Featured Relics & Militaria
This is a British soldiers Brodie helmet which has no liner in place but is dated 1941 on the chin strap holders also manufacturer/date marking 1761 over III which is all clear to see.
The helmet is not to badly corroded but is battle-damaged condition, including a large perforation through the crown with splits from the impact of the hit. The helmet is lightly rusty due to being in dry sand and hot weather and this is why it has no rust roles or rust damage but with extensive pitting and weathering, and desert sand retained beneath the rim, is consistent with prolonged exposure in the Egyptian desert environment. The helmet has no real paintwork remains but it is not rusted away it has been weathered away by the sand apart from a tiny bit inside which looks green with some yellow over the top but there really is not much at all but it still retains some original colour in places mostly the rim. The helmet has been very nicely cleaned is lovely and solid not braking up or falling apart and is perfect for display or any collection. This a very rare relic from the famous North African battlefield of 1942-1943 and comes with 4xA5 laminated information cards with many pictures and all the information possible.
The helmet was recovered from the El Alamein battlefield in 2009 by Egyptian-Sahara.com, an expedition and battlefield-tour company that operated in Egypt during the late 2000s and early 2010s and specialised in expeditions to the El Alamein battlefield. Contemporary Egyptian-Sahara promotional material supplied with the helmet provides supporting provenance for its recovery and shows the company documenting and displaying battlefield relics from the area. The accompanying leaflet is retained as supporting documentary evidence of the company and its El Alamein battlefield activities.
El Alamein was the scene of the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein, fought from 23 October to 11 November 1942, when the British Eighth Army under General Bernard Montgomery launched a major offensive against German and Italian forces commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. After fierce fighting across the desert, the Axis forces were forced to withdraw westwards. The victory halted the Axis advance towards Egypt and the Suez Canal and became a major turning point in the North African Campaign. The helmet therefore represents a tangible surviving artefact connected to the British and Commonwealth forces that fought in this strategically important desert theatre.
This is a near complete but empty and inert totally rare Japanese late war, emergency production rifle grenade which has been crudely made with basic steel case with a screw in base.
The case is missing its wood or bakelite-style plug with hole for the fuse at one end. And its small plug at the other. The grenade has none of its original black paintwork or original colouring. The steel case is pitted but solid, with no rust-through holes, and has been carefully cleaned. In nice relic condition but has corroded slightly but it is sturdy, not friable, and ideal for display or any militaria collection. The rifle grenade was recovered in the 1980's and has been in a private collection ever since it was originally found in an old Japanese defensive position on the island of Guam from the 1944 battle in the Pacific. It comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with many pictures and map.
The Battle of Guam (21 July – 10 August 1944) was the successful American amphibious campaign to recapture the island of Guam from the Empire of Japan. Guam had been a prewar US territory since 1898 but was captured by the Japanese in December 1941. The 21-day battle was a key pillar of Operation Forager during the wider Pacific campaign of World War II.
Recently Added Relics & Militaria
This is an authentic, glass-framed aluminium airframe section and engine case recovered from a American B-17G flying fortress bomber involved in a very famous Christmas battle. The relic which is in lovely condition still retains some of its original wartime finish and some original green paintwork, making it an attractive and increasingly scarce piece from one of the American air force most recognisable aircraft.
The aluminium section a structure joint was torn, bent and distorted by the impact of the crash but remains in good, solid condition and most of its original colour. The engine case has its blue undercoat primer paintwork and is a large mag allow part. Both have been carefully cleaned while preserving there original character and wartime patina.
The relics are presented in a glass-fronted box frame, complete with aircraft information, making them an excellent display piece for any aviation or Second World War collection. The frame measures approximately 12 half inches by 12 half inches.
This parts come from American B-17G bomber serial number 43-37569 shot down by German fighters attacked south of Liège on boxing day the 26 December 1944 during raid on German forces during the Battle of the Bulge.
