|
Translate Historama 1
Translate Historama 2
|
|
ISRAEL & WORLD cloth militaria, insignia, badges and patches
A word about Israeli
militaria: with Israel being 60 years old this May (2008), while
much of Israel's militaria is "contemporary", and many items are available
for sale at surplus goods sites, the items offered here are neither new or
mint, nor deliberately unused surplus. We place great value on presenting
used Israeli militaria (in the best condition possible) in order to afford
the collector the opportunity to acquire pieces with significant
historical importance. It is our feeling that militaria which never had a
presence on the battlefield is (in most cases) militaria without
historical significance.
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010040 Price: $50
|
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010127 Price: $50
|
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010038 Price: $30
|
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010039 Price: $20
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010092 Price: $200
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010093 Price: $400
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010090 Price: $350
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010094 Price: $400
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010058 Price: $150
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010057 Price: $150
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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
|
Item Code: 0010091 Price: $500
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - armshield badge of 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
|
Item Code: 0010004 Price: $300
|
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010060 Price: SOLD
|
Click to Enlarge |
Germany - 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, of all people - 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. A rare piece of history from a very dark and obfuscated corner of the cannon of the Second World War.
More pictures: front of armshield,
back of armshield
|
Item Code: 0010119 Price: $800
|
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010059 Price: $175
|
Click to Enlarge |
Israel - shoulder patch of the Jewish Brigade Group of the British Army, in the Second World War, 1944-45. The Jewish Brigade's origins lie in the movement of Palestinian-Jewish volunteers who joined the British Army with the outbreak of the war. The volunteers initially enlisted in the 'East Kent Regiment' (the 'Buffs') in 1940, and fought in Greece. In August 1942, the British raised 3 battalions of Palestinian-Jewish volunteers who formed the 'Palestine Regiment' (whose hat-badge earned them the nickname 'Five Piastre Regiment' - owing to its similarity to the Palestinian coin) which fought in Egypt and north Libya. After much hesistation, the British government agreed to the formation of a larger Jewish unit of 5,000 men, which in September 1944 was established as the Jewish Brigade Group. This formation fought in northern Italy from March to May, 1945; after the war it was based neard the border between Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia, where its members played a key role in the clandestine immigration of Jewish refugees to Palestine. In July, the brigade was transferred to Belgium and then to the Netherlands, and in the summer of 1946 it was disbanded. The wartime combat experience accumulated by its men proved invaluable during Israel's war of independence two years later. The insignia of the Brigade consisted of this shoulder flash (bearing three Hebrew letters in the form of an abbreviation, which can either be read as the word "Khayal" - 'Soldier', or as the abbreviation for "Kheyl" - meaning 'Force', 'Corps' or 'Army'), together with a square blue-and-white patch bearing a golden Star of David.
More pictures: front of patch,
back of patch
|
Item Code: 0010137 Price: SOLD
|
Click to Enlarge |
Israeli naval insignia - rank patch and dog tags - belonging to First Sergeant Shlomo Zohar, 1953-56. Zohar participated in the Sinai Campaign of 1956 (see item 0020027.3), and in this lot are his rank patch and dog tags. The patch is the thick, woollen 3-striped insignia of a First Sergeant, along with the naval insignia punched on top - to distinguish him as a naval soldier. That central pin is held to the main patch with a metal bar between it's two hooks, and the whole patch was sewn onto Zohar's uniform. The accompanying photo is of Zohar, with his left-hand rank patch visible; the tip of the right-hand side patch (the one in this lot) is just visible in the background, protruding from his right sleeve.
Although the consignment comes from Zohar, details on the back of the photograph also confirm his personal military ID number to be that which is punched into the aluminum dog tag discs in this lot. The discs also give Zohar's blood-type ("B"). The dates on the rear of the photo are confusing though, as it is stamped Feb. 1965 even though the hand-written message is dated 1955 (which pre-dates the wearing of the Sinai Campaign ribbon of 1956 - which Zohar is wearing in the photograph). In all likelihood, the photograph is from 1956 - which, according to the written message, was taken in the northern city of Kiryat Ata. Wearing the "A" uniform (dress uniform as opposed to the "B" service uniform) of that time, Zohar is characteristically wearing the emblem of the Israel Defence Forces on both collars of that type of uniform.
More pictures: photo of Sgt. Shlomo Zohar,
aluminum dog tags,
front of rank patch,
reverse of rank patch
|
Item Code: 0020027.2 Price: SOLD
|
Click to Enlarge |
Israel, civil guard armband - a service armband of the civil guard ("Mishmar Ezrakhi"), 1960's. The armband was worn by a civilian warden during air raid warnings, ordered civilians to turn off their lights and assisted them to bomb shelters. The band sports a few white slashes in the design - enough to make it visible in the darkness without attracting too much light in emergencies. Excellent, preserved condition with light age stains.
More pictures: front of brassard,
back of brassard
|
Item Code: 0020021 Price: SOLD
|
Click to Enlarge |
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
|
Item Code: 0010046 Price: $50
|
|
