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 a lovely condition aluminium airframe section which is a nice clean panel which is pretty much complete not badly damaged by the crash. The part which still retains its lovely original colour and green paintwork remains and is in relic condition overall lovely condition it is in relic but solid condition and has been nicely cleaned perfect for display or any collection and is 8 inches long and 5 inches wide in size. The part comes from American B17 flying fortress44-6504 OF 360th bomber squadron crashed on return from raid on railyard at Ulm in bad weather on 16th December 1944 .The part comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with crash site pictures and map.
The bomber was on a mission to bomb a railway marshalling yard in Ulm, Germany. However, due to deteriorating weather conditions, the mission was aborted and the flight recalled. To prevent mid-air collisions, the formation of bombers was ordered to break rank and head for separate bases in the United Kingdom. On several occasions, the pilot of this B-17—Lt Kyle—requested bearings back to England, but was misled by false signals from German transmitters. This resulted in the aircraft flying too far north of the English bases.
Eventually, while flying close to the Scottish / English border, Lt. Kyle descended through the clouds in an attempt to establish visual bearings. Unfortunately, however, the pilot descended too low to clear the snow-covered Cheviots. The aircraft crashed-landed on West Hill, close to The Cheviot. It then slid across a peat bog, coming to a halt on the hill shoulder. Two crew members died in the crash. The remaining crew members escaped; some with minor, and others with severe injuries.
Three of the survivors—Lt. Kyle, F/O Hardy, and Sgt Schieferstein—staggered down the slopes to a shepherd's cottage, where they raised the alarm.
Still on the hilltop, Sgt Smith and several other crew members had taken refuge in a ditch. Several hours later, as they lay sheltering in the ditch, Sgt Smith felt a dog licking his face. The dog, Sheila* belonged to a local shepherd,John Dagg. Together with another shepherd—Frank Moscrop—Mr. Dagg had been out on the hills searching for survivors. The dog found the airmen first, and its excited barking alerted the shepherds, bringing them quickly to the scene.
When the B-17 crashed, its bomb load was still intact. (They had not been jetisoned at sea). Fortunately, these munitions had not exploded on impact with the ground. However, just as the crew reached the safety of the shepherd's cottage on lower ground, the entire bomb load exploded.
This is a merlin engine bearing retainer which is brass made and in nice relic condition. The bracket still has some of its brass colour remains and which has corroded over the years of being buried also shows evidence of the crash impact, having been ripped, torn and bent on contact, yet remains solid and stable. It has been carefully cleaned while preserving its authentic relic character. The part Measuring approximately 25 inches inches long and is a nice relic from the air war over the German capital city and from an aircraft there is not much about these parts where recovered in the 1990’s by aircraft relic hunter and collector the late Alan Brown.
The part is from from RAF Lancaster DV403 of 617 squadron, shot down while attacking German V-2 rocket facility at Wizernes in France on the 24th June 1944.
On June 24, 1944, Lancaster DV403 took off from RAF Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire as part of an 18-aircraft formation targeting a heavily fortified German V2 rocket bunker at Wizernes, Northern France. The squadron was deploying the newly developed, 12,000-pound "Tallboy" deep-penetration earthquake bombs to destroy the site.
During the approach to the target, DV403 was caught in intense anti-aircraft fire (flak). The aircraft took severe hits, killing several crew members and rendering the heavy bomber uncontrollable. The remaining crew members were forced to bail out before the aircraft crashed in fields nearby
The airframe structure comes with 2 A5 laminated information cards with pictures and map.
This is a very rare cockpit instrument panel mounting adapter for the engine revolution counter from the right hand side of the main pilots dashboard panel as shown on the diagram
The gauge case which is aluminium made and pretty much complete with a bit of damage nothing to bad it was damaged by the impact of the crash it is in nice solid condition it has been very nicely cleaned with lots of original colours and is perfect for display or any collection the part is 2 half inches wide in size. The part is from RAF Hurricane number V7677 of No249 squadron shot down 5th December 1940, crashed Appledore in Kent during battle of Britain. The part comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with map also recovery picture and diagram.
RAF Hurricane number V7677 of No249 squadron flown by G.A Stroud he was engaged in combat with Luftwaffe fighters which were making daylight fighter sweep over Kent one was a Messerschmitt 109 which was piloted by Staffelkapitan H.Vogeler of 4/LG2 he shot down the Hurricane during this engagement over the Ashford area of Kent on the 5th December 1940.
G.Stroud baled out but was wounded North of Rye and the plane crashed at Stone near Appledore in Kent. The site was dug up in 1973 by the Brenzett Aeronautical Museum were many items were recovered including the Engine which can be seen below in the photo taken at the time of the dig in 1973 the recovery team and the engine from Stroud's Hurricane.
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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.