EXTREMELY RARE to FIND "Battlefield" Dug RELIC WW2 Nazi German SA / SS Officer Dagger ! ( Recovered Historic Kurland Pocket ! )

Here is a cool and rare display relic German Officer SA/SS dagger blade and guard missing handle except for a couple pieces. Nice relic condition was ground dug at Kurland.Displays Incredible !
Kurland Pocket Battlefield area.At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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RARE FIND! German WW2 SS or PANZER DIVISION Painted SYMBOL Directional or VEHICLE Metal Marker Pennant SIGN ! ( Recovered Historic Stalingrad )

Here is a unique and rarely found German WW2 divisional painted pennant sign from Stalingrad!
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE FIND ! "Battlefield Recovered and Battle Damaged" GERMAN WW2 AWARD "TANK ASSAULT BADGE"
Award for Bravery ( Recovered Radzymin, Poland Eastern Front - Largest Tank Battle in Poland )

Here is a chance to own a solid and "Battle Damaged" German WW2 Tank Assault Badge that was lost in battle. These are my personal favorite awards as for 'eye appeal' . These are usually always found broken when dug with one end snapped off or missing the bar. This example still has the bar clasp intact and maker marked Peekhaus. it displays beautifully. In response to Vedeneev's thrust, the Germans started a tactical counter-attack near Radzymin on July 31. The offensive, carried out by 4 understrength Panzer divisions, was to secure the eastern approaches to Warsaw and Vistula crossings, and aimed to destroy the three tank corps of the Second Tank Army in detail. Under the leadership of German Field Marshal Model, the 4th, 19th, Hermann Göring, and 5th SS Panzer Divisions were concentrated from different areas with their arrival in the area of Wolomin occurring between July 31 and August 1, 1944. Although the 3rd Tank Corps gamely defended the initial assaults of the Hermann Göring and 19th Panzer Divisions, the arrival of the 4th Panzer and 5th SS Panzer Divisions spelled doom for the isolated and outnumbered unit.Already on August 1, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wolomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on August 3, 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive.For unknown reasons, on August 2, 1944 all armies that were to assault Warsaw had their orders changed. The 28th, 47th and 65th Armies were ordered to turn northwards and seize the undefended town of Wyszków and the Liwiec river line. The 2nd Tank Army was left in place and had to fight the Germans alone, without support of the infantry. Also, 69th Army was ordered to stop while the 8th Guards Army under Vasily Chuikov was ordered to halt the assault and await a German attack from the direction of Garwolin. Further combat lasted until August 10, when the Germans finally withdrew. Soviet losses were heavy, but not heavy enough to affect the overall course of their thrust to the vicinity of Warsaw. The 3rd Tank Corps was destroyed, the 8th Guards Tank Corps took heavy losses, and the 16th Tank Corps took significant losses as well. Overall, the Second Tank Army's losses were significant enough that it was withdrawn from the front lines by August 5, 1944.

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RARE WW2 "Battle Damaged" and Battlefield Recovered German M35 SD "Waffen-SS" HELMET SHELL !
( Recovered Kurland-Kessel )

Here is a nice Don't let this one get away! In the middle of October 1944, about 500,000 soldiers -- 32 German divisions and the 20,000 men of the Latvian Nineteenth Division of the Waffen–SS -- were cut off from the rest of the German army and encircled. To the east and the south was the Soviet army, to the north and the west -- the Baltic Sea. The Latvians called it Kurzemes katls, the Kurland kettle; the Germans called it Festung Kurland, Fortress Kurland. For the Nineteenth Division Kurland was truly the last stand. They took part in six major battles between October 12, 1944, and April 3, 1945. Together with the German army units they on the whole held the front line, keeping the Bolsheviks out of Kurland, until May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated. These soldiers remained undefeated until the final moments of the war, im Felde unbesiegt, as the Germans say. In one of the last battles, Captain Miervaldis Adamsons' company in a single 24-hour period repelled seven attacks by the Russians, and after the battle the bodies of 400 fallen Soviet soldiers could be counted in front of the Latvians unconquered positions.The Soviet High Command asked the commanders of the First and Second Baltic Fronts to take forceful action in Kurland, in order to drive the enemy from the northern sector of the Baltic Sea and free their units for more important positions on the Soviet-German front. The first attempt occurred on October 16, 1944, but was stopped in the area around Tukums. The next Soviet offensive took place on October 27, but met with strong resistance from the outset and did not result in any gains. November 20 saw another offensive, but the Germans and Latvians stabilized their defensive line, utilizing favorable geographic features. Equally unsuccessful were the final attempts of the First and Second Baltic Front Armies to liquidate the German Army Group "Kurland" in December of 1944 and February and April of 1945.Soviet documents show that Stalin threw division after division into the Kurland inferno, disregarding the appallingly high losses. According to German estimates , the Soviet army lost 320,000 soldiers including those fallen, wounded, and taken prisoner and 2388 tanks, 659 planes, 900 cannons, and 1440 machine-guns.

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RARE AND HISTORIC ARTIFACT ! "Battle Damaged" German WWII Ground Dug RELIC " SS Fallschirmjager Battalion 600 " HELMET ! ( Ground Dug near Vilnius - Eastern Front Campaign )

Here is as always a 100% original relic condition ground dug German Fallschirmjager helmet that was recovered Villnius. German Para Helmets are the rarest and most desireable collectible have in your collection. The SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500 was formed at Chlum, Czechoslovakia, October 1943 (this was not the first attempt for form a paratroop unit in the Waffen-SS, a failed attempt was made in 1937) and was made up of volunteers from both regular Waffen-SS units and from men who had been convicted of military offenses, such as falling asleep on guard duty, the latter were given a chance to redeem themselves in combat. It was sent to Luftwaffe Fallschirm-Schule Nr.3 at Mataruška banja, Yugoslavia, for jump-training in November 1943 and later to Papa, Hungary, where they completed their training. It was sent back to Yugoslavia where they took part in anti-partisan operations until April 1944 when the preparations for Operation Rösselsprung began. The men of the batallion jumped and landed gliders near Partisan leader Josip "Tito" Broz's headquarters in the mountains near Drvar 25 May 1944. The attack was initially a surprise but Tito managed to escape and the paratroopers were soon suffering heavy losses from the attacks by the partisans that were arriving from the mountains around Drvar. The unit was relieved by elements of 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen and was sent to Petrovac were it once again fought the partisans before being sent to Ljubljana to rest in June.It took part in toppling Horthy in Hungary with SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502. It was sent to Gotenhafen, East Prussia, to take part in the occupation of the Aaland Islands in the Baltic Sea together with the 416. Infanterie-Division, but the operation had been cancelled when they arrived. They were instead transferred to Riga and later to Vilnius were they took part in heavy fighting before being sent to Memel October 1944.
It was disbanded October 1944 and the remaining soldiers were used to form SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 600.

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HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER ! Original Lot of 2 Ground Dug Relic GERMAN WAFFEN-SS Battle - Damaged M42 SD Raw Edge HELMET Remains with Terrific Damage ! ( Recovered Kurland Battlefield Surrender Site )

Here is relic helmet opportunity of 2 battle damaged relic helmets from the collection that was dug in the 1980's in Kurland. The M42 raw edge helmet has the "roof" blown off and displays incredible ! Priced right with the highly desireable visible SD SS Runes. Also a DD SS Helmet solid with rust through damage. The price for the pair is extremely affordable. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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WW2 Battlefield Recovered "DUTCH SS HELMET" with "Wolfs Angel" DECAL - ( Found Kurland Pocket )

Rare chance to own a battlefield dug WW2 Dutch SS Volunteer Helmet. September 1944 the front could collapse at any moment. The Red Army was attacking Riga, and the whole Heeresgruppe was in great danger. The commanders therefore asked permission to withdraw and leave Estonia. Even Hitler realised that there was no choice and on September the 23rd 1944 he ordered the troops to head for Kurland (in Lithuania). 'Nederland', weakened by a high number of casualties, arrived on October the 14th and were ordered to immediately dig in again. The Brigade had only fought for a few days around Gumi-Wolmar, but lost a large number of soldiers due to the heavy Red Army attacks. The situation in the new region, the Kurland, was looking dismal. Although the frontlines were now shorter and therefore more defensible, the Red Army kept coming. Very briefly after the arrival of 'Nederland' in the Kurland the first attacking Soviet-Russian columns were spotted. Together with 'Nordland' and the 126.Infantry Division the Brigade was able to repel the attack. They had prevented the Red Army from conquering the city of Libau, which was very important from an infrastructural point of view. The first Kurland battle had ended, and hundreds of Red Army soldiers had died in their attempt to take the Dutch lines. The marshy and wooded Kurland region proved to be very suitable for partisan actions. It was therefore no surprise that the Dutch SS-men were confronted with this kind of guerrilla-warfare. After a number of raids and sabotage actions committed by groups of partisans, commander Wagner took drastic measures. The deaths of some SS-men were avenged on the orders of Wagner by shooting a (unknown) number of civilians. These kind of barbaric murders only had a temporary effect on the partisan actions, however STAVKA, the Red Army high command, launched a second Kurland-offensive on October the 27th. The Waffen-SS Division 'Nordland' and the X.Armycorps had an especially rough time. 'Nederland' was stationed just outside the area in which the main Soviet-Russian attack was taking place and the second Battalion of the Regiment 'De Ruyter' was hit very hard by two frontal infantry attacks. Halfway November the Red offensive had lost its power, however, and the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS forces could recover as the front was stabilising. The time away from combat was used to dig new trenches and bunkers in the 'Krimhildestellung' (mainly at night because of the ever active Red Airforce).

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RARE OPPORTUNITY ! WW2 German Battlefield Relic Panzer Battalion "KING TIGER" TANK Large ARTILLERY SHELL Casing !
( Recovered Kurland Pocket Eastern Front )

Here is an opportunity to own and display a battlefield dug German WW2 relic Tiger Tank shell casing that was recovered Kurland Pocket.
In Latvia (Kurland), the 510th Heavy Panzer Battalion, re-equipped with Tiger IIs, fought on in the pocket until May 1945. Another unit soldiering on the eastern front was the former 102 SS S.Pz.Abt. which was almost wiped out in Normandy, before being re-equipped with Tiger IIs in September 1944 and renamed the 502nd SS Schwere Panzer Abteilung. This unit was stationed on the Oder front line and later tried to get through the Soviet encirclement of Berlin. The remnants were destroyed in the Halbe Pocket. Another former SS unit operating with Tiger Is in February 1944, fought with the IIIrd (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps until October. It was then re-equipped with Tiger IIs in November, and renamed the 503 s.Pz.Abt., taking part in the Army Group Weichsel, operating from February to March. In April, the 503rd had destroyed 500 enemy tanks for the loss of 39.tvia (Kurland), the 510th Heavy Panzer Battalion, re-equipped with Tiger IIs, fought on in the pocket until May 1945. Another unit soldiering on the eastern front was the former 102 SS S.Pz.Abt. which was almost wiped out in Normandy, before being re-equipped with Tiger IIs in September 1944 and renamed the 502nd SS Schwere Panzer Abteilung. This unit was stationed on the Oder front line and later tried to get through the Soviet encirclement of Berlin. The remnants were destroyed in the Halbe Pocket. Another former SS unit operating with Tiger Is in February 1944, fought with the IIIrd (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps until October. It was then re-equipped with Tiger IIs in November, and renamed the 503 s.Pz.Abt., taking part in the Army Group Weichsel, operating from February to March. In April, the 503rd had destroyed 500 enemy tanks for the loss of 39. The 56-calibre long 88 mm KwK 36 was chosen for the Tiger. A combination of a flat trajectory from the high muzzle velocity and precision Leitz Turmzielfernrohr TZF 9b sight (later replaced by the monocular TZF 9c) made it very accurate. In British wartime firing trials, five successive hits were scored on a 410 by 460 mm (16 by 18 in) target at a range of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft). Compared to the other contemporary German tank guns, the 7.5 cm KwK 40 on the Sturmgeschütz III and Panzer IV and the 7.5 cm KwK 42 on the Panther tank, the Tiger's gun had superior penetration and high-explosive firepower PzGr. 39 (armour-piercing, capped, ballistic cap)The ammunition for the Tiger had electrically fired primers. Four types of ammunition were available but not all were fully available; the PzGr 40 shell used tungsten which was in short supply as the war progressed.
• PzGr. 40 (armour-piercing, composite rigid)
• Hl. Gr. 39 (high explosive anti-tank)
• sch. Sprgr. Patr. L/4.5 (incendiary shrapnel)

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RARE and HISTORIC Artifact ! German WW2 "Battlefield Relic" FALLSCHIRMJAGER PARATROOPER" STAFF CAR Divisional PENNANT !
( Recovered Volkhov Front Leningrad )
Here is a chance to own an original battlefield excavated German WW2 Fallschirmjager Paratrooper Division Metal Staff Car Pennant that was dug on the Eastern Front Leningrad. Rough condition but symbols still visible and beautifully display. In August 1941, the 7th Flieger returned to Germany. The invasion of the Soviet Union was now underway, but the Division would play no role during the first summer. The losses suffered in the Crete landings were made good with newly trained recruits, and by September 1941 the Division was back up to strength. On 24 September, the Division received orders to move to the Leningrad front in Russia. As in past campaigns, the élite 7th Flieger Division was again frequently to be used in Company and Battalion-strength units, patching up battle lines whenever the German defenders started to waver against Soviet attacks. This experience led the Paratroopers to name themselves "The Führer's Firemen". Beginning 29 September, the 1st and 3rd Regiments of the 7th Flieger Division joined the defense of the salient along the Neva River. The battle continued into the winter, with units taking heavy losses during the conflict. Finally in mid-December the Division was relieved and returned to Germany. Meanwhile, in November, the 2nd Regiment was deployed to the southern sector to participate in the defense against the Russian winter offensive. They remained on the front throughout the winter, suffering more from the difficult climatic conditions than from enemy actions. By March 1942, the 2nd Regiment was posted to the Volkhov front, to the southeast of Leningrad, defending against the fierce and continuing Russian attacks. When the 2nd Regiment was returned to Germany in June 1942, it was detached from the 7th Flieger Division and would form the nucleus of the German 2nd Parachute Division. The 7th Flieger Division was now recovering in Normandy, France. To replace the 2nd Regiment, the 4th Parachute Regiment was raised. Later in the year, plans were made to use the division in the German summer offensive in Russia. However the operation was canceled, and the division was deployed in the Rzhev sector near Smolensk in October. Much of the winter months were spent patrolling and performing limited attacks along the front. The Battle of Stalingrad was underway, and Soviet attentions were focused on the southern part of the front. This situation changed in March 1943 when the Soviet army assaulted the divisional front. This attack was beaten back with heavy Russian losses.
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RARE WW2 Battlefield Dug Complete ! 4 Section RUSSIAN BODY ARMOR "Battle Damaged" SNIPER STRUCK in Chest Plate - ( Recovered HISTORIC STALINGRAD Eastern Front )
Here is a rare opportunity, from my personal collection, A Battlefield Dug "BULLET PIERCED" Complete 4 Piece Russian Army Sniper Body Armor recovered Historic Stalingrad. Fantastic Display Relic ! The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in Southern Russia, on the eastern boundary of Europe. Marked by constant close quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians by air raids, it is often regarded as the single largest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare.The heavy losses inflicted on the German Wehrmacht make it arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. It was a turning point in the European theatre of World War II; German forces never regained the initiative in the East and withdrew a vast military force from the West to replace their losses.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in late summer 1942, using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into building-to-building fighting, and both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November 1942, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones generally along the west bank of the Volga River. On 19 November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack targeting the weaker Romanianand Hungarian forces protecting the German 6th Army's flanks.The Axis forces on the flanks were overrun and the 6th Army was cut off and surrounded in the Stalingrad area. Adolf Hitler ordered that the army stay in Stalingrad and make no attempt to break out; instead, attempts were made to supply the army by air and to break the encirclement from the outside. Heavy fighting continued for another two months. By the beginning of February 1943, the Axis forces in Stalingrad had exhausted their ammunition and food. The remaining elements of the 6th Army surrendered. The battle lasted five months, one week, and three days.
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EXTREMELY RARE and "COLLECTIBLE ARTIFACT" ! WW2 German Navy "KRIEGSMARINE" Officer's DAGGER - ( Dug Schivelbein )
Here is a cool Battlefield Dug WW2 German Kriegsmarine Navy Dagger Dug up at Schivelbein. The Hela peninsula and Hela town, northwest of Danzig, were defended by the German army until the end of the war on May 9, 1945. 900,000 people where evacuated by ship, mainly by the Kriegsmarine. 200,000 could flee to the more western provinces of Germany on land (most before March, 1945). Only 3% of those who fled per ship died on the Baltic sea due to Soviet torpedoes. On land, due to the harsh winter and due to Sovietair raids, the losses among civilians were much higher. The roving cauldron of Hans von Tettau's corps was defended by some 10,000 to 16,000 troops, stemming primarily from the remnants of the "Holstein" and "Pommerland" Panzer Divisions,taking with them about 40,000 civilians. This group had managed to break through the Soviet encirclement north of Schivelbein and fought their way toward the coastline. Hoping for evacuation by the German navy, they secured a bridgehead near Hoff and Horst. As evacuation did not happen, they moved on to Dievenow, from where they were ferried to Wollin island on March 11 and 12.

$180

RARE WW2 "Battle Damaged" and Battlefield Recovered German M35 DD "Waffen-SS" HELMET SHELL ! ( Recovered Kurland-Kessel )

Here is a spectacular artifact. A Bullet Riddled DD M35 German SS Black Helmet possible a Allgemeine SS Police unit. Don't let this one get away! In the middle of October 1944, about 500,000 soldiers -- 32 German divisions and the 20,000 men of the Latvian Nineteenth Division of the Waffen–SS -- were cut off from the rest of the German army and encircled. To the east and the south was the Soviet army, to the north and the west -- the Baltic Sea. The Latvians called it Kurzemes katls, the Kurland kettle; the Germans called it Festung Kurland, Fortress Kurland. For the Nineteenth Division Kurland was truly the last stand. They took part in six major battles between October 12, 1944, and April 3, 1945. Together with the German army units they on the whole held the front line, keeping the Bolsheviks out of Kurland, until May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated. These soldiers remained undefeated until the final moments of the war, im Felde unbesiegt, as the Germans say. In one of the last battles, Captain Miervaldis Adamsons' company in a single 24-hour period repelled seven attacks by the Russians, and after the battle the bodies of 400 fallen Soviet soldiers could be counted in front of the Latvians unconquered positions.The Soviet High Command asked the commanders of the First and Second Baltic Fronts to take forceful action in Kurland, in order to drive the enemy from the northern sector of the Baltic Sea and free their units for more important positions on the Soviet-German front. The first attempt occurred on October 16, 1944, but was stopped in the area around Tukums. The next Soviet offensive took place on October 27, but met with strong resistance from the outset and did not result in any gains. November 20 saw another offensive, but the Germans and Latvians stabilized their defensive line, utilizing favorable geographic features. Equally unsuccessful were the final attempts of the First and Second Baltic Front Armies to liquidate the German Army Group "Kurland" in December of 1944 and February and April of 1945.Soviet documents show that Stalin threw division after division into the Kurland inferno, disregarding the appallingly high losses. According to German estimates , the Soviet army lost 320,000 soldiers including those fallen, wounded, and taken prisoner and 2388 tanks, 659 planes, 900 cannons, and 1440 machine-guns.