On Christmas Eve, 24 December 1944, B-17G serial number 43-37569 took off from the US Eighth Air Force’s airfield in Suffolk, England, as part of a major operation supporting Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge. The mission targeted German airfields and supply routes, with this formation assigned to attack Babenhausen airfield in Germany. The aircraft was flown by First Lieutenant Ira L. Ball and was operating with the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group, although the aircraft was administratively assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron. As the bomber formation crossed Belgium, German fighters attacked south of Liège before the aircraft reached its target.
The shoot-down and crash site. The attack broke the B-17 apart in the air. Most of the wreckage fell into the Amblève River at Le Gouffre, on the western outskirts of Aywaille, Belgium. The tail section came down separately near the hamlet of Septroux and the area of Chambralles. Six of the nine crew members died in the crash; tail gunner First Lieutenant Cuno V. Becker survived the fall in the tail section but was gravely injured and died in hospital on 26 December 1944. Navigator First Lieutenant Harold P. Sperber and bombardier First Lieutenant John C. Broom escaped by parachute and survived. The loss took place during one of the largest Eighth Air Force operations of the war, launched to disrupt German airfields and supply lines while the German Ardennes offensive was still under way. A memorial now marks the crash near the Amblève River, commemorating the crew and their sacrifice.
This is an authentic, glass-framed aluminium airframe section recovered from a American B-17G flying fortress bomber involved in a very famous Christmas battle. The relic which is in lovely condition still retains some of its original wartime finish and some original green paintwork, making it an attractive and increasingly scarce piece from one of the American air force most recognisable aircraft.
The aluminium section was torn, bent and distorted by the impact of the crash but remains in good, solid condition and most of its original colour. It has been carefully cleaned while preserving its original character and wartime patina.
The relic is presented in a glass-fronted box frame, complete with aircraft information, making it an excellent display piece for any aviation or Second World War collection. The frame measures approximately 12 half inches by 12 half inches.
This part comes from American B-17G bomber serial number 43-37569 shot down by German fighters attacked south of Liège on boxing day the 26 December 1944 during raid on German forces during the Battle of the Bulge.
On Christmas Eve, 24 December 1944, B-17G serial number 43-37569 took off from the US Eighth Air Force’s airfield in Suffolk, England, as part of a major operation supporting Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge. The mission targeted German airfields and supply routes, with this formation assigned to attack Babenhausen airfield in Germany. The aircraft was flown by First Lieutenant Ira L. Ball and was operating with the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group, although the aircraft was administratively assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron. As the bomber formation crossed Belgium, German fighters attacked south of Liège before the aircraft reached its target.
The shoot-down and crash site. The attack broke the B-17 apart in the air. Most of the wreckage fell into the Amblève River at Le Gouffre, on the western outskirts of Aywaille, Belgium. The tail section came down separately near the hamlet of Septroux and the area of Chambralles. Six of the nine crew members died in the crash; tail gunner First Lieutenant Cuno V. Becker survived the fall in the tail section but was gravely injured and died in hospital on 26 December 1944. Navigator First Lieutenant Harold P. Sperber and bombardier First Lieutenant John C. Broom escaped by parachute and survived. The loss took place during one of the largest Eighth Air Force operations of the war, launched to disrupt German airfields and supply lines while the German Ardennes offensive was still under way. A memorial now marks the crash near the Amblève River, commemorating the crew and their sacrifice.
This is an authentic, glass-framed pair of aluminium airframe sections recovered from a German Heinkel He111 bomber on a famous Christmas raid. The relics which are in lovely condition still retains some of there original wartime finish and some original yellow paintwork from part of the aircraft insignia from fuselage or wing, making it an attractive and increasingly scarce piece from one of the Luftwaffe's most recognisable aircraft.
The aluminium sections have torn, bent and distorted by the impact of the crash but remains in good, solid condition. They have been carefully cleaned while preserving its original character and wartime patina.
