cooperation with the UN peacekeeping mission established an electronic monitoring station there called the "Sinai Field Mission", to monitor access to the passes using seismic, aural and infra-red sensors monitored from 3 watch stations. The SFO operated from January 1976 until April 1982. In UNC; not marker-marked; weight: 174.9g; size: 73mm x 99mm.
More pictures: obverse of plaque, reverse of plaque
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Item Code: 0130049 Price: €50
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Swedish "Swedbatt" 62M Battalion Sinai uniface commemorative service plaque in copper, 1976: plaque depicts the positions and bases manned by the Swedish contigent of the Sinai based "United Nations Emergency Force II" between June and December 1976, with legend "Sinai FN-Bataljon 62 M". Although the Gaza Strip was annexed by Israel after 1967 it appears on this map as part of the boundary of Sinai and may be so in reference to UN operations there. On the map are depicted 4 bases of the Swedish Battlion. In UNC; not marker-marked; weight: 192.1g; size: 73.5mm x 100mm.
More pictures: obverse of plaque, reverse of plaque
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Item Code: 0130050 Price: €50
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United Nations / Palestine: "United Nations Truce Supervision Organization" UNTSO Medal with "Jerusalem" clasp, ND; struck in bronze; weight: 25.9g.
Obverse depicts the United Nations emblem and letters "UN" above; on reverse the legend "In the Service of Peace".
The UNTSO was established in June 1948 to assist the United Nations Mediator (Swedish Count Folke Bernadote, who was subsequently assassinated) and the Truce Commission in supervising the truce in Palestine called for by the Security Council. The UNTSO was initially headquartered in Cairo, and soon thereafter relocated to Haifa which was still in British control, in late June 1948.
The Haifa headquarters was evacuated and UNTSO evacuated from Israel when fighting renewed there (after the 1st ceasefire), but UN peacekeeping forces returned to Israel in late July 1948, and the headquarters for UNTSO was finally established in the former High Commissioner's house in Jerusalem, "Government House", in October 1948 where it has remained since. This medal may date from this timeframe.
UNTSO now also has offices in Beirut and Damascus, and has since fulfilled several roles, including the observation of the cease-fire in the Suez Canal area and the Golan Heights following the Arab-Israeli war of June 1967, assisting with the Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF) between Israel and Syria and the Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
This medal was instituted in 1951 to recognise the service of the military observers supervising the truce between Israel and Jordan, and six months of service are required to qualify for the medal. Sources indicate that very few clasps have ever been worn with United Nations medals, and the "Jerusalem" clasp as shown here is not mentioned in UN literature as one of the standard types available for this medal; judging by the good quality of the medal's manufacture and the clasp, it may date from 1951 to the mid 1950's. In EF-UNC.
More pictures: obverse of medal with ribbon, reverse of medal, closeup of obverse, closeup of reverse, obverse of clasp, reverse of clasp
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Item Code: 0130104 Price: €85
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United States "American Defense Service" medal, in VF+, with suface wear to the obverse but lovely toning on the reverse. The medal is a solid round medallion with a velvet ribbon bearing two thin blue-white-red stripes on a field of yellow. The award was instituted 28 June 1941 by an executive order of the President to recognize members of the US armed forces who performed military duties in the period of 8 September 1939 and 6 December 1941 - just prior to America's entry into the Second World War. A complete award set would include a small rectangular ribbon and presentation box. This piece is being sold as the award medal alone.
More pictures: front of medal, reverse side of medal with pin
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Item Code: 0110013 Price: €8
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ARABIAN and WORLD WAR/ARMY ACCOUTREMENTS, HEADWEAR and UNIFORMS
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American M1917 Brodie steel helmet of the US 3rd Division of the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) in World War I (Dagnas et. al., Casques Vol I., p. 232-3). This is the US-made version of the British type 'B' version of the helmet, with a crimped metal rim and rough finish on a matte surface, and the standard leather and canvas web liner and leather chin-strap, with rubber cushioning on the sides but no rubber 'donut' cushion on the top of the liner (as on a British-made helmet). This helmet bears the emblem of the Third (Marne) Division, painted on a sanded-off patch of the helmet front. This division fought in Chateau Thierry, Argonne, at the Meuse, and at the Rhine in France.