$ 470

RARE AND HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT ! Lot of Omaha Beach D-DAY Relics - M1 Clip German Buckle, Shrapnel Piece, and Large Calibre Shell Casings OMAHA BEACH , NORMANDY !

Here is a chance to own an affordable historic lot of US / German relics that were dug at Omaha Beach D-Day Landing Site. Omaha Beach was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in theNormandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II. Omaha is located on the coast of Normandy, France, facing theEnglish Channel, and is 8 kilometres (5 mi) long, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve River estuary. Landings here were necessary in order to link up the British landings to the east atGold with the American landing to the west at Utah, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast of theBay of the Seine. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport and naval artillery support provided by the U.S. Navy and elements of the British Royal Navy. On D-Day, the untested 29th Infantry Division, along with nine companies of U.S. Army Rangers redirected from Pointe du Hoc, were to assault the western half of the beach. The battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division was given the eastern half. The initial assault waves, consisting of tanks, infantry, and combat engineer forces, were carefully planned to reduce the coastal defenses and allow the larger ships of the follow-up waves to land. The primary objective at Omaha was to secure a beachhead of some eight kilometres (5 miles) depth, between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire River, linking with the British landings at Gold to the east, and reaching the area of Isigny to the west to link up with VII Corps landing at Utah. Opposing the landings was the German 352nd Infantry Division, a large portion of whom were teenagers, though they were supplemented by veterans who had fought on the Eastern Front. The 352nd had never had any battalion or regimental training. Of the 12,020 men of the division, only 6,800 were experienced combat troops, detailed to defend a 53 kilometres (33 mi) front. The Germans were largely deployed in strongpoints along the coast—the German strategy was based on defeating any seaborne assault at the water line. Nevertheless, Allied calculations indicated that Omaha's defenses were three times as strong as those they had encountered during the Battle of Kwajalein, and its defenders were four times as many.

$ 220 for the lot !

RARE WW2 Battlefield Dug German LUFTWAFFE Flight Privilege Token Lot from HISTORIC "STALINGRAD" - Bunker Dug Pitomnik Airfield

Here is a unique lot of battlefield dug up German Luftwaffe Flight Permit Token/Tags from historic Pitomnik Airfield, Stalingrad. Authentic German Luftwaffe WWII Permit Token to Fly out of the Stalingrad Pocket that were found at Pitomnik Airfield. The permits were issued to Luftwaffe in order to leave the besieged 6th German Army by means of airplane. These were painted white,red,yellow,etc. The colors were used to designate Were issued only to hard wounded soldiers, and also in special cases of subordinates to approval of the high command. There were two types of such permits - the first in the form of a square, the second was round. Stalingrad permits were painted in different colors: red – for wounded, white - for the other reasons (For example evacuation of the valuable military staff), yellow (round) - give out in case of heavy illness.

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RARE WW2 "Battlefield" Dug Relic BATTLE-DAMAGED German WAFFEN-SS SD M35 HELMET - ( Recovered Kurland Pocket Eastern Front )

Here is a cool and AFFORDABLE! dug relic German Waffen-SS SD M35 Helmet with a clearly visible runes that appears to be crushed by an armored vehicle. The M38 helmet still has camo clip attached and part of the original chinstrap and liner present, was dug up at Kurland Pocket Eastern Front.Kurland Pocket Battlefield area.At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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RARE ! "Battlefield Dug" Relic German "TANK" Panzer Assault Badge in BRONZE ! Still retains the pin intact. ( Recovered Radzymin Tank Battlefield Poland )

These do not last long when featured. Rare to find Battlefield dug up. This example still retains the pinback. The Battle of Radzymin was one of a series of engagements between the Red Army's 1st Byelorussian Front and theWehrmacht Heer's XXXIXth Panzer Corps that occurred as part of the Lublin-Brest Offensive between 1 and 10 August 1944 at the conclusion of the Belorussian strategic offensive operation near the town of Radzymin in the vicinity of Warsaw, part of which entailed a large tank battle at Wolomin. It was the largest tank battle on the territories of Poland during World War II.Approach of the Red Army forces into the proximity of Warsaw served to initiate the Warsaw Uprising by the Home Army with expectation of help from the Red Army. The battle ended with Soviet's defeat; it is unclear to what extent this defeat contributed to Soviet's decision not to aid the Warsaw Uprising.

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ABSOLUTELY THE RAREST !! A Russian Front Battlefield Dug RELIC Battle Damaged "MG RIDDLED" AXIS NAZI HUNGARIAN 2nd Army HELMET !!
( Recovered Hungarian 2nd Army Positions Vorenzh Eastern front )

This is one of the most impressive large size helmets with bullet piercings that I have had come available. The Hungarian M37 has the strap loop still intact on back and shows multiple bullet strikes and exit holes.. possibly shrapnel strikes as well. This helmet was dug at Vorenzh.
In 1942, the Hungarian Second Army was given the task of protecting the 8th Italian Army's northern flank between Novaya Pokrovka on the Don River and Rossosh.This allowed the German Sixth Army to continue to attack Soviet General Vasily Chuikov's 62nd Army defending Stalingrad. The Hungarian Second Army, as almost all of the armies protecting the flanks of the Sixth Army, was annihilated when the Soviets launched Operation Uranus, Operation Saturn, and Operation Little Saturn. As part of these operations, two Soviet pincers drove through the Romanian Third Army to the north of Stalingrad and the Romanian Fourth Army to the south, cutting off the Sixth Army. On December 12, 1942, as a counter move, the Germans launched Operation Winter Storm to relieve their Sixth Army by attacking through the pincers of the Soviet armies participating in Operation Uranus. The Soviets counter-attacked on December 16, 1942, and launched Operation Little Saturn, penetrating between the Italian Eighth Army and the Hungarian Second Army near the junction held by the Italian Alpini and threatening the flank of German forces attempting to relieve the Sixth Army by cutting the would-be relievers off at the Donets river. With heavy losses the Soviets conquered some areas west of the Don river, but were temporarily stopped and delayed in their advance.But on January 13, 1943, Russian forces, overwhelming in numbers and equipment, began the Voronezh-Kharkov Strategic Offensive Operation with the Bryansk, Voronezh, and Southwestern Fronts simultaneously. The Soviet Red Army was totally successful this time: during this offensive the Russians rapidly destroyed the Hungarian Second Army near Svoboda on the Don River. An attack on the German Second Army further north threatened to bring about an encirclement of that army as well, though it managed to withdraw and was forced to retreat. By February 5, 1943, troops of the Russian Voronezh Front were approaching Kharkov.
During its twelve months of activity on the Russian front, the Second Hungarian Army's losses were enormous. Of an initial force of about 200,000 Hungarian soldiers and 50,000 Jewish forced-laborers,[4] about 100,000 were dead, 35,000 wounded, and 60,000 taken prisoners of war. Only about 40,000 men returned to Hungary, scapegoated by Hitler for the catastrophic Axis defeat. "No nation lost as much blood during World War II in such a short period of time

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HISTORIC "Battlefield Dug Relic US GI or "82ND AIRBORNE" FLASHLIGHT - ( Recovered St. Vith, Ardennes )

In all my years of dealing and collecting in WW2 I have never seen a battlefield dug WW2 US issue torch flashlight. The flashlight was dug at St. Vith.
St. Vith is built on a low hill surrounded on all sides by slightly higher rises. On the south the Braunlauf Creek swings past St. Vith and from the stream a draw extends to the west edge of the town. About a mile and a half to the east a large wooded hill mass rises as a screen. This is crossed by the road to Schönberg, which then dips into the Our valley and follows the north bank of the river until the Schönberg bridge is reached, approximately six miles from St. Vith. Suddenly, on December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest which caught the Allies completely by surprise. The 82nd moved into action on December 17th in reponse to the German's Ardennes Counteroffensive and blunted General Von Runstedt's northern penetration in the American lines. On December 20th the 82nd attacked in the Vielsalm-St. Vith region and the 504th PIR took Monceau. This fiece attack forced the German units back across the Ambleve River the next day.

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RARE in Excavated WW1 Battlefield Relic German Bavarian Merit AWARD CROSS - Dug YPRES

Here is a great little dug battlefield relic WWI Merit Award. Excavated at Ypres. The German defensive line had been fortified during the previous months in their expectation of an attack here. The British advance turned into a battle of 8 phases, inching closer to the Passchendaele Ridge in a series of actions with limited objectives. The capture of the Passchendaele Ridge eventually took over 8 weeks to achieve.
The cost to both sides in human casualties was immense at between 200,000 and 400,000, although exact figures for British and German casualties continue to be a matter of discussion for military historians. The great tragedy for the British Army and the Imperial Forces of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, who suffered so many losses in the fight for the few miles from Ypres to the Passchendaele Ridge, is that only five months later almost all of the ground gained in the mud and horror of the battles for Passchendaele was recaptured by the German Army during its April offensive in 1918.

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RARE WW2 Dug Relic Battle Damaged German Nazi "TOTENKOPF" -SS "Deathhead" Painted M35 Size 60 HELMET ! ( Recovered Lithuania )

Here is an incredible display rare relic Totenkopf-SS helmet with the soldier painted faint but visible "skull and bones" designation on the face. The helmet is a small size M35 that may have been worn by a HJ. Has a battle damage and rust through to one side of crown but otherwise very solid. In April 1941, the division was ordered East to join Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb's Army Group North.Totenkopf saw action in Lithuania and Latvia, and by July had breached the vaunted Stalin Line. The division then advanced by Demjansk to Leningrad where it was involved in heavy fighting from July 31st to August 25th. During Autumn and Winter of 1941, the Soviets launched a number of operations against the German lines in the Northern sector of the Front. During one of these operations, the Division was encircled for several months near Demjansk in what would come to be known as the Demjansk Pocket. Totenkopf suffered so greatly during these battles that it was re-designated Kampfgruppe Eicke because of its reduced size. In April 1942, the division broke out of the pocket and managed to reach friendly lines. The remnants of the Division were pulled out of action in late October, 1942 and sent to France to be refitted. While in France, the Division took part in Case Anton, the takeover of Vichy France in November 1942. For this operation, the division was supplied with a Panzer abteilung and redesignated 3.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf . The division remained in France until February, 1943, when their old commander, Theodor Eicke, resumed control.

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RARE WW2 Bullet-Struck GERMAN VILLAGE ROAD Directional SIGN - "NEAR WILHELMSTHAL 8 Km" ( Recovered Near Orienburg Germany )

Here is a great WW2 relic "bullet-struck" German road-sign. Most likely shot at by Allied troops following up the retreating Germans. Here is a little history of the region and what occured. Wilhelmsthal in the region of Brandenburg, Germany - some 16 mi (or 25 km) North-West of Berlin. Stationed near there were units of SS-Totenkopfverbände, rendered in English as "Deaths-Head Units," the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich. Oranienburg concentration camp was an early concentration camp, one of the first detention facilities established by the Nazis when they gained power in 1933. It held the Nazis political opponents from the Berlin region, mostly members of the Communist Party of Germany and social-democrats. On Thursday, March 15, 1945. The pilot was commanding one of the 612 aircraft of the US Eighth Air Force, which was flying a mission against Oranienburg that day. He dropped 11 bombs on the small town, each weighing 500 kilos (1,100 pounds). In the 45 minutes between 2:51 and 3:36 p.m., a total of 4,977 explosive bombs and 713 incendiary bombs rained down from the sky.The air raid wasn't targeting the town's roughly 26,000 inhabitants. With its military infrastructure, Oranienburg ranked among the top targets of the American bomber fleet. The railway station was a point of departure for soldiers headed for the Eastern Front. At the nearby Auer Werke, uranium was processed for the Nazi's top-secret nuclear research program. A few hundred meters from there stood the Heinkel Aircraft Works and the main vehicle depot of the SS.Allied Bombing also targeted nearby in Kassel The most severe bombing of Kassel in World War II destroyed 90% of the downtown area, some 10,000 people were killed, and 150,000 were made homeless. Most of the casualties were civilians or wounded soldiers recuperating in local hospitals, whereas factories survived the attack generally undamaged. Karl Gerland replaced the regional Gauleiter, Karl Weinrich, soon after the raid. The US Army captured Kassel on April 3, 1945.

RESERVED FOR G.F.

VERY RARE GROUND DUG WW2 "German PANZERSCHRECK ANTI-TANK HEAT SHIELD - ( Recovered RADZYMIN-Wolomin POLAND )

Here is a sharp and desirable Panzerchreck relic flash shield with glass view and tube collar still intact that was dug on the Radzymin Battlefield. The panzerschreck anti-tank weapon was feared by the Russian Tank battalions. In response to Vedeneev's thrust, the Germans started a tactical counter-attack near Radzymin on 31 July. The offensive, carried out by 4 understrength Panzer divisions, was to secure the eastern approaches to Warsaw and Vistula crossings, and aimed to destroy the three tank corps of the Second Tank Army in detail. Under the leadership of German Field Marshal Model, the 4th, 19th, Hermann Göring, and 5th SS Panzer Divisions were concentrated from different areas with their arrival in the area of Wolomin occurring between 31 July and 1 August 1944. Although the 3rd Tank Corps gamely defended the initial assaults of the Hermann Göring and 19th Panzer Divisions, the arrival of the 4th Panzer and 5th SS Panzer Divisions spelled doom for the isolated and outnumbered unit.Already on 1 August, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wolomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on 3 August 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive. The largest tank battle in Poland.

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HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE "Battlefield Dug" Battle Damaged - German P08 "LUGER PISTOL RELIC" - ( Recovered 5th SS Panzer Division Positions, Radzymin )

Here is a great dug collectible German Luger Section from Radzymin a huge tank battle area. The section is solid and any more than this left in a luger would never make it through customs. A beautiful historic relic ! Already on 1 August, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wolomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on 3 August 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive.For unknown reasons, on 2 August 1944 all armies that were to assault Warsaw had their orders changed. The 28th, 47th and 65th Armies were ordered to turn northwards and seize the undefended town of Wyszków and the Liwiec river line. The 2nd Tank Army was left in place and had to fight the Germans alone, without support of the infantry. Also, 69th Army was ordered to stop while the 8th Guards Army under Vasily Chuikov was ordered to halt the assault and await a German attack from the direction of Garwolin. Further combat lasted until 10 August, when the Germans finally withdrew. Soviet losses were heavy, but not heavy enough to affect the overall course of their thrust to the vicinity of Warsaw. The 3rd Tank Corps was destroyed, the 8th Guards Tank Corps took heavy losses, and the 16th Tank Corps took significant losses as well. Overall, the Second Tank Army's losses were significant enough that it was withdrawn from the front lines by 5 August 1944.

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RARE HISTORIC Ground Dug Battlefield Relic WW2 GERMAN "Motorcycle Rear Fender with License Plate" with TACTICAL Paint !!
( Recovered STALINGRAD Battlefield )

Here is a wonderful original relic WW2 German Motorcycle Fender with License Plate still attached with tactical paint that was recovered historic Stalingrad. A Fantastic Display relic !The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

LAYAWAY FOR D.S.

VERY HARD TO FIND in Any Condition ! WW2 16th PANZER Division German Wehrmacht Officer STAFF CAR or ARMORED VEHICLE Metal Vehicle Fender PENNANT
( Recovered STALINGRAD )

Here is a very unique dug relic from the Stalingrad Battlefield. The Large Metal Fender Pennant was adorned on a Wehrmacht Officers Staff Car from the 16th Panzer Division area of operations. Pennants Vehicles used by officers and commanders were marked with pennants, usually affixed to the fenders of staff cars, though some commanders also used armoured halftracks as command vehicles. The different levels of command had different pennants; a Divisional pennant was triangular, black over white over red Independent battalions within a division had a black cross across a waffenfarbe background. The 16th Panzer Division reached the outskirts of Stalingrad on 23rd of August brushing aside the Soviet defences, anti-aircraft guns manned by female factory workers, possibly the 1077th AA regiment. The 16th Panzer Division was encircled and ultimately destroyed at Stalingrad during the winter of 1942-43. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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UNIQUE ARTIFACT ! Battlefield Relic TRENCH ART "KRIM" and the Dates WW2 BAKELITE DECONTAMINATION KIT - ( Recovered UKRAINE )

Here is a cool soldier carved trench art relic bakelite decontamination kit that was recovered Ukraine. The Crimea Campaign was an eight-month-long campaign by Axis forces to conquer the Crimea peninsula, and was the scene of some of the bloodiest battles on the Eastern Front during World War II. The German, Romanian, and defending Soviet troops suffered heavy casualties as the Axis forces tried to advance through the Isthmus of Perekop linking the Crimean peninsula to the mainland at Perekop, from summer of 1941 through to the first half of 1942.From the 26 September 1941 the German 11th Army and troops from the Romanian Third Army and Fourth Army were involved in the fighting,opposed by the Red Army's 51st Army and elements of the Black Sea Fleet. After the campaign, the peninsula was occupied byArmy Group A with the 17th Army as its major subordinate formation.Once the Axis (German and Romanian troops) broke through, they occupied most of Crimea, with the exception of the city of Sevastopol, which was given the title of Hero City for its resistance, and Kerch, which was recaptured by the Soviets during an amphibious operation near the end of 1941 and then taken once again by the Germans during Operation Bustard Hunt on 8 May.The Siege of Sevastopol lasted 250 days from 30 October 1941 until 4 July 1942, when the Axis finally captured the city.

