Featured Relics & Militaria
![Totally rare German JG 26 schlageter [fighter squadron] vehicle pennant dated 1942 found on a flea market in Flensburg there location of there final base in 1945](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68d1ab7035510c7b1d919216/ad74d6a8-65bd-4e4e-8a96-80aa78adfce5/IMG_2345.JPG)
This is a totally rare German JG 26 schlageter [fighter squadron] vehicle pennant which is dated 1942 and with maker stamp as well all partly clear to see
The pennant still has its eagle and JG26 marking on each side again mostly clear to see, the pennant is very dirty and discoloured and with some damage from being buried at some point and later recovered but overall it is in very solid condition and has been carefully cleaned. The pennant still retains some original colours and is still perfect for display or any collection not braking up or falling apart and is 21 inches long by 11 inches wide at the wide point.
The pennant was found on a flea market in Flensburg there location of there final base in 1945.The time spent by Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) "Schlageter" at Flensburg Airfield lasted just five chaotic days, from May 3 to May 8, 1945. Despite the brief timeframe, their presence marked a significant and dramatic chapter in the final dissolution of the Luftwaffe
By May 1945, JG 26 was a fragment of its former self. Pushed out of airfield after airfield by the rapid British advance across northwest Germany, the wing's remaining Focke-Wulf Fw 190D "Dora" fighters landed at Flensburg. The airfield was packed with hundreds of retreating German aircraft, personnel, and members of the newly formed Flensburg Government. Fuel was so desperately scarce that routine operations were impossible, and many aircraft had to be towed into hiding places around the airfield perimeter using horses or manual labor to save petrol
Even on the day of their arrival, May 3, 1945, the war was not entirely over for some pilots. Elements of the wing flew their very last combat missions of World War II from Flensburg. Elite pilots, including highly decorated aces, engaged in final, hopeless dogfights against Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Tempests scouring northern Germany.
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 and semi-relic French Lebel model 1886 rifle bayonet quill handle in its scabbard which means it was made before 1916, the brass handle is not connected to the blade but could be re connected if you wanted to. The blade is totally complete and goes in and out of the scabbard very easily. It has its lovely original colours on the handle and mostly on the blade it is in nice solid condition with only light pitting and little bit of rust on the scabbard only with lots of black paintwork remains it has been nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The bayonet in its scabbard that was recovered from the 1914- 1918 battlefield in Verdun. The bayonet comes with an A5 laminated information card.
This is a rare find from the battlefield a pre war French Model 1892 Mannlicher Berthier Rifle Bayonet which is near complete only missing the tip of its blade. The bayonet which is relic but not too rusty is still very solid and not breaking up. The blade is pitted and has been very nicely cleaned after its recovery. Perfect for display or any collection it is missing its wooden handle but still a cracking relic as this bayonet was not issued in massive numbers like the lebel was. The bayonet was recovered from from near the River Meuse on Hill 304 and Malancourt the area of the March - May 1916 battle which was the large German advance towards Verdun. A very nice and rare relic from this famous battlefield. The bayonet comes with 2 x A5 laminated information cards with map.
In late February 1916, following German attacks on the right bank of the River Meuse during the Battle of Verdun, the French had established artillery batteries on the hills on the left bank commanding the opposite, right-hand bank. One of these was Le Mort Homme. These batteries caused such havoc that the Germans, belatedly, decided to attack southwards along the left bank of the river simultaneously. Their objective was Le Mort Homme and its neighbouring hills. Over the next few months, the Germans made repeated attacks, pounding the French lines, rushing their positions and ejecting the French from their wrecked trenches. French artillery would then pulverise the Germans and counter-attacks would drive them out again, the French infantry re-occupying the shell holes where the trench systems had been.
Despite the terrible cost, the Germans were able to advance slowly, first capturing a neighbouring hill, Côte 304, which was dominating the approach to Le Mort Homme. Then, on 16 March, the Germans took Côte 265, labelled on their maps as Toter Mann (Le Mort Homme), but not on French maps. Finally, on 24 May, they took the second summit, Côte 295.
This is a lovely condition French M1886 pattern quill handle bayonet which the complete quill is still there and it has its nice shiny brass handle. The bayonet blade is snapped but only at the tip it has bent as well but is very near complete blade which has been treated after recovery to make it nice and solid but the handle is complete. It has its lovely original colours and is a very nice relic in solid condition, which has been nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The bayonet would have been used by a French Chasseurs Alpin soldier as it was recovered from Vosges Mountains the battle of the Lingekopf, 1915 in France. The bayonet comes with 2 x A5 laminated information cards with many pictures and map.
The Battle of the Lingekopf (or Battle of Le Linge) was a harrowing World War I conflict fought from 20 July to 16 October 1915 along a 3.5-kilometre stretch of the Vosges Mountains near Orbey and Colmar, Alsace. Triggered by the French 129th and 47th Divisions to seize fortified high ground from the German 6th Bavarian Landwehr Division, the offensive dissolved into a nightmarish, close-quarters war of attrition across steep, rocky terrain ranging between 900 and 1,100 metres in altitude. Despite initial failed French assaults on the opening day, relentless artillery barrages, devastating infantry charges, and the early use of poison gas and flamethrowers, the French were unable to break the reinforced German defenses, which featured intricate stone-lined trenches and concrete machine-gun pillboxes built into the summits. The three-month stalemate resulted in a staggering 17,000 total casualties, claiming the lives of roughly 10,000 French and 7,000 German soldiers—the vast majority of whom were young men between 19 and 20 years old—for virtually zero strategic territorial gain before the front line solidified until the 1918 Armistice. Today, the site is classified as a historic monument and remains exceptionally well-preserved as the Mémorial du Linge, an open-air museum run by volunteers where visitors can walk through three distinct routes of the hauntingly close German and French trench systems, view recovered personal relics, and visit the nearby military cemeteries
Gift Vouchers
Send a Relics from the Front gift voucher to friends and family with a brief message, or send it to yourself and gift it in-person. Ideal gift for birthdays and Christmas, for the more unique present.
Upcoming Trade Shows
Come and join us at one of the many trade shows we attend throughout the UK each year. Whether you’re a seasoned collector, history enthusiast, or simply curious, there’s something for everyone.
This is a totally rare find from the battlefield a armour piercing projectile 8.8cm, KwK36, L/56 double driving band which was fired by German Tiger 1 tank which is complete but its ballistic cap has squashed properly from being dumped in the lake. The projectile is in nice condition with no base plug or markings on the bottom but is still has some original black paintwork remains it still has its pair of steel colour driving bands in place and complete the outer case is only lightly pitted with no holes but does have a little bit of damage and pitting but nothing to bad The projectile is completely empty and inert it has been well cleaned and overall perfect condition for display and very rare one for any collection. The projectile was recovered from a lake East of Bastogne in the Ardennes Forest from the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45. The projectile comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards with many pictures and map also drawings.
The projectile was recovered from a lake which was used as a dump site for battlefield clearance the area where the lake is, was attacked by the German 26th Volksgrenadier Division and elements of the Panzer Lehr Division they had the only Panzer 4 tanks in the area.