More pictures: front of helmet, divisional symbol, side of helmet, helmet liner
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Item Code: 0010085 Price: SOLD
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Belgian Army mark II (mkII) helmet shell, circa. 1949-51, in khaki color. The helmet is not maker-marked, bears the Belgian tricolors on one side, and though missing the liner, it has the Belgian neck strap and rivets bolted to the strap hoops. The tricolor is painted and is not a decal. In excellent condition, with a few scuffs to the finish (but not to the shell). The Belgian Army used British-made helmets during and right after the war; in 1949, Belgium produced such British-styled mark II's on her own and fitted them with domestically produced liners, and these in turn were replaced in 1951 by the NATO modelled helmets.
More pictures: side of helmet, overhead view of helmet, inside of helmet shell
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Item Code: 0120010 Price: €25
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British Army world war II khaki shorts, 1943, with double-strap waist fasteners, two side slit pockets and an open back pocket. The shorts have three long webbing belt loops and a button down fly consisting of three concealed buttons; most of the buttons have been replaced, and one of the metal ones looks similar to a period German styled button. The inside has a series of stamps, mostly probably supplier codes (i.e. "PN156", "PN199") and sizes (i.e. "11" and "M"), and an triangular Army-styled stamp bearing "UST 1943". Physically in excellent condition, except for the replaced state of the buttons. Possibly used in Palestine or in the North African theater of operations.
More pictures: front of shorts, front, opened, side of shorts, detail of strap buttons, front flap buttons, markings on inside, more markings on inside
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Item Code: 0110036 Price: SOLD
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Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) tunic, 1987. A 5 front-button light-weight dark green tunic with 4 scalloped pockets and shoulder straps, and collar fastener. Buttons are metal, maker-marked "22" and embossed with the Communist star.
More pictures: front of tunic, inside lining, back of tunic, inside marking
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Item Code: 0120026 Price: €50
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Chinese political commissar tunic, 1982. A 5 front-button olive green tunic with 4 pockets, of which the top two are scalloped with concealed buttons; bottom pockets are fastened on the inside to the lining of the tunic; collar fastener; no shoulder straps on this uniform. The buttons are dark-brown plastic coated on a metal base; no maker marks. Thicker fabric than the PLA uniform above.
More pictures: front of tunic, inside lining, back of tunic, inside markings, inside fastening to pocket
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Item Code: 0120027 Price: €60
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Italian M-15 steel helmet, in dark green paint; circa. 1921-1933: based on the French Adrian helmet design, this is a post-World War I two-piece shell construction (the actual shell with crimped edge, and the separate air-vent piece), without double rivets on the side or holes on the front (there are two rivets spaced 3 centimeters apart, one above the other, on the front). The air-vent strip ends about one centimeter from the rear visor. The helmet is missing the liner though inside are visible the strap loops and rippled-metal liner supports. The helmet bears light wear and tear, with scratches and a few light dents but overall a lovely display piece.
More pictures: side view of helmet, front of helmet, helmet rear, overhead angle, front of helmet, overhead angle, inside view helmet shell, detail of inside
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Item Code: 0010224 Price: €70
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Jordanian Army (National Guard) helmet, circa 1950-60's: a black corked helmet with black cloth side flaps, leather chin-strap and metal spike, made in Britain by the famous uniform maker Hobson & Sons of London. Helmets of this type were usually worn on ceremonial occasions and date back to the Arab Legion (which merged with the Jordanian National Guard to form the Jordanian Army in 1956), which wore a similar styled spiked helmet though in khaki and with the Legion's (and later the National Guard's) emblem on front. In excellent, preserved condition; with some Arabic writing inside in pencil.