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RARE "Battlefield" FIND! German SA ( "Sturmabteilung "or Storm Troops ) NAZI Officers DAGGER ! - ( Excavated Wolomin / Radzymin )

Here is a great find ! A Battlefield recovered skeleton blade and crossbar of a German SA Officers Dagger with motto still clearly visible "Everything for Germany" In response to Vedeneev's thrust, the Germans started a tactical counter-attack near Radzymin on July 31. The offensive, carried out by 4 understrength Panzer divisions,was to secure the eastern approaches to Warsaw and Vistula crossings, and aimed to destroy the three tank corps of the Second Tank Army in detail. Under the leadership of German Field Marshal Model, the 4th, 19th, Hermann Göring, and 5th SS Panzer Divisions were concentrated from different areas with their arrival in the area of Wolomin occurring between July 31 and August 1, 1944. Although the 3rd Tank Corps gamely defended the initial assaults of the Hermann Göring and 19th Panzer Divisions, the arrival of the 4th Panzer and 5th SS Panzer Divisions spelled doom for the isolated and outnumbered unit.Already on August 1, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wolomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on August 3, 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive.For unknown reasons, on August 2, 1944 all armies that were to assault Warsaw had their orders changed. The 28th, 47th and 65th Armies were ordered to turn northwards and seize the undefended town of Wyszków and the Liwiec river line. The 2nd Tank Army was left in place and had to fight the Germans alone, without support of the infantry. Also, 69th Army was ordered to stop while the 8th Guards Army under Vasily Chuikov was ordered to halt the assault and await a German attack from the direction of Garwolin. Further combat lasted until August 10, when the Germans finally withdrew. Soviet losses were heavy, but not heavy enough to affect the overall course of their thrust to the vicinity of Warsaw. The 3rd Tank Corps was destroyed, the 8th Guards Tank Corps took heavy losses, and the 16th Tank Corps took significant losses as well. Overall, the Second Tank Army's losses were significant enough that it was withdrawn from the front lines by August 5, 1944.

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ABSOLUTELY IMPRESSIVE RELIC !! " DIRECT STRIKE " Artillery Strike RUSSIAN T-34 " Shark Fin " TANK TRACK LINK " Battle Damaged with a chunk blown off ! - ( Recovered NARWA Battlefield Site ! )

Here is an impressive relic that would be the centerpiece of your man-cave ! A Battlefield relic T-34 Russian Tank Track Link with a chunk missing where a shell had a direct strike ! As the Soviet tanks moved south, Gen. Steiner called on Kausch's panzers to counterattack. While SS and Soviet infantry fought in the forward areas, the panzers and Govorov's T 34s played a deadly game of cat and mouse at the approaches to Narva. The hulls of burned out vehicles littered the landscape as Soviet and German fought each other, often at point blank range.The Soviet commander, realizing the bridges were beyond his reach, ordered his tanks to retreat and dig in. Kausch's panzers followed, but were met with a withering fire that then forced them to halt. Even though the bridges were safe, the breach in the German lines still threatened to unhinge the Lilienbach area.By this time, Collani knew his battered regiment could not hold out any longer in front of Lilienbach. His companies had taken heavy casualties and the survivors were at the end of their endurance. If the Soviets attacked in force again, there would be little hope of repelling them. In the end, there was no real choice. Collani ordered his troops to prepare to withdraw to new positions farther south. The shorter line of defense would compensate somewhat for the gaps in the ranks left by the violent fighting of the last few days.But the Soviet commander was also aware of the situation and immediately brought up reinforcements to attack the retreating Germans. If his men could catch the enemy unaware, the retreat could be turned into a rout.

RESERVED FOR D.S.

OUTSTANDING WW2 "ARTIFACT" FROM STALINGRAD !! Battlefield Excavated GERMAN "ENIGMA MACHINE" Bunker Found at Gumrak Airstrip - STALINGRAD

Here is a relic from my personal collection that is fantastic, historic and extremely collectible! The German "Field" Enigma Cypher Machine was battlefield excavated at a dug -out bunker site at the Gumrak Airfield in Stalingrad ! This impressive artifact is ghostly in appearance and historic as seen below in the Intelligence report. Although the German army, SS, police, and railway all used Enigma with similar procedures, it was the Luftwaffe (Air Force) that was the first and most fruitful source of Ultra intelligence during the war. The messages were decrypted in Hut 6 at Bletchley Park and turned into intelligence reports in Hut 3.The network code-named ‘Red’ at Bletchley Park was broken regularly and quickly from 22 May 1940 until the end of hostilities. Indeed, the Air Force section of Hut 3 expected the new day’s Enigma settings to have been established in Hut 6 by breakfast time. The relative ease of breaking this network’s settings was a product of plentiful cribs and frequent German operating mistakes.[132]Luftwaffe chief Hermann Göring was known to use it for trivial communications, including informing squadron commanders to make sure the pilots he was going to decorate had been properly deloused. Such messages became known as "Göring funnies" to the staff at Bletchley Park.

After the surrender of the encircled German forces in Stalingrad in early 1943 Enigma machines and documents plus signals personnel fell into Soviet hands. According to the memoirs of Admiral Golovko documents were retrieved from the sunken U-boat 639 in August 1943: ‘Submarine S-101, which sank U 639 and recovered lists of call-signs and codes which made it possible to keep track of enemy submarines throughout the Northern theatre. During the summer ’44 battles several German units were encircled and destroyed. It is safe to assume that a lot of crypto material was lost.During WWII their spy John Cairncross was able to infiltrate Bletchley Park and he gave the Soviets copies of the documents that he had access to. Some dealt with the Enigma. So it is certain that the Soviets were able to solve Enigma messages thanks to compromised material and the possibility that during the war they managed to retrieve the daily Enigma settings cryptanalytically cannot be discounted. The only way to know for sure is for the Russian government to give researchers access to the wartime files of the NKVD 5th Department. Another way is to look for information from other available sources. One such source is the report ‘Russian signal intelligence 1941-45’ by Lt Col Fritz Neeb, head of evaluation for NAAS 2 (Signal Intelligence Evaluation Center) of KONA 2 (Signals intelligence Regiment 2) assigned to Army Group Centre in the Eastern Front. According to Neeb the Soviet signals intelligence organization was as good as or better than the Germans in traffic analysis and direction finding. However it doesn’t seem like they were able to solve German Enigma traffic, at least up to late 1942.In page 17 of his report he says that during the Stalingrad battle a Soviet 5-figure message was decoded and it contained a signals intelligence report. The report showed that the German units in the area were correctly identified but there was a mistake in their numerical designation. This would imply that the information came from sources other than cryptanalysis since in German messages numbers had to be spelled out.
Despite an estimated 30,000 Enigma machines manufactured, there are currently only about 350 known to exist today, with less than half of these in private hands. Enigma machines are now a collector's item for the über geek - a standard Army Enigma has increased in value from $20K to over $200K in the past decade. A record price of $269,000 for a 3-wheel Enigma was fetched in April, 2015 at Bonhams. Here is an even rarer battlefield recovered example although nowhere near these prices...

Reserved for GW

"UNIQUE TRENCH ART" WW2 "Russian Battle Damaged" Large Size HELMET "TO BERLIN FOR MOSCOW"
( Recovered KURLAND BATTLEFIELD )

Here is a Fantastic Relic WW2 Russian Helmet with TRENCH ART soldier painted " TO BERLIN for MOSCOW " and STAR. The helmet has battle damage to the crown. The large size helmet is an incredible display artifact with soldier art. Kurland Pocket Battlefield area.At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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WOW !! A Great Historic WW2 Artifact ! GERMAN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT - JU-87- RELIC Piece of a Panel with SIGN - Translated " Aim High for the fuhrer ?" ( Recovered Historic STALINGRAD Pitomnik )

Here is a unique relic. A piece of a downed German aircraft the digger believes to be a JU-87. The piece of panel has an applied sign with German text. I tried to translate some of the words and only could make out part of it. Aim high for the fuhrer. Pitomnik During the Battle of Stalingrad, Stukas flew thousands of sorties against Soviet positions in the city. StG 1, 2 and 77 flew 320 sorties on 14 October 1942. As the German Sixth Army pushed the Soviets into a 1,000 metre enclave on the west bank of the Volga River, 1,208 Stuka sorties were flown against this small strip of land. The intense air attack, though causing horrific losses on Soviet units, failed to destroy them.The Luftwaffe's Stuka force made a maximum effort during this phase of the war. They flew an average of 500 sorties per day and caused heavy losses among Soviet forces, losing an average of only one Stuka per day. The Battle of Stalingrad marked the high point in the fortunes of the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Pitomnik was captured by the German 6th Army when it linked up there with the 4th Panzer Army on 3 September 1942The airfield at Pitomnik was one of seven airfields within the Stalingrad Pocket after the 6th Army was encircled and the only one properly equipped to handle large amounts of air traffic. The field was equipped with lights for night operation.Along with anti aircraft guns, the airfield was protected by fighter planes of Jagdgeschwader 3, elements of which were based there (the remainder of JG 3 was stationed outside the pocket).In mid-January, the remaining planes of the group were ordered to leave the pocket. The airfield was used to fly out the remaining female hospital staff of the 6th Army, when the hopelessness of the situation became apparent. Male medical staff were not permitted to leave. The edges of the runway were filled with wounded German soldiers whose conditions were deemed not serious enough for evacuation, and only ambulatory cases were actually evacuated by air.From 15 January, Pitomnik came under artillery fire of the Red Army and two days later, the airfield was captured, leaving the 6th Army with Gumrak as its only supply airfield. Karpovka had already fallen on 13 January and alongside Pitomnik, four other airfields fell on 17 January. Gumrak eventually fell on 23 January, leaving the 6th Army without any means of direct support. As of 2009, the location of the Pitomnik Airfield is used as farmland. Great Display Relic !

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HISTORICAL WW2 ARTIFACT ! "Battle-Damaged" RELIC German Luftwaffe "FALLSCHIRMJAGER" ( Paratrooper ) HELMET "Winter Camo"
( Personal Collection Dug NEVA / Leningrad !! )

Wow ! Artifacts don't get better than this ! A battlefield found highly desireable German Luftwaffe Para Helmet "Fallschirmjager" both battle damaged "blown apart one side and the highly sought after Snow Camouflage paint ! part of liner band and bolts remain. A Historic "affordable relic that was THERE ! After the battle for Crete, the 7th Flieger Division was ordered back to its bases in Germany for rest and refitting. Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of Russia), was to start without the Fallschirmtruppe. However, at the end of September 1941 parts of the division were mobilized, ready to be sent eastwards to fight as conventional Infantry. The 1st & 3rd Battalion's, 1st Regiment under the command of Generalmajor Bruno Bräuer and the 2nd Battalion of the Sturm Regiment under the command of Major Edgar Stentzler were sent to the German 18th Army (Army Group North) on the Leningrad front. Leningrad was situated on the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland, the river Neva ran through it and 30 miles to the east was Lake Ladoga. The German forces backed by the Finns attacking from the North, had partially encircled the city. The Russians held some ground on the western side of Lake Ladoga but their foothold was being pressurized by Finnish forces in the North. Army Group North's battle line was only partial in the east of the city, the Russians were only willing to exploit this weakly held line.Facing this line were the troops of the Volkhov Front consisting of several Russian armies. If they could break through this German line they could hook up with forces within the city who were trying to break through the western side of the line. The Russians began the first of several attacks to exploit the weakly held line to link up with Leningrad's forces with the aim of crossing the River Neva.

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HISTORIC Unique PIECE of HISTORY !! - RARE "Handle Grip Section of Trigger and part of barrel US WW2 FLAMETHROWER - ( IWO JIMA, Pacific Theatre )

Here is a cool Historic Veteran Bring-Back Souvenir Piece from IWO. A handle piece of a Battle Damaged Flamethrower weapon. The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the goal of capturing the entire island, including the three Japanese-controlled airfields (including the South Field and the Central Field), to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands.This five-week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the War in the Pacific of World War.The Japanese heavy artillery in Suribachi opened their reinforced steel doors to fire, and then closed them immediately to prevent counterfire from the Marines and naval gunners. This made it difficult for American units to destroy a piece of Japanese artillery.To make matters worse for the Americans, the bunkers were connected to the elaborate tunnel system so that bunkers that were cleared with flamethrowers and grenades were reoccupied shortly afterwards by Japanese troops moving through the tunnels. This tactic caused many casualties among the Marines, as they walked past the reoccupied bunkers without expecting to suddenly take fresh fire from them.The Marines advanced slowly under heavy machine gun and artillery fire. With the arrival of armored tanks, and by the use of heavy naval artillery and aerial bombing on Mount Suribachi, the Marines were able to advance past the beaches.Seven hundred and sixty Marines made a near-suicidal charge across to the other side of Iwo Jima on that first day. They took heavy casualties, but they made a considerable advance. By the evening, the mountain had been cut off from the rest of the island, and 30,000 Marines had landed. About 40,000 more would follow.

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RARE WW2 "Battlefield Dug" RELIC German ARMOURED VEHICLE Key Ring and Designation Fobs - ( Recovered Historic STALINGRAD )

Here is unique relic that was excavated at the site of the Gumrak airfield in Stalingrad. The lot of WW2 German Wehrmacht Armored Vehicle motor trunk lid key and registration fobs designating the vehicle. A historic relic for your Stlaingrad relic collection. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE "Battlefield Found" WW2 RELIC German WAFFEN-SS Panzer Officers BUCKLE DISC ! - ( Recovered Tank Battle RADZYMIN, POLAND )

Here is a very nice battle damaged example of a Waffen-SS Panzer Officers Buckle Disc,excavated near Radzymin Tank Battle
The Battle of Radzymin was fought between the Wehrmachtâ??s XXXIX Panzer Corps and the the Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front, from August 1 to August 10, 1944, during the Second World War. The Battle of Radzymin consisted of a series of engagements which took place near the Polish town of Radzymin at the conclusion of the Belorussian strategic offensive operation. This tank battle in Poland ended with a German victory.
Approach of the Red Army forces into the proximity of Warsaw served to initiate the Warsaw Uprising by the Polish Home Army with expectation of help from the Red Army. It is unclear to what extent the Soviet defeat contributed to the Red Armyâ??s decision not to intervene in the Warsaw Uprising. The Battle of Radzymin is also known as the Battle of Wolomin. The victorious XXXIX was commanded by General Dietrich von Saucken and consisted of 19th Panzer Division, the 4th Panzer Division, the 5th SS Panzer Division, and 73rd Infantry Division.

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INCREDIBLE "HISTORIC FIND" German "Paratrooper" Battlefield Dug "Fallschirmjager" HELMET - ( Recovered Maleme, CRETE or KRETA of GREEK ISLANDS )

Here is a historic relic find "huge" size German Fallschirmjager that came from a digger in Crete. The digger included pictures of where he found it under the trestle in Maleme. As collectors know the German Fallschirmjager helmets can fetch multiple thousands in nice condition. Personally I prefer an example that was found on the battlefield..any day of the week ! This one is solid with part of the aluminum liner still inside, but the best part is "where it was found" ! The Battle of Crete began on May 20, 1941 and ended on June 1, 1941. Crete was an important target for Germany because it provided territory close to the Mediterranean sea that could be used for offensive air and naval operations. German control over Crete would have also denied the Allied powers access to Germany's Ploesti oil fields in Romania where Germany gathered fifty percent of its oil. Germany launched a large-scale airdrops in which the entire 7th Air Division was deployed with the German 5th Mountain Division as the follow-up. Crete was captured after fierce fighting against the Allied troops, but the high casualties suffered by the Fallschirmjäger as they parachuted in (like the brothers von Blücher) convinced Hitler that such mass airdrops were no longer feasible. High casualties occurred because the Allied powers knew of the Operation Merkur which meant the surprise attack on Crete. Allied soldiers set up anti-air defense against the paratroopers. This resulted in a high casualty count, over 3250 airborne soldiers killed or MIA and 3400 wounded.This battle however, resulted in a German victory but due to the inefficiency and high loss of paratroopers Hitler halted the use of large airborne attacks. The German paratroopers conquered Crete, but at a heavy cost of thousands dead and thousands wounded, mostly of Germanyâ??s finest soldiers, and the loss of 170 transport aircraft and dozens of fighters and bombers. These losses were dwarfed just months later by the tremendous German losses in the fighting in Russia which began a month later, but in mid 1941, at the peak of his triumph, Adolf Hitler was shocked by the heavy losses of the paratroopersâ?? invasion of Crete and he decided that there will be no more large scale German airborne operations. In the rest of World War 2, other than a few insignificant small operations, the Fallschirmjager fought on the ground, as elite infantry. They proved themselves again and again as formidable opponents, especially in Monte Cassino (early 1944), in Normandy, and in Holland, where they defeated the British paratroopers in Arnhem. The lessons of large scale operation of paratroopers by the Germans were learned by The Allies, which later during the war made several such operations.

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RARE HISTORIC RELIC WW2 German "LUFTWAFFE" SD2 " Butterfly WINGS Casing " ( Excavated Luftwaffe Airbase, Poland )

Here is an original ground dug relic WW2 German Luftwaffe SD2 or Butterfly Bomb Casing ( 100% excavated Inert casing for historic display only ) that was dug in Poland and still retains original Luftwaffe feldgrau paint . A Butterfly Bomb (or Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg or SD2) was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when the bomblet deployed gave it the superficial appearance of a large butterfly. The design was very distinctive and easy to recognise. SD2 bomblets were not dropped individually, but were packed into containers holding between 6 and 108 submunitions e.g. the AB 23 SD-2 and AB 250-3 submunitions dispensers. The SD2 submunitions were released after the container was released from the aircraft and had burst open. Because SD2s were always dropped in groups (never individually) the discovery of one unexploded SD2 was a reliable indication that others had been dropped nearby. This bomb type was one of the first cluster bombs ever used in combat and it proved to be a highly effective weapon. The bomb containers that carried the SD2 bomblets and released them in the air were nicknamed the "Devil's Eggs" by Luftwaffe air and ground crew.

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RARE to find Dug ! WW2 German GROUND DUG "Battlefield Found" Relic WEHRMACHT Officer COLLAR TAB - ( Recovered Kurland Pocket Battlefield )

Here is a chance to own an original ww2 officers collar tab that "was there" actually worn in the battle of Kurland and excavated. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.


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RARE Ground Dug RELIC Lot of WW2 BATTLEFIELD found GERMAN "SS PANZER" Skulls Collar Tabs ! ( Recovered Narva Battlefield )

Rare and highly collectible original battlefield dug found pair of relic SS panzer "deaths head" collar tabs from Narva. In February 1944, the L and LIV Army Corps along with the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps were on the left flank of the 18th Army as they retreated to Narva. On 4 February, the Sponheimer Group was released from the 18th Army and subordinated directly to the Army Group North. In support of the forces already in place, Hitler ordered reinforcements. The Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle, with over 10,000 troops and their equipment, was airlifted from Belorussia into Estonia via the airfield at Tartu on 1 February. A week later, the 5th Battalion of the Panzergrenadier GroÃ?deutschland Division arrived at the front. The Grenadier Regiment Gnesen (an ad hoc regiment formed from replacement army units in Poland) was sent from Germany and arrived on 11 February. Three days later, the 214th Infantry Division was transferred from Norway. Over the next two weeks various units were added to the group, including the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland", several divisions of the Wehrmacht, the Estonian Division and local Estonian border guard and Estonian Auxiliary Police battalions. Infantry General Otto Sponheimer was replaced by General Johannes Friener and the Sponheimer Group was renamed Army Detachment "Narwa" on 23 February. The Army Group North ordered the deployment of "Narwa" on 22 February in the following positions: III SS Panzer Corps deployed to Narva, Ivangorod Bridgehead on the east bank of the river and north of Narva; the XXXXIII Army Corps against the Krivasoo Bridgehead south of the city; and the XXVI Army Corps to the sector between the Krivasoo Bridgehead and Lake Peipus. As of 1 March 1944, there were a total of 123,541 personnel subordinated to the Army Group in the following order of battle.