The relic is presented in a glass-fronted box frame, complete with aircraft information, making it an excellent display piece for any aviation or Second World War collection. The frame measures approximately 10 half inches by 10 half inches.
This parts come from German Heinkel He111 bomber number 3107 in 3./Kampfgeschwader 55 on a famous Christmas raid.
On the night of 22 December 1940, a He 111P-4 coded G1+PL, reported as Werknummer 3107 and associated with 3./Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55), was involved in a German raid directed at Manchester. The raid formed part of the Luftwaffe’s continuing night offensive against British industrial cities during the Blitz. Manchester and the surrounding industrial area were important targets because of their factories, rail links and other war-related infrastructure. The aircraft approached Britain across the English Channel, but before it could complete its mission it was intercepted by a British night fighter.
The interception and crash site. The aircraft is reported to have been attacked by a Boulton Paul Defiant night fighter of No. 141 Squadron, flown by Pilot Officer James G. Benson with Sergeant Blain as his air gunner. The damaged Heinkel crashed at Underwood House, near Etchingham in East Sussex, well south of Manchester and close to the route from the Channel into south-east England. Local accounts describe the bomber coming down in flames; a later recollection states that the impact was close enough to damage the roof of the house. The four-man crew listed on the associated display were Unteroffizier Bruno Zimmermann (pilot), Gefreiter August Wroblewski (flight engineer), Gefreiter Adolf Wäibel (wireless operator) and Flieger Walter Richter (observer). Zimmermann, Wroblewski and Wäibel were killed, while Richter survived and became a prisoner of war. Some details of the aircraft’s serial number, exact flight path and engagement remain insufficiently corroborated in the sources located, so they should be treated as reported identifications pending confirmation from original loss records.
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This a totally rare complete one off relic which is a heavily battle-damaged American Easy company M1 steel helmet which still has its spade badges on both sides which are still mostly clear to see. This is the rarest helmet i have ever had to sell and probably always will be. The helmet is associated with Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and retains the distinctive white spade unit marking associated with Easy Company.
The helmet which is in relic condition but is mostly battle damaged with lots of splits and impact damage and has has bent over as well from the force of the explosion but is in remarkable condition for a relic. The helmet has bit of rust damage with a few some rust holes but nothing to bad. It is a solid piece which is not breaking up or falling apart it does not have any of its leather liner in place but does have some of its original green paintwork remains very clear to see it has been very nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The helmet was recovered in the late 1980's or early 1990’s in a large wartime hole or position together with other American military equipment, including a substantial quantity of medical equipment and supplies. The mixed nature of the material suggests that the site was used as a temporary American field position or equipment cache during the fighting in the famous Foy woods which was fought over during the in battle of Bulge of December 1944 until January 1945..The helmet comes with 5 x A5 laminated information cards with map and many pictures with lots close up pictures of the helmet and its badge.
I myself have owned this helmet for 20 years and has been in my collection for that long i bought it directly from the man who recovered it himself and came directly out of his collection. I have seen some of his collection not all of it as some he would not show and what i saw is amazing he has been digging in the Ardennes forest for a very long time so i have a direct line of custardy and direct history of the helmet personally.
The recovery area lies within the Foy battlefield, where the 101st Airborne Division fought during the German Ardennes Offensive. Easy Company occupied positions in and around Bois Jacques and the woods overlooking Foy, enduring intense winter conditions, artillery fire and repeated German attacks. The fighting around Foy formed part of the wider defence of Bastogne and culminated in the American advance into the village in early January 1945.
Today, the helmet provides a remarkable physical link to the men of Easy Company and the brutal conditions they experienced in the Foy sector. Its severe fragmentation, penetrations, splits and deformation, combined with the surviving original Easy Company marking, make it a striking survivor from one of the most famous episodes of the Battle of the Bulge—the same history later brought to a worldwide audience through the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.