More pictures: side view of helmet, front of helmet, spike detail, inside liner, maker's mark, interior detail and Arab text in pencil, helmet interior detail, detail of liner suspension and helmet edge, helmet with flap down
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Item Code: 0120019 Price: SOLD
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Norwegian Free Forces British steel helmet, 1940-45. This is a black-painted MKII helmet, with the Norwegian flag painted on the right-hand side (stencil marks still visible). The inside rim of the helmet is stamped "BMB 0701940" and was manufactured by Briggs Motor Bodies. It appears to be from British and not Norwegian stocks as it bears the MKII 1938 chinstrap and what appears to be the 71/4 TTC 2 1940 liner, and not the Dutch chinstrap that existed on Norwegian stocks of this helmet. However, the liner lacks a rubber 'donut' cushion at the top and the helmet's top screw to hold the liner in place is missing.
This helmet would have been worn by Norwegian soldiers serving in the "Free Forces" organized in the United Kingdom during World War II. With reference to Skotte Vol.1 p. 110, this example may have been worn by the Norwegian Free Army (2500-men strong) rather than Free Navy (7366-men strong), and lacking the decal of the royal arms which is prominent on many Norwegian helmets of that time, this one may have been used earlier in the war, around 1940-41. A unique artifact of the allied free forces armies - and of Norwegian militaria no less.
More pictures: side view of helmet, front of helmet, makers mark on rim, inside liner
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Item Code: 0010086 Price: SOLD
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Portuguese M940 steel helmet with 1963 fabric liner and chin-strap (Dagnas et. al., Casques Vol II., p. 262-3). These helmets were originally produced in 1940 by the armaments firm Braco de Prata, with a leather liner. Later, finding leather unsuitable for hot and humid climates, the liner was replaced by a canvas fabric liner and chin-strap. The original helmet was khaki-brown, although this one is army-green; with these changes in effect, it is possible that this helmet was used in a Portuguese colony, possibly Mozambique, whose armed struggle for independence began in 1963.
More pictures: side view of helmet, front of helmet, inside liner
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Item Code: 0010084 Price: €40
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Syrian Army cloth service cap with infantry insignia, circa 1960's: a thick khaki colored visored hat with double layered front flaps, and drop-down side flaps which can be fastened back in place (khaki-green colored buttons). Similar in color and style to the Israeli 'hitelmacher' visored hat. The emblem is a cloth insignia of crossed swords on a green background, behind protective pastic covering and fastened on either side by metal pins. There is light pencilled lettering inside which looks like the number "59" in Arabic numerals. Well manufactured and handsome; in excellent, preserved condition.
More pictures: front of hat, with emblem, side view of hat, overhead view, view of inside liner, hat with flaps down, hat unfurled
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Item Code: 0120020 Price: SOLD
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ARABIAN and WORLD WAR/ARMY DOCUMENTS and EPHEMERA:
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'Belgium: The Official Account of What Happened, 1939-1940', published by the Belgian Ministry [in exile] for Foreign Affairs in London, July 1941. Released around the time of Germany's invasion of Russia, this volume is an offical account of the events surrounding Belgium's involvement in the war before and during her invasion by Germany. The book includes fold-out maps, translated documents and photographs of certain other documents. In excellent condition. First edition. Published by Evans Brothers, London; 110 pages. Some minor flaking and aging of the paper jacket.
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Item Code: 0010182 Price: €12
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Illustrated commemorative book: "Eighteen Months of the 11th Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion - East" ('Osmanact Mesicu'); printed in Jerusalem, Palestine, (October) 1942. This 64-page hardcover book, in Czech and English, pays tribute to the wartime service of this battalion of Czechoslovak exiled soldiers (including Jewish fighters) from France and Russia, who fought within the intricate machinery of the British forces in the Middle East and North Africa.
The book documents the creation, service and experiences of the Battalion for its 18 months of service - with photos and documents - from its inception and training in Gedera, Palestine (late 1940), to its passage through Egypt and duties in the Western Desert as part of the British 23rd Brigade, in Spring 1941; its participation in British incursion into Vichy Lebanon and Syria, in Summer 1941; its return to North Africa in October, this time to beseiged Tobruk, and then onwards to Benghazi and back again. Arriving back in Palestine in early 1942 the Battalion was disbanded and reformed in May of that year as the 200th Light Anti-Aircraft East Regiment (who in turn edited and produced this book). In 1943 the Regiment was transferred to Britain and disbanded, and elements of the unit served with existing Czechoslovak forces in exile there and later in France.