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RARE AND HISTORIC " Battle Damaged Shrapnel / Bullet Hole ? " M1 "Fixed Bale HELMET SHELL - ( Recovered Battlefield LA GLEIZE / Malmedy BULGE CAMPAIGN )

Here is historic US WW2 M1 Helmet Shell that was Battlefield recovered in Malmedy by my UK collector. The shell has a shrapnel strike to the crown as can be seen in the pictures. US battlefield relics are highly collectible.In 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, the area was the site of the Malmedy massacre, where 84 American prisoners of war were executed by Nazi SS troops under the command of Joachim Peiper. This was one of a number of such massacres of prisoners and Belgian civilians which took place in the Malmedy area. On 21 December the town itself, which was then held by US troops, was attacked by German forces under the command of Otto Skorzeny who were repelled. Moreover, on 23, 24 and 25 December 1944 the city was bombed repeatedly by the United States Army Air Forces in a series of friendly fire incidents.

"Soon after the Americans surrendered, around 1330, the surviving Americans started to hear random shooting. Survivors later stated that German soldiers began shooting prisoners as soon as the fighting was over. One American was shot when he protested the stealing of his watch and another was shot when he didn't have his hands high enough. While all of this was going on other Germans were looting and destroying B Company's vehicles. Soon 88 (some reports have as many as 111) Americans were lined up in eight rows in a field near the crossroads awaiting their fate.Soon Lt Col Peiper arrived at the head of the main body of his Kampfgruppe. He was outraged at the actions of his men and ordered them to immediately stop looting and destroying the American trucks and, more importantly, their precious fuel. He directed that the remaining operable vehicles were to be driven to the rear and, since the Germans were unfamiliar with operating the American trucks, he had some of the prisoners detailed to drive them with German escort. Leaving a Maj Poetschke in charge, Lt Col Peiper moved his column towards Ligneuville. "

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RARE CHANCE TO OWN A "Historic" PIECE OF A WW2 "Panzer Tank" Battlefield Dug German Tank " Wheel Spike" - ( Recovered Kurland Eastern Front )

Here is an incredible battle damaged displayable section of a WW2 German Panzer T-4 Tank Wheel Rim section that was dug Kurland Pocket Battlefield. The 510th was formed June 1944 in Paderborn and in July it was sent to Lithuania, where it fought in the Kurland pocket until the end of the war, attached to the 14. Panzer-Division and 30. Infanterie-Division.Elements of the battalion were evacuated from Kurland. Via Kassel and Putlos they reached the Western Front and were engaged in the last fighting there. This group went into captivity with the Western Allies. A Kampfgruppe with the last 15 Tiger tanks did stay in Kurland

Kurland Pocket Battlefield area.At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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EXTREMELY RARE ARTIFACT ! German WW2 "TANK DESTROYER" Wehrmacht Award Badge ( Recovered Battle Area METZ, France / Germany Border )

Here is an incredible relic that is rare in any condition and to own a battlefield found example is extremely rare ! This award was issued to a Wehrmacht soldier that has taken out a tank sigle-handedly usually with a Panzerschreck rocket. dug near the Metz battlefield. The Battle of Metz was a three-month battle fought between the United States Army and the German Army during World War II. It took place at the city of Metz following the Allied breakout after the Normandy landings. The attack on the city by the U.S. Third Army faced heavy resistance from the defending German forces, and resulted in heavy casualties for both sides The heavily fortified city of Metz was captured by U.S. forces before the end of November 1944, and the battle ended in victory for the U.S. following the surrender of the remaining German forces.The Tank Destruction Badge (German: Sonderabzeichen für das Niederkämpfen von Panzerkampfwagen durch Einzelkämpfer) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to individuals of the Wehrmacht who had single-handedly destroyed an enemy tank using a hand-held weapon. Anti-tank units were ineligible for this award. It was established by Adolf Hitler on 9 March, 1942, but could be awarded for actions dating back to June 22, 1941 (the start of Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the Soviet Union).On 18 December, 1943, a gold class was introduced that recognised the single-handed destruction of five tanks. A soldier could therefore have four silver badges which would all be replaced by a gold version upon the destruction of a fifth tank (to which separate silver could be added thereafter).

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EXTREMELY RARE FIND ! WW2 Excavated German Issued "GOLD" CLOSE COMBAT BADGE Award RELIC ! - ( Recovered Huertgen Forest Battlefield )
Here is a very rare battlefield dug WW2 German highly prized "gold wash close combat badge of which only 630 were issued ! This example was dug in the Huertgen Forest. The Battle of Hürtgen Forest Schlacht im Hürtgenwald was a series of fierce battles fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944 between U.S. and German forces during World War II in the Hürtgen Forest about 50 sq mi (130 km2) east of the Belgian–German border. It was the longest battle on German ground during World War II, and is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought. The U.S. commanders' initial goal was to pin down German forces in the area to keep them from reinforcing the front lines further north in the Battle of Aachen, where the Allies were fighting a trench war between a network of fortified towns and villages connected with field fortifications, tank traps and minefields. A secondary objective may have been to outflank the front line. The Americans' initial tactical objectives were to take Schmidt and clear Monschau. In a second phase the Allies wanted to advance to the Rur River as part of Operation Queen.
Generalfeldmarshall Walter Model intended to bring the Allied thrust to a standstill. While he interfered less in the day-to-day movements of units than at Arnhem, he still kept himself fully informed on the situation, slowing the Allies' progress, inflicting heavy casualties and taking full advantage of the fortifications the Germans called the Westwall, better known to the Allies as the Siegfried Line. The Hürtgen Forest cost the U.S. First Army at least 33,000 killed and wounded, including both combat and non-combat losses; German casualties were 28,000.

The award was bestowed in three classes:
• For 15 battles of close combat a Bronze Class was awarded.
• For 25 battles of close combat a Silver Class was awarded.
• For 50+ battles of close combat a Gold Class was awarded.
In order to receive this distinguished decoration, all battles and their dates had to be officially documented by the battle commander, verified by the general in charge and authenticated by several divisions of the war department. It was possible that more than one close combat battle per day was fought and therefore recorded as a separate entity.An exemption was made if the soldier was wounded in battle so badly that his injuries precluded a return to the front. In such a case, the criteria were reduced to 10, 20 and 40 battles. The highest number of battles in combat recorded is listed at 84 by SS-Hauptscharführer Hermann Maringgele.
The Gold Close Combat Clasp was often regarded in higher esteem than the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the German infantry. Of the roughly 18–20 million soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, 36,400 received the Bronze Class, 9,500 the Silver Class and only " 631 the Gold Class ! "

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EXTREMELY RARE WW2 German LUFTWAFFE Motorcycle Front Fender Plate with Inspection Stamp - BMW ZUNDAPF KATENKRADT- ( Recovered Kurland Pocket Eastern Front )

Here is a very nice and rare WW2 Battlefield excavated German Luftwaffe Motorcycle front fender plate with inspection stamp. Recovered Kurland Pocket. Kurland Pocket battlefield area. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.
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RARE "Battlefield" RELIC German TANK ASSAULT BADGE with maker marks still visible ! HISTORIC Site found Surrender Site of Army Group North KURLAND POCKET !

Here is a cool relic tank badge with pinbar still intact and maker marks faintly visible that was excavated eastern front site of the surrender of army group north. Kurland Pocket. Recovered Kurland Pocket. Kurland Pocket battlefield area. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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RARE WW2 Battlefield Relic German LUFTWAFFE MOTORCYCLE FENDER with PLATE and TRI-COLOR Paint still intact ! - ( Dug "STALINGRAD" Battlefield )

Here is a wonderful chance to own an original relic and extremely rare WW2 German Luftwaffe Motorcycle Fender with License Plate still attached with tactical paint that was recovered near the historic Stalingrad Gumrak airfield Eastern Front. A Fantastic Display relic !The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE FIND ! "Battlefield Recovered" GERMAN WW2 AWARD " CLOSE COMBAT BADGE CLASP " Bronze Award for Bravery Maker Marked FEC WE Peekhaus still retains crossbar and clasp ! ( Recovered Radzymin, Poland Eastern Front - Largest Tank Battle in Poland )

Here is a chance to own a solid German WW2 Close Combat Badge that was lost in battle. These are my personal favorite awards as for 'eye appeal' . These are usually always found broken when dug with one end snapped off or missing the bar. This example still has the bar clasp intact and maker marked Peekhaus. it displays beautifully. In response to Vedeneev's thrust, the Germans started a tactical counter-attack near Radzymin on July 31. The offensive, carried out by 4 understrength Panzer divisions, was to secure the eastern approaches to Warsaw and Vistula crossings, and aimed to destroy the three tank corps of the Second Tank Army in detail. Under the leadership of German Field Marshal Model, the 4th, 19th, Hermann Göring, and 5th SS Panzer Divisions were concentrated from different areas with their arrival in the area of Wolomin occurring between July 31 and August 1, 1944. Although the 3rd Tank Corps gamely defended the initial assaults of the Hermann Göring and 19th Panzer Divisions, the arrival of the 4th Panzer and 5th SS Panzer Divisions spelled doom for the isolated and outnumbered unit.Already on August 1, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wolomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on August 3, 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive.For unknown reasons, on August 2, 1944 all armies that were to assault Warsaw had their orders changed. The 28th, 47th and 65th Armies were ordered to turn northwards and seize the undefended town of Wyszków and the Liwiec river line. The 2nd Tank Army was left in place and had to fight the Germans alone, without support of the infantry. Also, 69th Army was ordered to stop while the 8th Guards Army under Vasily Chuikov was ordered to halt the assault and await a German attack from the direction of Garwolin. Further combat lasted until August 10, when the Germans finally withdrew. Soviet losses were heavy, but not heavy enough to affect the overall course of their thrust to the vicinity of Warsaw. The 3rd Tank Corps was destroyed, the 8th Guards Tank Corps took heavy losses, and the 16th Tank Corps took significant losses as well. Overall, the Second Tank Army's losses were significant enough that it was withdrawn from the front lines by August 5, 1944.

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FANTASTIC ! "Battlefield" RELIC German TANK ASSAULT BADGE with maker marks ( Historic "KOLBERG POCKET Battlefield" German Retreat Route - 200km from Berlin ! )

Here is a nice relic German Tank Assault Badge with makers marks and pinback still intact that was recovered from Kolberg Pocket, German retreat route roughly 200km from Berlin. The other Kolberg battle was the Battle of Kolberg (a Baltic seaport city in Pomeria located about halfway between Berlin and Koenigsberg), which took place from 4-18 March 1945. It was a fight between the Germans and combined forces of the Soviet and Polish armies--it ended in Polish hands on the 18th following the retreat of the Germans and the destruction of most of the city.The German defence forces represented various formations from the Army Group 'Vistula,' some tasked with defending the fortress, others simply cut off in the Kolberg pocket. The most notable units included elements of the Third Panzer Army; the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) and the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian ). Estimates of the German defenders â?? including local militia and volunteers (Volkssturm) â?? range from 8,000 to 15,000, supported by some artillery (about 60 pieces), an armored train and about 18 tanks and a dozen support vehicles of various types. The German units also received some air and sea support (including artillery fire from pocket battleships Lützow and Admiral Scheer).

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HISTORIC WW2 US M1 Lot of HELMET and SPENT SHELL CASINGS Battlefield Dug CARENTAN / NORMANDY Campaign !

Authentic US WW2 Battlefield Helmet Shells are becoming extremely rare to find anymore. have included below the diggers note to me with information. A wonderful addition to your collection. "Hello Mark , I am just on my way into town now to post your helmet , on the 4th July 1944 , 331st inf regt of 83rd div attacked the rear of my house which was defended by FJR 6 and later 2nd Panzer Das Reich ,and 17th panzer , in the surrounding fields when the civil population returned 3 weeks later were found over 2000 dead cattle , 98 knocked out vehicles and no houses undamaged . These particular relics are from the field infront of La Meslerie and the village of Hottot , it was terrible fighting for both sides , Hottot is the first village that the US used the teeth welded to the tanks to burst the hedgerows . Also on 6th June 501 reg 101st Airborne were misdropped all over this area , so you never know it could be an airborne helmet .but it is absolutely genuine as are the relics with it , an empty mg42 round , a empty garand round and an exploded .50, within 20 yds of each other. "

The Battle of Carentan was an engagement in World War II between airborne forces of the United States Army and the German Wehrmacht during the Battle of Normandy. The battle took place between 10 and 15 June 1944, on the approaches to and within the city of Carentan, France. The objective of the attacking American forces was consolidation of the U.S. beachheads (Utah Beach and Omaha Beach) and establishment of a continuous defensive line against expected German counterattacks. The defending German force attempted to hold the city long enough to allow reinforcements en route from the south to arrive, prevent or delay the merging of the lodgments, and keep the U.S. First Army from launching an attack towards Lessay-Périers that would cut off Carentan was defended by the 506th Parachute Regiment, two Ost battalions and remnants of other German forces. The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division, ordered to reinforce Carentan, was delayed by transport shortages and attacks by Allied aircraft. The attacking 101st Airborne Division, landed by parachute on 6 June as part of the American airborne landings in Normandy, was ordered to seize Carentan. In the ensuing battle, the 101st forced passage across the causeway into Carentan. A lack of ammunition forced the German forces to withdraw. The 17th SS PzG Division counter-attacked the 101st Airborne. Initially successful, its attack was thrown back by Combat Command A (CCA) of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division.

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RARE AND HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER !! Battlefield Dug Nazi German "WAFFEN-SS SD M42" "Raw Edge" HELMET ! - ( Recovered Narwa, Leningrad Front )
Here is a great helmet relic from my personal collection. Only parting with due to needing some finances for a collection purchase. The helmet is a large size with part of the inner rim and clearly visible runes that was excavated Narva. The Narva Offensive (1–4 March 1944) (Estonian:Putki lahing) was an operation conducted by the Soviet Leningrad Front. It was aimed at the conquest of the Narva Isthmus from the German army detachment "Narwa". At the time of the operation, Joseph Stalin, the supreme commander of the Soviet Armed Forces, was personally interested in taking Estonia, viewing it as a precondition to forcing Finland out of the war.The Soviet 59th Army attacked westwards from the Krivasoo Bridgehead south of the city of Narva and encircled the strong-points of the 214th Infantry Division and the Estonian 658th and 659th East Battalions. The resistance of the encircled units gave time for the command of the "Narwa" to move in all available forces and stop the Soviet advance. To the north of Narva, the fresh SS 45th and 46th (1st and 2nd Estonian) Volunteer Grenadier Regiments accompanied by units of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland" counter-attacked and reduced the Soviet bridgehead.
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RARE FIND ! "Battlefield Recovered" GERMAN WW2 AWARD " CLOSE COMBAT BADGE CLASP " Bronze Award for Bravery - ( Recovered Konigsberg Pocket Eastern Front )

Here is a chance to own a solid German WW2 Close Combat Badge that was lost in battle. These are my personal favorite awards as for 'eye appeal' . These are usually always found broken when dug with one end snapped off or missing the bar. This example still has the bar clasp intact although missing hook it displays beautifully. The Battle of Konigsberg, also known as the Konigsberg Offensive, was one of the last operations of the East Prussian Offensive during World War II. In four days of violent urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussian Front captured the city of Konigsberg - now Kaliningrad, Russia. The siege started in late January 1945 when the Soviets initially surrounded the city. There was heavy fighting for the overland connection between Konigsberg and the port of Pillau, but by March 1945 Konigsberg was hundreds of kilometres behind the main front line. The battle finished when the German garrison surrendered to the Soviets on 9 April after a three-day assault made their position untenable Assaulting Konigsberg was not to be an easy task. Garrisoned inside the city were five full-strength divisions, for a total of 130,000 troops, along with impressive defensive positions constructed in 1888 that included fifteen forts interconnected by tunnels with integrated accommodations for the troops, and designed to withstand the bombardment of super-guns being designed in that era following the Siege of Paris (1870-1871). The Germans still held a narrow land connection to the adjacent German pocket on the Samland peninsula. The capture of the city required that this desperately defended link be severed. The German troops on the peninsula, the so-called Samland group, could be expected to stage counter-attacks to prevent this from happening. Konigsberg was, according to Winston Churchill, "a modernised heavily defended fortress".Three concentric rings of fortifications surrounded the city: the outer ring of defences reinforced by 12 forts outside the town, the middle ring in the outskirts and the inner city, a single fortress of anti-tank defences, barricades and landmines, along with several other forts.In order to face such defensive power, the Soviet command planned to heavily rely on aviation and artillery support, with densities reaching 250 guns per kilometre in some areas. The German troops were also subjected to propaganda, explaining that their resistance was futile, and that the front line was far behind them that they were trapped in a "pocket and that it would be best to surrender. However, this propaganda had little to no effect.After four days of preparatory artillery bombardment, the assault started on 6 April 1945. The assault was planned to be "star-like". Troops would attack from many points around the perimeter and meet in the center of the city, compartmentalising the remaining defenders into isolated groups incapable of mutual support. There were two main fronts: North (held by the 39th and 43rd Armies which included the 208th Rifle Division) and South (11th Guards Army). The 50th army was stationed in the northeast part of the front, but took only a limited part in the operation.

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INCREDIBLE RELIC !! Ground Dug Battlefield "BATTLE DAMAGED" NAZI German Wehrmacht Officers BINOCULARS Exploded SECTION !!
( Recovered STALINGRAD, GUMRAK )

Here is a very cool relic that shows the horror of warfare around the historic city of Stalingrad. A "blown-apart" by a direct hit, battle damaged section of binoculars. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.
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EXTREMELY RARE ! WWII US "Serviceman's DOG TAG Recovered SOLOMON ISLANDS - GUADALCANAL / SOLOMON ISLANDS !