Though obscure, this well illustrated book pays tribute to a small and valiant force which saw action on many fronts. There are many pictures of the unit in training and field service, posing together with Polish forces in exile, in smart and ceremonial parades, and lovely pictures of the Middle East and desert landscapes of that time. The book is in excellent physical condition with complete and mostly crisp pages (some age stains on the initial inside pages), through the binding is loosened from the spine (though easily repairable).
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Item Code: 0120015 Price: €135
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German World War I propaganda postcard - title reads: "A transport of 4000 English prisoners of war at a collection-point in Arras". Appears to be issued from 1917-18, and relating to the 2nd battle of Arras (April-May 1917, in northern France) - as per the helmeted British soldiers. The picture captures a variety of head-wear; also note the diamond-shaped shoulder patches on two of the solders in the foreground, denoting their unit.
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Item Code: 0010034 Price: €7
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German World War I prisoner of war camp permit card - a permit card regarding the Russian inmate ("interpreter and book-binder, Gilarovski; number 50155") - probably the soldier pictured on the obverse - who is stated to be officially permitted to move about the camp. The card is stamped with the signature of the Camp Commandant, Major-General Grisfest(?) and dated 7 July 1916. The card is stamped three more times - on the bottom left of the reverse ("Stamp-cancellation, Hammerstein - Commander of the Military Training Ground"), again, more lightly on the top left of the reverse ("B1 V E.H.") and once on the obverse (by the "First Camp-officer of P.O.W. camp Hammerstein").
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Item Code: 0010036 Price: SOLD
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"Mein Kampf", by Adolf Hitler; published by Zentralverlag der NSDAP, Munich, 1941; 784 pages. "Two volumes in one". Published by the central publishing house of the Nazi Party in Munich. Missing the protective inside page on the front and back sides. The first page proclaims 7 million copies sold. Hard blue cover with the Party's emblem stamped in gilt on the front and the author and name of the book on the spine - most of the gilt is now worn. The last page contains advertisements of various special editions of Mein Kampf available for sale, as well as additional Party ideological publications available - by Rosenberg, Goebbels, Ley, Hess and others. Overall in good preserved condition, with light wear to the cover's edges and some staining on the edges of the first and last pages of the book. Rare.
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Item Code: 0010187 Price: €150
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"Signal" - the German wartime propaganda magazine, French edition 9, 1st issue for May 1941. Issued toward's Germany's zenith in World War II, this issue features a cover shot of two airmen and Knight's Cross holders in the North African desert. Articles include Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka's visit to Berlin, remeniscences of General Schekoff, who commanded the Bulgarian army in the First World War; German cultural color photos in the center-fold; women in homefront supporting roles; a swipe at large American aircraft design; inside views of a German tank production plant; and interesting views of civilian homefront life - in color photos.There are also many interesting advertisements, including one for German military uniforms (and in the spirit of the Wehrmacht's successes - the Army (as opposed to the Waffen-SS) is proudly featured in the picture).
"Signal" was the Third Reich's sophisticated version of America's "Life" magazine, aimed largely at the foreign readership of Germany's occupied territories - and translated and distributed as such (see the front cover's long list of countries in it's distribution). The photo-journalistic magazine presented a restrained view of the Reich Government's official ideological line, aiming to win the hearts and minds of citizens in occupied Europe and beyond, and ran from 1940 to 1945. In very fine condition, with some brittling of the page edges and spine.