Here is a just arrived fantastic and historic ground dug US ID Dog Tag from Guadalcanal of Allen Johnson from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, invaded by the Japanese in July, 1942, was one of the most important Japanese strongholds due to its proximity to Australia. The Japanese built an airfield at Lunga Point and artillery positions in the hills nearby and had about 8,400 men on the island by August.On August 7, 1942, U.S. Marines landed on the northern beaches of Guadalcanal after Navy ships fired onto the island ahead of them. Over the next three months, the Marines secured the airfield and a 6 mile wide section of the beach. On October 13, an Army unit arrived to reinforce the Marines. The Marines and Army soldiers repelled a Japanese attack on the 23rd, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese and pushing the Japanese out further during the rest of the month. On November 4th, the U.S. Infantry fought 1,500 Japanese troops that landed on the beach at Koli Point. They killed half the Japanese force. The rest escaped into the jungle.In mid-November, the U.S. Navy fought the Japanese at the Battle of Guadalcanal, when the Japanese attempted a major reinforcement of troops via the "Tokyo Express" run of supply-laden destroyers. In this four-day battle, the U.S. Navy foiled the reinforcement effort, and only 4,000 of 10,000 Japanese troops reached land.After this battle, the American troops pushed on in an effort to take Mount Austen. Thrashing through the jungle, they faced heavy fire from Japanese troops. Finally, during the first two days of 1943, in a two-pronged attack on the Mount Austen stronghold at Gifu, American troops succeeded in securing most of the Gifu area and the west slopes of the mountain. Overall, between 400 and 500 Japanese troops died, and over 100 American troops died in the effort to take Mount Austen. During January, 1943, the American troops battled Japanese strongholds on Mount Austen to take areas known as Galloping Horse and Sea Horse and secure the Gifu area. In the third week of January, the American troops took the Japanese headquarters at Kokumbona. American troops mounted attacks by land and sea to annihilate the Japanese, but in the end, about 13,000 Japanese troops escaped. Nevertheless, by February 9, 1943, the U.S. troops took control of the island, helping to turn back the Japanese drive toward Australia and secure a base from which to launch attacks at the Japanese in the South Pacific. All told, 1,592 American troops were killed in action and 4,183 were wounded. Thousands more were disabled by tropical diseases like malaria. The Japanese lost 14,800 in battle and 9,000 from disease. About 1,000 Japanese men were taken prisoner.

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RARE WW2 Ground Dug BATTLEFIELD Relic German PANZER-GRENADIER BATTALION ID/Dog Tag - ( Eastern Front Stalingrad Russia Recovery )

Here is a rare original battlefield dug German ID Tag to a Motorized Panzer Grenadier Battalion. A rare tag to add to your collection. The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943)[ was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the south-western Soviet Union. Marked by constant close quarters combat and disregard for military and civilian casualties, it is amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. The heavy losses inflicted on the Wehrmacht make it arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. It was a turning point in the European theatre of World War II–the German forces never regained the initiative in the East and withdrew a vast military force from the West to replace their losses.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in late summer 1942 using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into building-to-building fighting, and both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November 1942, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones generally along the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE Original Ground Dug Relic Eastern Front WW2 German Dog Tag - 12 / SS GEB. ARTILLERY REGIMENT 6 ( 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" )

Here is a neat rare German Dog Tag that is marked 12/ SS Geb. Arty. Regiment 6. The SS runes are faint but visible. A nice ground dug relic ID Tag to add to the collection.The 6th SS Mountain Division Nord was a German unit of the Waffen SS during World War II, formed in February 1941 as SS Kampfgruppe Nord (SS Battle Group North).The Division was the only Waffen SS unit to fight in the Arctic Circle when it was stationed in Finland and northern Russia between June and November 1941. It fought in Karelia until the Finnish armistice in September 1944 when it marched on foot 1,600 km through Finland and Norway. It arrived in Denmark in December and then transferred to western Germany. It fought in the Nordwind offensive in January 1945, where it suffered heavy losses. In early April 1945 the division was destroyed after several days of combat against the US 71st Infantry Division near Budingen, Germany.The Brigade got a new unit attached, SS Gebirgsjäger (Mountain) Artillery Regiment 6, and was now designated as a Division, the SS Division "Nord". In September 1941 SS Division "Nord" was attached to the Finnish III Corps under Finnish General Hjalmar Siilasvuo (this was the only time that an SS Division was under the command of a non-German officer), and took up new positions at Louhi, Kiestinki. By the end of 1941, it had suffered severe casualties. Over the winter of 1941–42 it received replacements from the general pool of Waffen SS recruits, supposedly younger and better trained than the SS men of the original formation.

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RARE WW2 Battlefield Dug GERMAN M40 Helmet - "Terrific Machine Gun Riddled with Exploded Side" - ( Excavated Tannenberg Line "Narwa" Positions )

Battle Damaged Helmet Shells are highly collectible! and this one has a fantastic ghostly look on display. On 26 July, pursuing the withdrawing Germans, the Soviet attack fell onto the Tannenberg Line before the vastly outnumbered Army Detachment "Narwa" had dug-in. The Soviet Air Force and artillery covered the German positions with bombs and shells, destroying most of the forest on the hills.The headquarters of the newly arrived Flemish 6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck were destroyed and almost all of their officers wounded. Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Rehmann left the battlefield, as Leutnant George D'Haese stepped in to bring the brigade back to combat-readiness.The German batteries were badly hit; the commander of one of them was killed. It took a few days for Steiner to repair the assault guns and until this had been completed the impact of the German artillery remained modest.Benefiting from the disorder, the Soviet 201st and 256th Rifle Divisions supported by the 98th Tank Regiment assaulted the positions of the "Nordland" Division seizing the eastern side of the Lastekodumägi. In the darkness of the following night, the Anti-Tank Company, SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 24 "Danmark" destroyed the Soviet tanks and regained their positions.

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RARE AND HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE Ground Dug BATTLEFIELD Recovered "HJ" HITLER YOUTH Relic DAGGER / Side -KNIFE
( Konigsberg, Battlefield )

Here is a highly collectible battlefield recovered Hitler Youth Knife / Dagger from Konigsberg. In the East, by the middle of January 1945, Kanigsberg was the first important target of the Red Army. There were many Hitler Youth troops on the East Prussian front, in defense of that one-time bastion of the Teutonic Knights. Stalin had intelligence reports of a German atomic program, had intelligence reports of the A-9/A-10 ICBM and futuristic jet air planes ready to unleash Hitlers vengeance, not to mention continuous mobile V-2 ballistic missile launches into London. The dominant theme for the Red Army's all-out thrust into Germany was formulated by Marshal Vasily Chuikov, Time is bloody and its marching orders were to crush German defenses and take over Berlin at all costs, without delays, ignoring losses, crushing the remnants of the Germany's war machine. The Red Army was advancing 40 km a day, pulverizing any resistance with tank assaults supported by shock infantry troops and heavy artillery.

Hitler Youths were everywhere in the defense of Konigsberg, often armed with machine guns. Soviets would shell them and eventually overrun their positions killing them off in brutal hand-to-hand combat. In the spring of 1945 the entire eastern front, which the Soviet army was pushing steadily to the West, was sustained in large part by the newly created Hitler Youth battalions, all the way to Vienna.

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FANTASTIC "HISTORICAL" MUSEUM WORTHY RELIC ! - Extremely Rare Battlefield Excavated Nazi German MG42 "Hitlers Buzz-Saw" Machine Gun
( Recovered 12th SS Hitler Youth Positions, Bastogne Battle Area )

Here is a chance to own a battle damaged and ground excavated MG42 artifact that was excavated near the positions of the 12th SS. An incredible artifact that would truly put you in a small group outside a museum to own. The MG is damaged in many ways as can be seen but in any condition this piece is highly desireable and if you try to find one for sale good luck. It displays beautifully! Don't let this historic relic get away ! Absolutely Museum quality relic from a veteran who metal detected Bastogne while stationed in Belgium in the 70's. Hitlerjugend was given a brief respite, but received virtually no reinforcements or equipment. The division was soon thrown back into battle, and took part in the fighting withdrawal to the Franco-Belgian border. By September 1944, the division counted less than 2,000 men, without armour or heavy equipment. On 6 September, Kurt Meyer was captured by Belgian partisans. Meyer had removed his SS uniform and was wearing the uniform of a regular German army officer. In the confusion of the withdrawal, the division was unable to undertake a rescue attempt. SS-Obersturmbannführer Hubert Meyer was placed in command of the division.In November 1944, the division was pulled out of the line and sent to Neinburg in Germany, where it was to be reformed. The majority of the much-needed reinforcements were transferred Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine personnel, and the reformed division would never match the elite status it had boasted in the spring of 1944. Late in the month, Hubert Meyer was replaced by SS-Obersturmbannführer Hugo Kraas, and the division was attached to SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich's 6.SS-Panzer-Armee, which was forming up for Operation Wacht Am Rhein (the Second Battle of the Ardennes, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge), a large-scale offensive to recapture Antwerp and halt the Allied advance.The operation opened on 16 December 1944. Kampfgruppe Peiper from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler led the assault, breaking through the enemy lines. The HJ, which was to follow the Kampfgruppe and exploit the breakthrough, became bogged down in traffic jams caused by the 12.Volksgrenadier-Division. When the division reached the front, it was met with heavy resistance from American troops stationed on the Elsenborn Ridge. Despite several intense efforts, the division could not budge the American defenders. As a result, the division was ordered to swing left and follow the advance line of the remainder of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. American defenders prevented the division from reaching its objective, and after the destruction of Kampfgruppe Peiper, the advance of Dietrich's army altogether. Near the end of the year, the HJ was shifted south to take part in the efforts to capture Bastogne, and saw heavy fighting around the city. By 18 January 1945, the HJ, along with all the German forces, had been pushed back to its starting positions. Don't let this rare opportunity get away to add historic Bastogne SS soldier artifacts to your personal collection. Bastogne Battlefield Recovered 12TH SS HITLER JUGEND Positions.

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RARE and HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE WW2 German "HJ" HITLER YOUTH BUCKLE marked and BATTLE DAMAGED - ( Recovered Seelow Heights Battle of Berlin )

The Battle for Seelow Heights marked the beginning of the Soviet Final Offensive for Berlin and the final major battle between Nazi Germany and the Armies of the Soviet Union. During the three day battle both sides would commit over a millions soldiers and nearly four thousand tanks (a vast majority being that of the Soviets 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Belorussian Front Armies). The German defenders turned the Seelow Heights, a hill that raised approximately fifty meters west of the Oder River, into a fortress honeycombed with Anti-Tank guns, Field Artillery Pieces, Armor Field Guns, Tanks, Flak Batteries, and troop trenches. General Gotthard Heinrici, commanding general of the German Defenders, had approximately one hundred thousand soldiers from the Heer, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe, Krigsmarine, Volkstrom, and Hitler Youth spread along a fifty mile front with the Seelow Heights at the center.For four days the German defenders held their position against furious Soviet onslaughts of troops, aircraft, artillery, and tanks. However without replacement troops and resupply no matter how many Soviet troops they killed or tanks they destoryed. With the Russians exploiting holes in the defensive lines, the German troops were forced to abandon the heights and fell back to pre-established defensive lines that would bring them all the way back to the Gates of Berlin by the 22nd of April.

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VERY COOL FIND ! Highly Cross Collectible WW2 Battlefield Dug Relic " TRENCH ART CIGARETTE CASE " US Currency !
( Recovered Gumrak Air Field, Stalingrad Eastern Front )

Ok here is a unique relic that I picked up from a digger in Stalingrad. A German or Russian Soldier Cigarette Case Trench Art into a US Currency Note ! The 2 pieces are missing the pin that joins them together but am sure could be repaired. Fantastic WW2 Collectible from a wicked historic battlefield. Don't let this one get away ! The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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NICE Pair of German WW2 KNIGHTS CROSS RELICS Battlefield Dug - ( Kolberg Pocket Pomerania )

Here is a cool lot of ww2 german relic knights cross at a great price for the pair. Both were dug in Kolberg Pocket Battlefield. The German defence forces represented various formations from the Army Group 'Vistula,' some tasked with defending the fortress, others simply cut off in the Kolberg pocket. The most notable units included elements of the Third Panzer Army; the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) and the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian). Estimates of the German defenders — including local militia and volunteers (Volkssturm) — range from 8,000 to 15,000, supported by some artillery (about 60 pieces), an armored train and about 18 tanks and a dozen support vehicles of various types. The German units also received some air and sea support (including artillery fire from pocket battleships Lützowand Admiral Scheer).The Soviet forces attacking the city can be divided into two waves: one of units of the Red Army (March 4 to 7) and one of Soviet-controlled Polish units (March 8 to 14), although some Soviet units took part in the combat after March 8. The Soviet main units were the 45th Tank Brigade (engaged from March 4 to 7) and the 272nd Rifle Division (March 6 to 9). Polish units included elements of the Polish First Army (from the 1st Belorussian Front): Polish 6th Infantry Division (from March 7); Polish 3rd Infantry Division (from March 9); Polish 4th Infantry Division (from March 12), and various support units. The personnel of the Polish units numbered over 28,000.

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INCREDIBLE RELIC FROM STALINGRAD ! Ground Dug WWII Relic RUSSIAN BODY ARMOR
( Sniper Protection, Complete with both chest and lower extremity sections ! )

Here is a historic and extremely rare original WW2 relic Russian Body Armor for upper and lower, in incredible ground dug condition and solid that was recovered from the brutal city fighting around Stalingrad that had the Russians using WWI protection by wearing sheets of iron to protect them from German snipers. This armor is complete with all sections. A great display relic ! The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.
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RARE Original and Historic WW2 " Battlefield " Dug Relic JAPANESE ARMY HELMET SHELL ( Pacific Island Recovered - Battle Damaged )

Here is a great battle damaged with bullet or shrapnel strike on lower rim that caused a shock crack on the crown. The helmet shell is in solid condition aside from the historic battle damage. Japanese dug relic shells are extremely rare and this one is priced low for the rarity.
The Battle of Tinian was a World War II battle fought between the Japanese forces and the US Marines in the Pacific theater of operation. It took place on the island of Tinian, in the Marianas, from July 24, 1944 to August 1, 1944. It was a decisive American victory. When the Battle of Tinian began on July 24, 1944, the Battle of Guam was still raging. Since the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, the American forces in the Pacific had been leapfrogging from one Japanese-infested island to the next: Guadalcanal and Savo island (Salomon Islands), Tarawa and Makin (Gilbert Islands), and Saipan in the Mariana Islands. The American victory in the Battle of Saipan made Tinian, situated 3.5 miles south of Saipan, the next step in the Marianas campaign. The Japanese forces which defended the island were composed of 10,000 troops, about 4,500 of them were Marines of the Japanese Imperial Navy and 5,500 were army infantry troops. These Japanese fighting force was commanded by Colonel Kiyochi Ogata.

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INCREDIBLE RELIC !! HUGE Single WW2 German Transport MEDIC AMBULANCE Truck FRONT FENDER with TACTICAL Paint !
( Recovered 11th SS Panzer Grenadiers Positions Narva Battlefield )

"Impressive" Battlefield Dug German Transport Ambulance Fender that was recovered in Transei Udriia, Narva in positions held by SS Nordland Troops. Specifically 11th SS -Freiw. Panzer Grenadiers . The fender has the ambulance fender has the tactical symbol and Red Cross Symbol. It is huge and measures 15 x 29 inches ! The 11th SS, along with the rest of III. (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps arrived at the front near Leningrad and was almost immediately put into action against the Red Army attacks to break the German encirclement of the city. After they escaped from being surrounded, the Nordland effected a fighting withdrawal over 60 kilometres to Oranienbaum. On 14 January 1944, the Soviet Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha Offensive succeeded in collapsing the German front, and the Nordland fought its way back again to the city of Narva in Estonia, where a new line of defence was being organized. In early February, Soviet forces began their attacks towards the city and the Battle of Narva began. The battle has come to be known as the Battle of the European SS because a large proportion of the defenders were European volunteers. Joining the Nordland were elements from all over Europe. The Dutchmen of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps the Walloons of the 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, the Flemings of the 6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck, the Estonians of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), as well as regular German formations. Altogether, the defenders of the Narva River line amounted to 50,000 men. Against them, the Soviets threw 200,000 soldiers of the Leningrad Front.The Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive was launched on 13 February, with Soviet forces attacking right across the line, as well as launching an amphibious assault from the Baltic near Mereküla. The Nordland units were among the forces that annihilated the Soviet landing force. Over the next five months, the Waffen SS held out against the Soviet attacks, the Nordland seeing very heavy fighting. On 6 March, Soviet aircraft managed to destroy the Narva bridge in the Battle for Narva Bridgehead, cutting off the troops on the far side of the river in Ivangorod. The men of Nordland's Pioneer Battalion quickly rebuilt the bridge while under heavy fire. The launching of Operation Bagration in June 1944 inspired the Narva Offensive. The highway bridge over the Narva was blown up and the defenders were moved 16 kilometres west to the Tannenberg Line

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RARE WW2 US Engineers LAND MINE Marker SIGN ' DANGER ' - ( Barn Find Normandy Relic )

Here is a marker used by US Engineers Signal Corps to designate the location of a land mine as invasion forces moved inland. The Allied invasion plans had called for the capture of Saint-Lô, Caen, and Bayeux on the first day, with all the beaches linked except Utah, and Sword (the last linked with paratroopers) and a front line 10 to 16 kilometres (6–10 mi) from the beaches. However, practically none of these objectives had been achieved. It took two months for British and Canadian troops to capture Caen, as they faced 7 heavy Panzer divisions, while their American allies, although advancing more rapidly, faced only 2 of these divisions. Overall the casualties had not been as heavy as some had feared (around 10,000 compared to the 20,000 Churchill had estimated) and the bridgeheads had withstood the expected counterattacks.Once the beachhead was established, two artificial Mulberry harbours were towed across the English Channel in segments and made operational around D+3 (9 June). One was constructed at Arromanches by British forces, the other at Omaha Beach by American forces. By 19 June, when severe storms interrupted the landing of supplies for several days and destroyed the Omaha harbour, the British had landed 314,547 men, 54,000 vehicles, and 102,000 tons of supplies, while the Americans put ashore 314,504 men, 41,000 vehicles, and 116,000 tons of supplies. Around 9,000 tons of materiel were landed daily at the Arromanches harbour until the end of August 1944, by which time the port of Cherbourg had been secured by the Allies and had begun to return to service.

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RARE WW2 German Battlefield Dug " PANZER-SS Officer 'Skull and Bones' COLLAR TAB " Relic - ( Recovered at Loshheimergraten- Rocherath, Bulge Battlefield )

The main drive against Elsenborn Ridge was launched in the forests east of the twin villages on the early morning of 17 December. This attack was begun by tank and Panzergrenadier units of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. By 11:00, this attack had driven units of the U.S. 99th Infantry Division back into the area of the twin villages. These units were joined by forces of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division moving into the villages from the north. Tanks from the U.S. 741st Tank Battalion supported the withdrawal but were quickly destroyed by German Panther tanks advancing with the Panzergrenadiers. The U.S. withdrawal was hastened by an increasing shortage of ammunition. Fortunately for the defense, three tank destroyers of the U.S. 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion arrived with a good supply of bazookas and anti-tank mines. These reinforcements were put to good use when the 12th SS Panzer Division launched a powerful tank and infantry attack on the twin villages. The U.S. forces responded with a powerful artillery barrage supported by mortar fire, bazooka rockets, and anti-tank mines that repelled the German attack by midnight. The German attack failed to clear a line of advance for the 12th SS. Immediately southeast of Elsenborn, the 1st SS Panzer Division, spearhead of the entire German 6th Panzer Army, a critical element in the German offensive, was held up for all of December 16 along its Rollbahn to the west by a single Intelligence and Reconnaissance platoon of the 394th Infantry Regiment. Dug in on a slight ridge overlooking a village of about 15 homes, in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap, the 18 man platoon, led by a 20-year old lieutenant Lyle Bouck J., inflicted 93 casualties on the Germans during a 20-hour-long fight at a key intersection southeast of Krinkelt-Rocherath.

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NICE DUG RELIC CONSIGNMENT ! - Ground Dug RELIC M42 'Raw Edge' German Waffen-SS SD HELMET ! - ( Farm Field Village of Foy' )

Here is a nice relic German SS SD M42 helmet RELIC that was ground dug in a field near the village of Foy. The rare to find raw-edge helmet still has visible runes and has no rust throughs or holes. A fine display example from a historic area of fighting. On 16 December 1944, at 5:30 a.m., the Germans began the assault with a massive, 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces across an 80 miles (130 km) front on the Allied troops facing the Sixth SS Panzer Army. The Americans' initial impression was that this was the anticipated, localized counterattack resulting from the Allies' recent attack in the Wahlerscheid sector to the north where the 2nd Division had knocked a sizable dent into the Siegfried Line. In the northern sector Dietrich's Sixth SS Panzer Army assaulted Losheim Gap and Elsenborn Ridge in an effort to break through to Liège.Heavy snowstorms engulfed parts of the Ardennes area. While having the desired effect of keeping the Allied aircraft grounded, the weather also proved troublesome for the Germans because poor road conditions hampered their advance. Poor traffic control led to massive traffic jams and fuel shortages in forward units. In the center, von Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army attacked towards Bastogne and St. Vith, both road junctions of great strategic importance. In the south, Brandenbergers Seventh Army pushed towards Luxembourg in their efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks. Only one month before 250 members of the Waffen-SS had unsuccessfully tried to recapture the town of Vianden with its castle from the Luxembourgish resistance during the Battle of Vianden.

LAYAWAY

RARE WWII Ground Dug "Battlefield" RELIC German KRIEGSMARINE or WHERMACHT MOTORCYCLE " BMW Zundapp" Rear LICENSE PLATE !
( Recovered Kurland Pocket, Eastern front )
Here is a rare to find and always collectible and nice condition battlefield relic wwII German Whermacht or possibly Kriegsmarine Motorcycle License Plate with 2 inspection stamps showing through the ground action. Recovered near remnants of a BMW Zundapp. Kurland Pocket Battlefield area.At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.
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FANTASTIC LOT !! - Rare Grouping of JAPANESE RELICS from GUADALCANAL includes T94 Pistol Relic M31 Japanese Helmet, a Japanese Mess Kit with Soldier Art, A broken Arisaka Bayonet Scabbard, and some recovered Rounds ! ( Pacific Islands from the Gary Kinnaman Collection )

On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly American, landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten the supply and communication routes between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabal on New Britain. The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese defenders, who had occupied the islands since May 1942, and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as an airfield (later named Henderson Field) that was under construction on Guadalcanal. Powerful US naval forces supported the landings.Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November 1942 to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and continual, almost daily aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in early November 1942, in which the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and land with enough troops to retake it was defeated. In December 1942, the Japanese abandoned further efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces by 7 February 1943 in the face of an offensive by the US Army's XIV Corps, conceding the island to the Allies.

LAYAWAY

INCREDIBLE "Normandy Found" WW2 RELIC German "Wehrmacht" MOTORCYCLE Zundapp FENDER with LICENSE PLATE ! - ( Barn Find, Normandy )

Here is a great display relic for your war room ! I acquired this from a UK collection and was recovered Normandy. The Fender still has the Wehrmacht license plate intact with crisp digits. Don't let this one get away ! By 28 July, the German defenses across the U.S. front had largely collapsed under the full weight of VII and VIII Corps' advance, and resistance was disorganised and patchy.VIII Corps' 4th Armored Division—entering combat for the first time—captured Coutances but met stiff opposition east of the town,and U.S. units penetrating into the depth of the German positions were variously counterattacked by elements of the 2nd SS Panzer, 17th SS Panzergrenadier, and 353rd Infantry Divisions, all seeking to escape entrapment.A desperate counterattack was mounted against the 2nd Armored Division by German remnants, but this was a disaster and the Germans abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot. An exhausted and demoralized Bayerlein reported that his Panzer Lehr Division was "finally annihilated", with its armor wiped out, its personnel either casualties or missing, and all headquarters records lost.

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VERY RARE !! WW2 Battlefield Ground Dug RELIC " Romanian 3rd Army HELMET SHELL ! ( Recovered "STALINGRAD" Battlefield Eastern Front )

Here is a very hard to find and near impossible to find as a battlefield relic Romanian Helmet shell from Stalingrad ! The helmet is the distinctive swoop bill and would be a compliment to all historical collections. Two Romanian armies, the Third and the Fourth, were involved in the Battle of Stalingrad, helping to protect the northern and southern flanks respectively of the German 6th Army as it tried to conquer the city of Stalingrad, defended by the Soviet Red Army in mid to late 1942. Overpowered and poorly equipped, these forces were unable to stop the Soviet November offensive which punched through both flanks and left the 6th Army encircled in Stalingrad. The Romanians suffered enormous losses, which effectively ended their offensive capability on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war. On 19 November at 0530, in the sector of the Third Romanian Army, artillery barrages battered the entire front line, while blizzards, snow fall, and -20 degrees Celsius made close air support impossible. The Soviets assaulted the positions of the 14th Infantry Division with the 5th Tank Army and the junction between the 13th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division with the 21st Army, with a total of 338,631 men against three weak divisions. The 37mm and 47mm AT guns were useless against Soviet tanks, so the Romanian troops had to use grenades, anti-tank mines and Molotov cocktails. In the first hours, they managed to delay the advance and destroy some armor, but later they had to retreat or be encircled. The Soviets also attacked west of Tsaritsa Valley and at Raspopinskaya, but were repulsed. In response to the situation that developed south of Kletskaya, the 48th Armored Corps was ordered to move towards the Soviet main thrust and shortly afterwards, the 22nd Panzer Division was redirected to the northwest towards Bolsoy and, reaching Petshany, it engaged Soviet armor. By evening, the 1st Romanian Armored Division reached Sirkovsky, making preparations to attack Bolsoy the next day. In the first day of the offensive, the Soviet forces succeeded in making two breaches in the defences of the Third Romanian Army: one in the center, 16–18 km wide and 15 km deep and one in the right wing, between the Third Romanian Army and the 6th German Army, 10–12 km wide and 35–40 km deep.

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RARE WW2 German Battlefield Dug "LUGER PISTOL HANDLE and TRIGGER RELIC" ! - ( Recovered " Fallschirmjager " Positions MARKET GARDEN )

Here is great historic display relic from the "fighting" around Eindhoven. At the 20th of September the British paratroopers at Arnhem bridge surrendered to the Germans and the remainder of the British paratroopers was encircled at Oosterbeek. Although there was also an Allied success with the capture of Nijmegen bridge, this could not be exploited without securing the supply lines in Brabant. At the 19th of September the Germans moved in Panzerbrigade 107, which made a brief encounter at the bridge just north of Eindhoven, called Son bridge. This brigade was put under the command of Erich Walther.Panzerbrigade of Walther’s combat command directed an attacked against Veghel’s bridge and managed to cut of the supply corridor towards Nijmegen on the 22nd September. It took the Allied forces the whole next day to clear out the Germans from Veghel and restore the supply link. It was to no avail because the next the supply route again briefly blocked by a German force south of Veghel, consisting of Fallschirm-Jäger of FJR Von der Heydte and a battalion ‘Jungwirth’. Not until September 26 was the road cleared of German troops. Meanwhile the British forces north of Nijmegen ran into stiff German resistance and the decision was taken to evacuate the remaining British paratroops in beleaguered Oosterbeek. Supply problems in Brabant prevented further offensive operations in the Nijmegen area and this meant the end of Operation Market Garden, only one week after it began. The British spend the rest of September expanding the corridor, because although the Germans were cleared from the roads the main supply route was still under German artillery fire. Although the Germans had no clue about the extent of the Allied offensive, they were aware of the direction of the attack. They reinforced their forces near Eindhoven according to their capabilities in this stage of the war. Units suggesting elite status like Fallschirm-Jäger and Waffen-SS were scraped together and put under the command of Erich Walther, a seasoned veteran with an impressive status of holding on against overwhelming odds. The Germans were ready and waiting when the British attacked in the morning of the September 17 1944. Walther’s hastily formed forces were no match for the British forces but managed to delay the advance of the relief force for the American and British paratroops for a crucial 48 hours. Within these 48 hours the Germans brought in reinforcements and turned the tables in Arnhem. The Germans kept the pressure on the British supply lines in Brabant by bombarding Eindhoven and constantly cutting the corridor, making further major offensive operations beyond Eindhoven impossible. Arnhem was lost and the main fighting shifted to the south.

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FANTASTIC FIND !! Ground Excavated Relic WWII German K98 Rifle Grenade Mortar Launcher ! - ( Recovered Kurland Battlefield )

Here is a fantastic find ! A ground dug relic k98 rifle grenade launcher attachment recovered on the Kurland Pocket Battlefield. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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RARE WWII Ground Dug "Battlefield" RELIC German KRIEGSMARINE or WHERMACHT MOTORCYCLE " BMW Zundapp" LICENSE PLATE !
( Recovered Baltic Courland Pocket )

Here is a rare to find and always collectible German Whermacht or possibly Kriegsmarine Motorcycle License Plate with inspection stamp still showing through the ground action. Recovered near remnants of a BMW Zundapp. Kurland Pocket Battlefield area.At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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INCREDIBLE Ground Dug WWII German Battle Damaged Waffen-SS Elite EM Maker Marked BUCKLE !
( Recovered retreat route BATTLE OF BERLIN area )

Here is a highly collectible and rare to find excavated German SS Buckle that was ground dug in the region of the Battle of Berlin. German SS Buckles in mint condition can fetch prices in the $700-$900 range with excavated battle damaged examples even harder to find. This example is maker marked as well. It is a spectacular personal item that I wish could tell its story of those final days. It was definitely crimped or struck at some point in battle. Starting on 16 January 1945, the Red Army breached the German front as a result of the Vistula-Oder Offensive and advanced westward as much as 40 kilometres a day, through East Prussia, Lower Silesia, East Pomerania and Upper Silesia, temporarily halting on a line 60 kilometres east of Berlin along the Oder River. During the offensive, two Soviet fronts (army groups attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin. The Battle in Berlin lasted from late 20 April 1945 until the )morning of 2 May and was one of the bloodiest battles in history. The first defensive preparations at the outskirts of Berlin were on 20 March, when the newly appointed commander of the Army Group Vistula, General Gotthard Heinrici, correctly anticipated that the main Soviet thrust would be made over the Oder River. Before the main battle in Berlin commenced, the Soviets managed to encircle the city as a result of the smaller battles of the Seelow Heights and Halbe. During 20 April 1945, the 1st Belorussian Front led by Marshal Geori Zhukov started shelling Berlin's city centre, while Marshal Ivan Konevs 1st Ukrainian Front had pushed in the north through the last formations of Army Group Centre. The German defences were mainly led by Helmuth Weidling and consisted of several depleted, badly equipped, and disorganised Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions, as well as many Volkssturm and Hitler Youth members. Within the next days, the Soviets were rapidly advancing through the city and were reaching the city centre, conquering the Reichstag on 30 April after fierce fighting.

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RARE Lot of German BATTLE DAMAGED ! " HJ HITLER YOUTH " Buckle and a VERY RARE " German " MARKSMAN " Sniper Lanyard AWARD INSIGNIA ! - ( Recovered BATTLE of BERLIN )

The forces available to General Weidling for the city's defence included roughly 45,000 soldiers in several severely depleted German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) and Armed SS (Waffen-SS) divisions.These divisions were supplemented by the police force, boys in the compulsory Hitler Youth, and the Volkssturm Many of the 40,000 elderly men of the Volkssturm had been in the army as young men and some were veterans of World War I. Hitler appointed SS Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke the Battle Commander for the central government district that included the Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker He had over 2,000 men under his command. Weidling organised the defences into eight sectors designated 'A' through to 'H' each one commanded by a colonel or a general, but most had no combat experience.[To the west of the city was the 20th Infantry Division. To the north of the city was the 9th Parachute Division To the north-east of the city was the Panzer Division Müncheberg. To the south-east of the city and to the east of Tempelhof Airport was the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland The reserve, 18th Panzergrenadier Division, was in Berlin's central district. On 23 April, Berzarin's 5th Shock Army and Katukov's 1st Guards Tank Army assaulted Berlin from the south east and, after overcoming a counterattack by the German LVI Panzer Corps, reached the Berlin S-Bahn ring railway on the north side of the Teltow Canal by the evening of 24 April. During the same period, of all the German forces ordered to reinforce the inner defences of the city by Hitler, only a small contingent of French SS volunteers under the command of SS Brigadeführer Gustav Krukenberg arrived in Berlin. During 25 April, Krukenberg was appointed as the commander of Defence Sector C, the sector under the most pressure from the Soviet assault on the city.

"Battle Damaged" HITLER YOUTH BUCKLE - SOLD

" Battlefield Dug " SNIPER / MARKSMAN AWARD - SOLD

RARE WW2 Ground Dug Relic German "Whermacht" 205th Infantry "Mushroom" Division "TRENCH ART" Mess Kit Lid and RARE INSIGNIA Lot
( Recovered Surrender Site Army Group North Courland Battlefield )

Here is an incredible lot of soldiers trench art and his personal initials and his Insignia of the 205th German Infantry Division that surrendered along with Army Group North Courland Pocket. The 205th Infantry Division (German: 205. Infanterie-Division) was a German division during the Second World War.Initially formed as the 14th Militia Division (German: 14. Landwehr Division), the division was mobilized a few days before the invasion of Poland in 1939, and remained on garrison duty in Germany throughout that campaign. It was the only Landwehr unit mobilized during 1939-1945 (others that were mobilized were reorganized as 3rd-Wave-style divisions), though the 97th Landwehr Division had been mobilized for the 1938 Anschluss.It was renamed the 205th Infantry Division on January 1, 1940 and sent to France near the end of the western campaign. It was demobilized in July, but mobilized again in early 1941, and served as a garrison against potential any Allied invasion until early 1942. It was then sent to the Russian Front, where it served with Army Group Center in the "little Stalingrad" at Velikiye Luki over the winter of 1942-1943. The division was transferred to Army Group North in late 1943 and eventually trapped in the Courland Pocket, where it surrendered to the Soviets in 1945.

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HISTORIC Relic WWII GERMAN "WHERMACHT" Army MOTORCYCLE REAR PLATE with part of an inspection stamp visible - IS 305719 - Unit stationed Hannover-Prussia Province ( Austrian Collection )

Here is a neat relic German rear Motorcycle plate issued to a unit stationed in the province of Hannover. Hannover was an important road junction, railhead and production centre that was a target for strategic bombing during World War II, including the Oil Campaign. Targets included the AFA (Stöcken), the Deurag-Nerag refinery (Misburg), the Continental plants (Vahrenwald and Limmer), the United light metal works (VLW) in Ricklingen and Laatzen (today Hanover fairground. the Hanover/Limmer rubber reclamation plant, the Hanomag factory (Linden) and the tank factory M.N.H. Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen (Badenstedt). Forced labourers were used from the Hannover-Misburg subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp. The residential areas were also targeted and more than 6,000 people were killed in the Allied bombing raids. More than 90% of the city centre was destroyed in 88 bombing raids. After the war, the Aegidienkirche was not rebuilt and its ruins were kept as a war memorial.The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Hanover in April 1945. The US 84th Infantry Division captured the city on 10 April 1945.

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RARE "Battlefield Dug" RELIC German P38 Officers LUGER - Incredible Condition with both Bakelite Grips intact ! - ( Recovered BASTOGNE 12th SS Positions )

Here is a highly collectible ground dug relic German WW2 Walther p38 officers pistol Battlefield Dug Bastogne. Incredible condition with both bakelite grips still intact ! Hitlerjugend was given a brief respite, but received virtually no reinforcements or equipment. The division was soon thrown back into battle, and took part in the fighting withdrawal to the Franco-Belgian border. By September 1944, the division counted less than 2,000 men, without armour or heavy equipment. On 6 September, Kurt Meyer was captured by Belgian partisans. Meyer had removed his SS uniform and was wearing the uniform of a regular German army officer. In the confusion of the withdrawal, the division was unable to undertake a rescue attempt. SS-Obersturmbannführer Hubert Meyer was placed in command of the division.In November 1944, the division was pulled out of the line and sent to Neinburg in Germany, where it was to be reformed. The majority of the much-needed reinforcements were transferred Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine personnel, and the reformed division would never match the elite status it had boasted in the spring of 1944. Late in the month, Hubert Meyer was replaced by SS-Obersturmbannführer Hugo Kraas, and the division was attached to SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich's 6.SS-Panzer-Armee, which was forming up for Operation Wacht Am Rhein (the Second Battle of the Ardennes, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge), a large-scale offensive to recapture Antwerp and halt the Allied advance.The operation opened on 16 December 1944. Kampfgruppe Peiper from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler led the assault, breaking through the enemy lines. The HJ, which was to follow the Kampfgruppe and exploit the breakthrough, became bogged down in traffic jams caused by the 12.Volksgrenadier-Division. When the division reached the front, it was met with heavy resistance from American troops stationed on the Elsenborn Ridge. Despite several intense efforts, the division could not budge the American defenders. As a result, the division was ordered to swing left and follow the advance line of the remainder of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. American defenders prevented the division from reaching its objective, and after the destruction of Kampfgruppe Peiper, the advance of Dietrich's army altogether. Near the end of the year, the HJ was shifted south to take part in the efforts to capture Bastogne, and saw heavy fighting around the city. By 18 January 1945, the HJ, along with all the German forces, had been pushed back to its starting positions. Don't let this rare opportunity get away to add historic Bastogne SS soldier artifacts to your personal collection. Bastogne Battlefield Recovered 12TH SS HITLER JUGEND Positions.

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RARE Ground Dug RELIC German SS PANZER TANK "Commanders" HEADPHONES / HEADSET - Excavated TANNENBERG LINE !

Here is an original relic German Tank Officer's Headset that was dug at Tannenberg Line Battlefield on the Eastern Front. Very nice historic relic ! The Battle of Tannenberg Line was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front. They fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July to 10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for the invasions of Finland and East Prussia. Several Western scholars refer to it as the Battle of the European SS for the 24 volunteer infantry battalions from Denmark, East Prussia, Flanders, Holland, Norway, and Wallonia within the Waffen-SS. Roughly half of the infantry consisted of local Estonian conscripts motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. The German force of 22,250 men held off 136,830 Soviet troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 dead and wounded Soviet troops and 157–164 tanks.