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Item Code: 0010088 Price: €8
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"Signal" - the German wartime propaganda magazine, French edition 6, (April-May) 1944. Reflecting Germany's changed fortunes in the Second World War, the magazine cover features the nurses of the Red Cross and the inside story documents the organization's assistance for (German) war victims, plus a special section on its services for Allied prisoners of war. Also reflecting the growing influence of the Waffen-SS in Germany's military, the magazine opens with a brief profile of a Belgian volunteer in the Langemark Brigade; there is an illustrated piece on Germany's struggle against (Tito's) partisans in Yugoslavia; interspersing a long piece on the dissolution of the Comintern there are several color and black and white shots of the German military on the eastern front, the far north and the mountains of Slovenia. Plus a last-minute jibe at the American propaganda/army information series, "In Which We Serve".
There are also a series of cultural articles on the new season at the Paris Theater, and the Stradivarius - and many interesting (for this period of the war) advertisements for consumer goods and leisure. In excellent condition.
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Item Code: 0010089 Price: €10
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Great Britain civil defense book: "Home Guard for Victory!", by Hugh Slater; published by Victor Gollantz, London, 1941, 5th impression; 120 pages. Part of the 'Victory Books' series (this one is # 10), the book is written by the former (and late) chief of operations of the International Brigade Staff, which served in Spain during the Civil War - characteristic of the leftist views promoted by the Gollantz press.
The book is as the subtitle says - "an essay" - and not an officially sanctioned presentation, presenting the formation as a useful and positive adjunct to the British armed forces. It delivers interesting analyses and prescriptions for how the Home Guard can be used for defending factories and strategic points; for repelling air landing; for attacking and engaging in street warfare. With many detailed diagrams and illustrations. A compelling and patriotic tract (even if the organization has come to be known as "Dad's Army"). Overall in good condition; some spots on the blue cloth cover; the inside page liner is a little torn.
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Item Code: 0010188 Price: €20
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Great Britain 'Daily Mail' War Atlas observing the opening months of the Second World War, undated (circa Feb. - March 1940). A hardcover 32-page color atlas detailing all continents with present and potential campaigns in the developing world war. Also contains a large-scale pull out map detailing the layout and defensive positions of the probable upcoming western front. In excellent condition, though the back inside binding with the cover is a little loose.
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Item Code: 0010179 Price: €18
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'The Military Strength of the Powers', by Max Werner (translated by Edward Fitzgerald); Victor Gollancz, London, 1939. First edition; Left Book Club edition. A fascinating view of the supposed strengths of the Soviet, German, French, British, Italian, Polish, Japanese and American militaries. Being published by a leftwing publisher, the emphasis on the Red Army is overt and observations about it tragically apologetic in hindsight: "The military strength of the Soviet Union... has its weak sides. [They] are... more a matter of the military strength of the country... i.e. a matter of war potential, rather than of the army itself." The Soviet war experience proved just the opposit. An interesting read. 376 pages.
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Item Code: 0010183 Price: €10
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"Norway Revolts Against the Nazis", book by Jacob Worm-Muller; published by Lindsay Drummond, London, 1941. First edition. Part of the "Europe Under the Nazis" series of publications, the book recounts the events surrounding the German invasion of Norway, the subsequent occupation and Norway's internal and external resistance forces; with an appendix of relevant documents and 14 photographs. Written by a former professor of history at Oslo University, the book captures Norway's plight just a few months before Vidkun Quisling's ascention to power and so just before the beginning of collaborationists' domination of the country. 152 pages. In excellent condition with light edge wear to the blue hardback cover.
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Item Code: 0010189 Price: €12
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"Norge i Fest" - 'Norway Celebrates': a pictoral commemorative book celebrating Norway's liberation from German occupation at the end of World War II. Many pages of interesting photographs depicting foreign dignitaries, the Royal Family, Norwegian and other allied military uniforms; lovely scenes of central Oslo and the surrounding areas; includes scenes of the German surrender, the arrival of the Royal family and the victory parade on Stortingsgata. Published by Mittet & Co., Oslo, 1945. In excellent condition, though the front cover is loosened from the book itself.
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Item Code: 0010178 Price: €12
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U.S.Navy honorable discharge document: Certificate of Satisfactory Service during training and active service in "World War II" to Lynor Glass, 1945-46.
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Item Code: 0020004 Price: SOLD
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