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INCREDIBLE HISTORY ! Ground Dug WWII German WHERMACHT 371st Infantry Division TROOP PLACEMENT ROAD SIGN - ( Excavated STALINGRAD-Kessel - Russian Front )

Here is a very cool relic that was excavated in condition as shown at Stalingrad. The sign has the painted motif of the 371st Infantry that was part of the legendary sixth army and was destroyed by Russian troops in the brutal fighting around Stalingrad. The so-called spikes Division was established as a division of 19 installation shaft on February 17, 1942, on the military training camp of Beverloo in Belgium by the AOK 15 and assigned to the military district command VI headquartered in Münster, Germany. The installation was completed on 1 June 1942. The area became a southern Russia. The Division was formed in December 1942 the 6th Army (IV Corps) subordinate (previously 2. Pz.Armee) and included as part of this in the battle of Stalingrad and completely destroyed in January 1943.The Division was again raised on order of the army high command 7 on February 17, 1943 in Brittany from convalescent and replacement troops at Kampfgruppe strength, from June 9, 1943, again in full Division strength. The Division was then entrusted with coastal protection duties in Italy and in December 1943 again to the East, Croatia moved to. From there, it went in the North Ukraine, Poland and Silesia. The Division turned out to be the end of the war when German Brod /Moravia, the present-day Havlickuv Brod, in Soviet captivity. About 265,000 German, Romanian, Italian soldiers,the 369th (Croatian) Reinforced Infantry Regiment, and other volunteer subsidiary troops including some 40,000 Soviet volunteers fighting for the Germans were surrounded. German strength in the pocket was about 210,000 according to strength breakdowns of the 20 field divisions (average size 9,000) and 100 battalion sized units of the Sixth Army on 19 November 1942. Inside the pocket (German: Kessel, literally "cauldron"), there were also around 10,000 Soviet civilians and several thousand Soviet soldiers the Germans had taken captive during the battle. Not all of the 6th Army was trapped; 50,000 soldiers were brushed aside outside the pocket. These belonged mostly to the other 2 divisions of the 6th Army between the Italian and Romanian Armies: the 62nd and 298th Infantry Divisions. Of the 210,000 Germans, 10,000 remained to fight on, 105,000 surrendered, 35,000 left by air and the remaining 60,000 died, committed suicide in the 11 weeks after being encircled or were unable to surrender when the end was there.

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HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER ! Original WW2 German "Whermacht" MOTORCYCLE LICENSE PLATE with INSPECTION STAMP ! ( Berlin )

Here is a very cool WW2 German Motorcycle Plate with Inspection Stamp in nice relic condition ! The battle in Berlin was an end phase of the Battle of Berlin. While the Battle of Berlin encompassed the attack by three Soviet Army Groups to capture not only Berlin but the territory of Germany east of the River Elbe still under German control, the battle in Berlin details the fighting and German capitulation that took place within the city.The outcome of the battle to capture the capital of the Third Reich was decided during the initial phases of the Battle of Berlin that took place outside the city. As the Soviets invested Berlin and the German forces placed to stop them were destroyed or forced back, and the city's fate was sealed. Nevertheless, there was much heavy fighting within the city as the Red Army fought its way, street by street, into the centre.On 23 April 1945, the first Soviet ground forces started to penetrate the outer suburbs of Berlin. By 27 April, Berlin was completely cut off from the outside world. The battle in the city continued until 2 May 1945. On that date, the commander of the Berlin Defence Area, General Helmuth Weidling, surrendered to the commander of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, Lieutenant-General Vasily Chuikov. Chuikov was a constituent of Marshal Georgiy Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front.

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FANTASTIC HISTORIC BATTLEFIELD FIND ! Excavated WW2 German Whermacht Army "SDKFZ" HALFTRACK ARMOURED VEHICLE License Plate !
( Recovered Stalingrad Battlefield ) "HUGE PLATE !" 13.5 X 12.5 inches

How often do you get a chance to own for your collection a highly sought after WW2 German HALFTRACK license plate relic that was recovered in Stalingrad. The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by the Hanomag company during World War II, and based on their earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The larger of the pair (the Sd.Kfz. 250 being the lighter one) of the fully armored wartime half-tracks of the Wehrmacht, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with over 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by various manufacturers, and were commonly referred to simply as "Hanomags" by both German and Allied soldiers. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.
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RARE HISTORIC RELIC WW2 German "LUFTWAFFE" SD2 " Butterfly WINGS Casing " ( Excavated Luftwaffe Airbase, Poland )

Here is an original ground dug relic WW2 German Luftwaffe SD2 or Butterfly Bomb Casing ( 100% excavated Inert casing for historic display only ) that was dug in Poland and still retains original Luftwaffe feldgrau paint . A Butterfly Bomb (or Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg or SD2) was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when the bomblet deployed gave it the superficial appearance of a large butterfly. The design was very distinctive and easy to recognise. SD2 bomblets were not dropped individually, but were packed into containers holding between 6 and 108 submunitions e.g. the AB 23 SD-2 and AB 250-3 submunitions dispensers. The SD2 submunitions were released after the container was released from the aircraft and had burst open. Because SD2s were always dropped in groups (never individually) the discovery of one unexploded SD2 was a reliable indication that others had been dropped nearby. This bomb type was one of the first cluster bombs ever used in combat and it proved to be a highly effective weapon. The bomb containers that carried the SD2 bomblets and released them in the air were nicknamed the "Devil's Eggs" by Luftwaffe air and ground crew.

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INCREDIBLE RELIC FROM STALINGRAD ! Ground Dug WWII Relic RUSSIAN ( Sniper Protection ) BODY ARMOR ( Complete with both sections ! )

Here is a historic and extremely rare original WW2 relic Russian Body Armor for upper and lower, in incredible ground dug condition and solid that was recovered from the brutal city fighting around Stalingrad that had the Russians using WWI protection by wearing sheets of iron to protect them from German snipers. This armor is complete with all sections. A great display relic ! The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE TO FIND ! Battlefield " SHRAPNEL STRUCK" Fascist ITALIAN Volunteer HELMET SHELL - ( Recovered -GOTHIC LINE, Italy )

Here is an extremely rare to find Axis Italian WW2 helmet that is battle damaged with an impact crack caused by shrapnel shock. After the nearly concurrent breakthroughs at Cassino and Anzio in spring 1944, the 11 nations representing the Allies in Italy finally had a chance to trap the Germans in a pincer movement and to realize some of Winston Churchills strategic goals for the long, costly campaign against the Axis "underbelly". This would have required U.S 5th Army under Lieutenant General Mark Clark to commit most of his Anzio forces to the drive east from Cisterna, and to execute the envelopment envisioned in the original planning for the Anzio landing (i.e., flank the German 10th Army, and sever its northbound line of retreat from Cassino). Instead, fearing that the 8th Army might beat him to Rome, Clark diverted a large part of his Anzio force in that direction in an attempt to ensure that he and the 5th Army would have the honour of liberating the Eternal City.During the winter of 1944-1945, armed Italians were on both sides of the Gothic Line. On the Allied side were four Italian groups of volunteers from the old Italian army. These Italian volunteers were equipped and trained by the British. On the Axis side were four RSI divisions. Three of the RSI divisions, the 2nd Italian "Littorio" Infantry Division, the 3rd Italian "San Marco" Marine Division, and the 4th Italian "Monte Rosa Alpine Division were allocated to the LXXXXVII "Liguria" Army under Graziani and were placed to guard the western flank of the Gothic Line facing France. The fourth RSI division, the 1st Italian "Italia" Infantry Division, was attached to the German 14th Army in a sector of the Apennine Mountains thought least likely to be attacked. On 26 December 1944, several sizeable RSI military units, including elements of the 4th Italian "Monterosa Division" Alpine Division and the 3rd Italian "San Marco" Marine Division, participated in Operation Winter Storm. This was a combined German and Italian offensive against the 92nd Infantry Division. The battle was fought in the Apennines. While limited in scale, this was a successful offensive and the RSI units did their part. In February 1945, the 92nd Infantry Division again came up against RSI units. This time it was Bersaglieri of the 1st Italian "Italia" Infantry Division. The Italians successfully halted the US division's advance.

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RARE Battlefield Find ! WW2 German RELIC Condition LUFTWAFFE DD M40 HELMET !  - ( Recovered Courland Pocket )

Here is an incredible Battlefield found German Luftwaffe helmet with DD. The M40 helmet is in solid condition with both decals highly visible. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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RARE WW2 Battlefield Dug Relic Large Size Model SD M42 " RAW EDGE "  with metal liner German WAFFEN-SS HELMET SHELL !  ( Recovered Courland Peninsula, Eastern Front )

Here is an extremely nice condition relic battlefield excavated german ww2 "raw edge" model 1942 type helmet with clear SS runes SD helmet. The helmet is a large size and still retains the liner ring remnants. This is one of the better ones and almost stayed in my personal collection.The Courland Pocket  referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland Peninsula during the closing months of World War II. The Soviet commander was General Bagramyan (later Marshal Bagramyan). The pocket was created during the Red Army's Baltic Strategic Offensive Operation, when forces of the 1st Baltic Front reached the Baltic Sea near Memel during its lesser Memel Offensive Operation phases. This action isolated the German Army Group North (German: Heeresgruppe Nord) from the rest of the German forces between Tukums and Liepāja in Latvia. Renamed Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) on 25 January, the Army Group remained isolated until the end of the war. When they were ordered to surrender to the Soviet command on 8 May, they were in "blackout" and did not get the official order before 10 May, two days after the capitulation of Germany. It was one of the last German groups to surrender in Europe.

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WOW !  Freshly swamp dug HISTORICAL FIND ! WW2 German SS PANZER CORPS M40 SD HELMET - ( Recovered Berlin Battlefields )

Here is the most affordable priced low original SS SD M40 large size helmet for the collector that does not want to pay the huge amounts that come with every condition grade that increases into the 10s of thousands for the pristine examples. I say give me the affordable examples always that come with the history of knowing "they were there" in the last hours on the battlefield fighting to the last ditch. This helmet was recently dug in a bog near Seelow heights. The runes became nicely visible beneath as the mud was worked away. The helmet was a crown rust through but is a learge size and solid around the base it displays incredible.... Before being encircled, the Ninth Army had already suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the Seelow Heights. It is estimated that at the start of the encirclement it had fewer than 1,000 guns and mortars, 79 tanks and probably a total of 150–200 combat-ready armoured fighting vehicles left. In all there were about 80,000 men in the pocket, the majority of whom were members of the Ninth Army consisting of the XI SS Panzer Corps, V SS Mountain Corps and the newly acquired V Corps, but there were also the Frankfurt Garrison The number of tanks reported included 36 tanks in XI SS Panzer Corps, including up to 14 King Tigers of the 502nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion Air supply was attempted on April 25 and 26, but could not be carried out because the planes that had taken off could not find the drop point for supply, and no contact to the encircled army could be established.The pocket into which the Ninth Army had been pushed by troops of the 1st Belorussian Front and 1st Ukrainian Front was a region of lakes and forest in the Spree Forest south-east of Fürstenwalde.. The Soviets, having broken through and surrounded their primary objective of Berlin then turned to mopping up those forces pushed into the pocket. On the afternoon of April 25 the Soviet 3rd, 33rd, and 69th Armies as well as the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps (which was a formation capable of infiltration through difficult terrain such as forests), following orders issued by Marshal Georgy Zhukov the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, attacked the pocket from the north east. Konev knew that to break out to the west the Ninth Army would have to cross the Berlin–Dresden autobahn south of a chain of lakes starting at Teupitz and running north-east. On the same day as Zhukov's attack in the north-east, he sent the 3rd Guards Army to support the 28th Army which was ready to close the likely breakout route over the Berlin–Dresden autobahn.

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THIS HISTORIC MUSEUM RELIC is very hard to part with ! - Ground Dug Relic BATTLE-DAMAGED "Heavy" Russian MAXIM MACHINE GUN Barrel !
Bullet Riddled ! - ( Recovered STALINGRAD ! )

Incredible rare to find and Huge, Russian Belt-Fed HEAVY MAXIM MACHINE GUN Water-cooled Barrel that was recovered with "furious" battle damage. Machine Gun Battlefield Artifacts are highly collectible in battle damaged condition. Russians and German troops used the powerful Maxim Heavy MG.The Russian M1910 Maxim machine gun was the standard military heavy machine gun through most of WWII. The Russian Maxim was a water cooled belt fed heavy machine gun used by both the Russian and Soviet armies. It was adopted in 1910 and was a variant of Hiram Maxim’s Maxim gun chambered for the standard Russian rifle ammunition. The M1910 was normally mounted on a cumbersome wheeled mount with a bullet shield, although there were some rare light tripod mounts that were made as well as various naval and aircrafts mounts. With the heavy wheeled Sokolov mount, the weapon tipped the scaled at 139 pounds, though without the mount it was considerably lighter. Still, it was a heavy gun. It was recoil operated, and fired at 600 rounds per minute off of 250 round belts that were usually made of cloth, or, more rarely, metal. The metal links were usually not preferred as they were much harder on the internals of the gun and caused more wear than the cloth belts. With a few simple tools it was possible to remove the starting tab on one metal belt and then connect another belt together to make a longer belt, however. A very reliable weapon, it was well liked, but it did have many drawbacks. It was considerably heavier than the German MG2, making it far less mobile, and did not have as fast of a rate of fire as its counterpart either. Further, it lacked the ability to quickly change barrels, something that is often needed in heavy machine gun as the rate of fire can burn out barrels very quickly. However, for what it lacked in refined features it made up for in brute force. The gun could fire in longer bursts that many of its contemporaries as the water contained in the tubular water jacket around the barrel kept the barrel from burning up quicker than it would without it.
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RARE Ground Dug Relic BATTLEFIELD DAMAGED German WAFFEN-SS - M35/SD - Lots of Original Paint ! ( Recovered Kurland Pocket, Eastern Front )

Here is a ground dug ww2 battlefield relic German Waffen-SS Helmet Shell from the Hewerdine Collection that was recovered at the surrender site of Army Group North. Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland Peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht command on 8 May 1945. At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov commander of the Leningrad Front. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket had surrendered.

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INCREDIBLE "HISTORIC" RECOVERY ! Ground Dug WW2 Battlefield GERMAN ARMY ( "Whermacht" ) " HALFTRACK " LICENSE PLATE ! ( Courland Pocket, Eastern Front Battlefield )

Here is an incredible large size highly sought after original WW2 German "HALFTRACK" license plate relic from my personal collection, that was recovered in Courland Pocket at the surrender site of Army Group North. The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by the Hanomag company during World War II, and based on their earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The larger of the pair (the Sd.Kfz. 250 being the lighter one) of the fully armored wartime half-tracks of the Wehrmacht, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with over 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by various manufacturers, and were commonly referred to simply as "Hanomags" by both German and Allied soldiers. Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland Peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht command on 8 May 1945. At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov commander of the Leningrad Front. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket had surrendered.

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NICE Ground Dug RELIC German CLOSE COMBAT BADGE with Clasp ! - ( Recovered Courland Pocket, Surrender Site Army Group North )

Nice condition German Close Combat Award Badge excavated near the surrender site of Army Group North Courland. At the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic, was overrun by Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. In 1944, the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic area along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to the Baltic Sea. they were trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket, blockaded by the Red Army and the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff, insisted to Adolf Hitler that the troops in Courland should be evacuated by sea and used for the defense of Germany. Hitler refused, and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue the defence of the area. Hitler believed them necessary to protect Kriegsmarine submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland (Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when the Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov, the commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began moving to Soviet prison camps in the East. The majority of them never returned to Germany.

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THIS HISTORIC MUSEUM RELIC is very hard to part with ! -  Ground Dug Relic BATTLE-DAMAGED "Heavy" Russian MAXIM MACHINE GUN Barrel !
Bullet Riddled ! - ( Recovered STALINGRAD ! )

Incredible rare to find and Huge, Russian Belt-Fed HEAVY MAXIM MACHINE GUN Water-cooled Barrel that was recovered with "furious" battle damage. This will most likely be the first and last one of these I will ever see pass through. Both Russians and German troops used the powerful Maxim Heavy MG.The Russian M1910 Maxim machine gun was the standard military heavy machine gun through most of WWII. The Russian Maxim was a water cooled belt fed heavy machine gun used by both the Russian and Soviet armies. It was adopted in 1910 and was a variant of Hiram Maxim’s Maxim gun chambered for the standard Russian rifle ammunition. The M1910 was normally mounted on a cumbersome wheeled mount with a bullet shield, although there were some rare light tripod mounts that were made as well as various naval and aircrafts mounts. With the heavy wheeled Sokolov mount, the weapon tipped the scaled at 139 pounds, though without the mount it was considerably lighter. Still, it was a heavy gun. It was recoil operated, and fired at 600 rounds per minute off of 250 round belts that were usually made of cloth, or, more rarely, metal. The metal links were usually not preferred as they were much harder on the internals of the gun and caused more wear than the cloth belts. With a few simple tools it was possible to remove the starting tab on one metal belt and then connect another belt together to make a longer belt, however. A very reliable weapon, it was well liked, but it did have many drawbacks. It was considerably heavier than the German MG2, making it far less mobile, and did not have as fast of a rate of fire as its counterpart either. Further, it lacked the ability to quickly change barrels, something that is often needed in heavy machine gun as the rate of fire can burn out barrels very quickly. However, for what it lacked in refined features it made up for in brute force. The gun could fire in longer bursts that many of its contemporaries as the water contained in the tubular water jacket around the barrel kept the barrel from burning up quicker than it would without it.

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EXTREMELY RARE WW2 "Battlefield" Dug RELIC German "Waffen-SS" 6TH SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade - Langemarck
Dog Tag Death ID ( Recovered Kurland Pocket - Eastern Front )

Here is a very desireable and 100% original German SS Dog tag 6th Brigade 2nd Battalion Dog Tag. Excavated Kurland.
In Bohemia, 1,700 new recruits were waiting to join the division, and soon it was back up to strength. On 19 July 1944, Kampfgruppe Rehmann was formed, commanded by SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Rehmann. KG Rehmann, consisting of the Langemarck's 2nd battalion was sent to the Narva front to become a part of Felix Steiner's III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps which was defending the Tannenberg Line. The Tannenberg Line was anchored on three strategic hills. Running west to east, these were known as Hill 69.9 (69.9-Höhe), Grenadier Hill (Grenadier-Höhe) and Orphanage Hill (Kinderheim-Höhe). From Orphanage Hill, the rear side of the town of Narva could be protected. KG Rehmann was tasked with defending Orphanage Hill. Fighting alongside men of the 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, the 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien, the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland and several German formations, the Langemarck was engaged in very heavy combat against the Soviets. An example of the fighting spirit and tenacity of the Langemarck men can be seen by the actions of the Flemish NCO Remi Schrijnen. During the fighting, Schrijnen singlehandedly knocked out more than a dozen enemy tanks while wounded and cut off from his unit. In a period of 48 hours, Schrijnen personally halted several Soviet tank attacks which threatened to encircle the Langemarck and the Estonian SS men fighting alongside them. He even destroyed two T-34's with one shot from his PaK anti-tank gun. For his actions, Schrijnen was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Over the next few months, Langemarck, along with the remainder of Steiner's Corps, executed a fighting withdrawal into the Kurland Pocket, the brigade being in combat for much of the retreat.

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FANTASTIC PIECE OF HISTORY !  Ground Dug Relic Find - GERMAN POW CAMP Issued ID TAG for a PRISONER OF STALAG VIII Section C. ( Sagan, Poland )

Here is a very cool relic dog tag issued by a German POW camp to a captured POW of one of many allied forces that were interred in Stalag VIII-C.   Stalag VIII-C was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp, near Sagan, Germany, (now Żagań, Poland). It was adjacent to the famous Stalag Luft III, and was built at the beginning of World War II, occupying 48 ha (120 acres). The camp was built in September 1939 to house several thousand Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. In a ruthless breach of the Third Geneva Convention most of these prisoners were deprived of their P.O.W. status in June 1940 and transferred to labor camps. French and Belgian soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France took their place, many of them from Algeria, Morocco and Senegal. In 1941 more prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign mostly British, Canadian, Greek and Yugoslav. These were followed by Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa. In late 1941 nearly 50,000 prisoners were crowded into space designed for one third that number. Conditions were appalling, starvation, epidemics and ill-treatment took a heavy toll of lives. By early 1942 the Soviet prisoners had been transferred to other camps, particularly to Stalag VIII-E, Neuhammer. New prisoners arrived form the Western Desert Campaign in north Africa, especially after the fall of Tobruk in December 1941. These were principally Australians, South Africans (both white and black) and Poles.

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INCREDIBLE HISTORIC ARTIFACT ! - Ground Dug BATTLEFIELD Recovered "EXPLODED" US "BROWNING 1919 Machine Gun" Section - ( Battlefield of Bastogne )

Here is a chance to own a battle damaged chunk of a Browning 1919 Machine Gun relic that quite possibly was a tank mount, jeep mount or foxhole MG position. An incredible chance to own a truly historic artifact. Near-complete surprise was achieved by a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance. The Germans attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line, taking advantage of heavily overcast weather conditions, which grounded the Allies' overwhelmingly superior air forces. Fierce resistance on the northern shoulder of the offensive around Elsenborn Ridge and in the south around Bastogne blocked German access to key roads to the northwest and west that they counted on for success; columns that were supposed to advance along parallel routes found themselves on the same roads. This and terrain that favoured the defenders threw the German advance behind schedule and allowed the Allies to reinforce the thinly placed troops. Improved weather conditions permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines, which sealed the failure of the offensive. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment, as survivors retreated to the defenses of the Siegfried Line. The battle involved about 610,000 American men, of whom some 89,000 were casualties, including 19,000 killed. It was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.

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EXTREMELY RARE "Battlefield" Dug WW2 RUSSIAN ID TAG - 10th Russian Guards Regiment ( Excavation Recovered Kurland Battlefield )

On 16 October, Hitler permitted the pulling back of the front.  With this came the evacuation of Riga and the transfer of 100,000 tons of material to the Kurland.  This just left two ports of supply, Libau at the southern edge of the Kurland pocket and Windau in the northern half.  Due to the build up of forces for the Ardennes Offensive, Kurland did not receive reenforcments.  What resulted is the combatant force ratio of 11:1 to the disadvantage of the German forces.  The force ratio for armored vehicles was 7:1 in favor of the Russians; for artillery, it was 20:1.  The situation of the Luftwaffe was of course similar.
By order of Heeresgruppe Nord, it was forbidden to use the phrase "Kurland pocket."  Since the defeat at Stalingrad, the word "pocket" carried connotations of impending disaster.  The term "bridgehead" was thought to be better suited since it was viewed as jumping off point for offensives.  So "Kurland bridgehead" became the official name.  There were a total of six battles of Kurland.  It was during these battles the 10th Guards of the 11th Division would become known as a staple "fire-brigade" of the Kurland front.  The sixth battle began on 18 March 1945 when the Red Army artillery opened up on the front between Dangas and Skutini.  The Soviet 10th Guards Army concentrated their attack on the positions in the middle of this barrage with armored formations & support of the Red Air Force which was used to cripple German supply lines and communication.  The Russian onslaught broke through at several locations.  Some German strong points were cut off and these troops had to fight their way back to the new German positions.  In spite of the local Russian successes, the Germans were able to hold a defensive line and denied the Russians a victory.  It was reported that 92 enemy armored vehicles were knocked out in this fightingThe Russian 10th Guards Army repeatedly attempted in the following days to force a breakthrough and capture the port city of Libau.  The German Army now known as Heeresgruppe Kurland continued to successfully hold back the red tide, but were forced to give ground in certain sectors to form a new line of resistance.  Despite being outnumbered in men and weapons, the Germans showed that they are able to match in combat the massive Russian formations
 
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EXTREMELY RARE Ground Dug Lot of WWI POLISH ARMY EAST Headquarters Breast Award ! and a RARE WWI 1ST BRIGADE POLISH LEGION Breast Award !
Ground Dug WARSAW !

Here is a great opportunity to own highly desireable original and rare WWI Polish Awards in ground dug condition. The Headquarters Eastern Front award has the Knedler screwback secure and the 1st Brigade Polish Legion is incredible still retaining the decorative crimson padding. Both awards are in very ice dug condition.The First Brigade was formed on December 19, 1914, as part of the Polish Legions in World War I. Until October 1916 the First Brigade was commanded by Józef Pilsudski thereafter by Marian Zegota-Januszajtis. The First Brigade and the Third Brigade were disbanded after the 1917 Oath Crisis. In mid-1916, after the Battle of Kostiuchnówka in which the Polish Legions delayed a Russian offensive at a cost of over 2,000 casualties,The Battle of Kostiuchnówka was a World War I battle that took place July 4–6, 1916, near the village of Kostiuchnówka (Kostyukhnivka) and the Styr River in the Volhynia region of modern Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. It was a major clash between the Russian Army and the Polish Legions (part of the Austro-Hungarian Army) during the opening phase of the Brusilov Offensive.Polish forces, numbering 5,500–7,300, faced Russian forces numbering over half of the 46th Corps of 26,000. The Polish forces were eventually forced to retreat, but delayed the Russians long enough for the other Austro-Hungarian units in the area to retreat in an organized manner. Polish casualties were approximately 2,000 fatalities and wounded. The battle is considered one of the largest and most vicious of those involving the Polish Legions in World War IPilsudski demanded that the Central Powers issue a guarantee of independence for Poland. He backed this demand with his own proffered resignation and that of many of the Legions' officers. On 5 November 1916 the Central Powers proclaimed the "independence" of Poland, hoping to increase the number of Polish troops that could be sent to the eastern front against Russia, thereby relieving German forces to bolster the western front. Pilsudski agreed to serve in the Regency Kingdom of Poland created by the Central Powers, and acted as minister of war in the newly formed Polish Regency government; as such he was responsible for the Polnische Wehrmacht.

Polish Army WWI Headquarters Eastern Front Award - $ 150
Polish Legion WWI 1st Brigade Award - $190
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HISTORIC "BATTLEFIELD" FIND ! Ground Dug AMERICAN Relic US M1 GARAND RIFLE CLIP - ( Excavated Bastogne, BATTLE OF THE BULGE )

Incredible Find ! These Authentic Ground Dug Relic ( for display only ) This US M1 Garand Rifle Clip that was excavated near Bastogne by a serviceman stationed in Belgium during the 1980's. Incredible historic find of US history.By 21 December the Germans had surrounded Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne Division and Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division. Conditions inside the perimeter were tough—most of the medical supplies and medical personnel had been captured. Food was scarce, and by 22 December artillery ammunition was restricted to 10 rounds per gun per day. The weather cleared the next day, however, and supplies (primarily ammunition) were dropped over four of the next five days.Despite determined German attacks, however, the perimeter held. The German commander, Lt. Gen. Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz requested Bastogne's surrender. When Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, acting commander of the 101st, was told of the Nazi demand to surrender, in frustration he responded, "Nuts!" After turning to other pressing issues, his staff reminded him that they should reply to the German demand. One officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, noted that McAuliffe's initial reply would be "tough to beat." Thus McAuliffe wrote on the paper, which was typed up and delivered to the Germans, the line he made famous and a morale booster to his troops: "NUTS!" That reply had to be explained, both to the Germans and to non-American Allies. Both 2nd Panzer and Panzer Lehr moved forward from Bastogne after 21 December, leaving only Panzer Lehr's 901st Regiment to assist the 26th Volksgrenadier Division in attempting to capture the crossroads. The 26th VG received one panzergrenadier regiment from the 15th Panzergrenadier Division on Christmas Eve for its main assault the next day. Because it lacked sufficient troops and those of the 26th VG Division were near exhaustion, the XLVII Panzer Corps concentrated its assault on several individual locations on the west side of the perimeter in sequence rather than launching one simultaneous attack on all sides. The assault, despite initial success by its tanks in penetrating the American line, was defeated and all the tanks destroyed. The next day, 26 December, the spearhead of Gen. Patton's 4th Armored Division broke through and opened a corridor to Bastogne. Don't let this chance get away to add to your collection authentic Battle of the Bulge Relics !

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RARE "HISTORIC" Ground Dug Relic Battlefield GERMAN MP40 "Schmeisser" Sub-Machine GUN Artifact - ( Recovered Battle of the Bulge - Ardennes )
Here is a very historic metal detection find that was recovered Bulge Battlefield. The MG Relic MP40 "Schmeisser" is in sections and rough but could with some care restore it for display. A rare opportunity to add a historic WWII battlefield relic weapon to your collection.The Battle of the Bulge (also known as Ardennenoffensive, Ardennes Counteroffensive, and Rundstedtoffensive, Von Rundstedt Offensive to the Germans) (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive launched through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, and France and Luxembourg on the Western Front towards the end of World War II. The Wehrmachts code name for the offensive was Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine"), after the German patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein. The French name for the operation is Bataille des Ardennes.There are several American names for this battle. The first was the description given to the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps, which was reported in the contemporary press as the Battle of the Bulge. The battle was militarily defined as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, which included the German drive and the American effort to contain and later defeat it. Following the war, the U.S. Army issued a campaign citation for its units fighting in northwest Europe at the time. This was called the Ardennes-Alsace campaign and included the Ardennes sector (of the Ardennes Counteroffensive fighting) and units further south in the Alsace sector. The latter units were not involved except for elements sent northward as reinforcements. While the Ardennes Counteroffensive is correct military parlance, because the official Ardennes-Alsace campaign covers much more than the Ardennes battle region, the most popular description remains simply the Battle of the Bulge.

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SPECTACULAR FIND !  A Battle Damaged " MEMORIAL ID'D and BATTLE DAMAGED TRENCH ART Relic Russian Canteen - RUSSIAN SNIPER HISTORY !
 ( Recovered EASTERN FRONT Battlefield of Narva )

This WW2 Battlefield Found Russian Army Issue Flask that was recovered in Estonia from the eastern front battlefield of Narva in Russian held positions. The flask is ID'd to a Russian Sniper by the name of Ivan Bulatov.  The etching on the flask details that he was drafted into the Russian Army in Nizneydinsk, Siberia. His time training camp was in 1944 before being sent to the front. I am assuming from the 2 sniper bullet strikes that he met his demise by possibly his opposite a German sniper. ?  The trench art etching is incredible with the Russian Sniper shield Insignia and crosses rifles along with his dates of service. An absolutely incredible relic and research piece for your collection. Don't let this one get away or for me to decide to hold onto it .. : )

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EXTREMELY RARE ! WWII Ground Excavated Relic - GERMAN DRK "HEWER" DAGGER with Scabbard and RED CROSS BUCKLE ! - ( Recovered Battle of Berlin - Seelow Heights )  

Here is an incredibly hard to find ground dug relic WW2 German DRK Dagger and Buckle that were recovered near the Seelow Heights Battlefield. The Battle of the Seelow Heights (German: Schlacht um die "Seelower Höhen"), was a part of the Seelow-Berlin Offensive Operation (16 April-2 May 1945), one of the last assaults on large entrenched defensive positions of World War II. It was fought over three days, from 16–19 April 1945. Close to one million Soviet soldiers of the 1st Belorussian Front (including 78,556 soldiers of the Polish 1st Army), commanded by Marshal Georgi Zhukov, attacked the position known as the "Gates of Berlin". They were opposed by about 110,000 soldiers of the German 9th Army, commanded by General Theodor Busse, as part of the Army Group Vistula.This battle is often incorporated into the Battle of the Oder-Neisse. Seelow Heights was where the most bitter fighting in the overall battle took place, but it was only one of several crossing points along the Oder and Neisse rivers where the Soviets attacked. The Battle of the Oder-Neisse was itself only the opening phase of the Battle of Berlin.The result was the encirclement of the German 9th Army and the Battle of Halbe.

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RARE Ground Dug WW2 RELIC GERMAN " FELDGENDARMERIE " GORGET Decoration ! - ( Recovered France, in the 1970's by Alain Rodeoux )

Here is an extremely rare to find excavated German Gorget that was recovered without its chain, in a Normandy hedgerow by Alain Rodeoux in the early 70's. Halfway hoping this one doesnt sell to quick as it looks killer in a shadowbox. A beautiful war relic for insignia collectors. These in nice condition all book in the $1000 plus range.. Fighting in Normandy was fierce and bloody. The Germans knew that there was only one chance of pushing the Allies out of France and that was in Normandy itself. The further inland the Allies got, the weaker the German position would be – hence the ferocity of the fighting. For men such as Marshal Kluge, the battles fought in Normandy were literally make or break for the German army. Defeat in Normandy would almost certainly mean the loss of France before the Allies turned on Nazi Germany itself. Both sides saw control of Caen as being pivotal to success in Normandy. The Allies launched various attacks on the city, which eventually fell but only after Allied bombing had all but destroyed the Old City. Equally fierce fighting took place just three miles to the south of Caen at Verrières Ridge – a place of great strategic importance for whoever held it as the ridge gave a commanding view over the surrounding terrain.  The Germans faced an army that had access to a seemingly endless supply of fuel and equipment. While the Mulberry Harbour had not lasted long, it had served its purpose. With the beaches secured, with the port of Cherbourg captured and with effective control of the English Channel, supplying the Allied forces in Normandy was not a huge issue. The Germans were not in the same position. Regardless of this, fighting in Normandy was fierce and progress inland was slow. German resistance was invariably strong. German resistance culminated in mid-August 1944 when the Allies trapped 150,000 German soldiers in and around the town of Falaise. Thousands of Germans did escape via the Falaise Gap (Falaise Pocket) before it was closed. But many thousands were captured along with their equipment. The loss of such a large force was a disaster for the Germans and one the German Army in France did not recover from.

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RARE Ground Dug Battlefield Relic German Waffen-SS SD M35 Helmet - ( Recovered Tannenberg Line , Russian Front )

Here is a rough but rare relic condition SD SS Waffen Helmet Shell Battlefield recovery from Tannenberg Line, Eastern Front. The helmet has some wicked battle damage and bullet strikes and displays incredible. The runes are faint but nicely visible. The Battle of Tannenberg Line (German: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; Estonian: Sinimägede lahing; Russian: Битва за линию «Танненберг») was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July to 10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for invasions of Finland and East-Prussia. Several Western scholars refer to it as the Battle of the European SS for the 24 volunteer infantry battalions from Denmark, East Prussia, Flanders, Holland, Norway, and Wallonia within the Waffen-SS. Roughly a half of the infantry consisted of the local Estomia conscripts motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. The German force of 22,250 men held off the Soviet advance of 136,830 troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 wounded and dead Soviet troops and 157–164 Soviet tanks.

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HISTORIC RECOVERY !!  Ground Dug RELIC German WW2 "OST FRONT" Winter Award Medals - ( Recovered Surrender Site of Army Group North )

Here is a nice lot sold individually of Ground Dug WW2 German medal Winterschlacht im Osten 1941-42 awarded medals for survival of winter campaigns in Russia. These incredible award medals were rocovered all together in a pit at the surrender site of the German Army Group North trapped inside the Courland Pocket and are in various condition of dug. Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland Peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht command on 8 May 1945. At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov commander of the Leningrad Front. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket had surrendered. Priced low for each medal !

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FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE WW2 GERMAN MOTORCYCLE RELIC ! German Kradschützen) from the WAFFEN- SS Division "Totenkopf" MOTORCYCLE SEAT - Maker marked - DRILASTIC ! ( Recovered "Demjansk" Pocket )

Here is a fantastic relic from my personal collection. An original German sidecar Motorcycle seat by Drilastic that was recovered in Demjansk in positions occupied by SS troops Totenkopf. along with other parts that have since sold. In April 1941, the division was ordered East to join Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb's Army Group North. Leeb's force was tasked with advancing on Leningrad and formed the northern wing of Operation Barbarossa. Totenkopf saw action in Lithuania and Latvia, and by July had breached the vaunted Stalin Line. The division then advanced past Demjansk to Leningrad where it was involved in heavy fighting from 31 July to 25 August.
During the autumn and winter of 1941, the Soviets launched a number of operations against the German lines in the northern sector of the Front. During one, the Division was encircled for several months near Demjansk in what would come to be known as the Demjansk Pocket. During these kessel (cauldron) battles, Totenkopf suffered so greatly, that due to its reduced size, it was re-designated Kampfgruppe "Eicke". The division was involved in ferocious fighting to hold the pocket. SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Meierdress of the Sturmgeschütze-Batterie (Assault Gun) Totenkopf formed a Kampfgruppe of about 120 soldiers and held the strategic town of Bjakowo despite repeated determined enemy attempts to capture it. During these battles, Meierdress personally destroyed several enemy tanks in his StuG III. He was awarded the Iron Cross for his actions during this period. In April 1942, the division broke out of the pocket and managed to reach friendly territory. At Demjansk, about 80% of its soldiers were killed, wounded or missing in action. The remnants of the Division were pulled out of the line in late October, 1942 and sent to France to be refitted. While there, the Division took part in Case Anton, the takeover of Vichy France in November 1942. For this operation, the division was supplied with a Panzer battalion and redesignated 3.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf. The division remained in France until February, 1943, when their old commander, Theodor Eicke, resumed control.

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NICE WW2 Relic Condition Battle Damaged GERMAN " NORMANDY CAMO Pattern " HELMET Shell

The helmet has a clear bullet strike in the helmet forward. Rommel's defensive measures were also frustrated by a dispute over armoured doctrine. In addition to his two army groups, von Rundstedt also commanded the headquarters of Panzer Group West under General Leo Geyr vor Schweppenburg (usually referred to as von Geyr). This formation was nominally an administrative HQ for von Rundstedt's armoured and mobile formations, but it was later to be renamed Fifth Panzer Army and brought into the line in Normandy. Von Geyr and Rommel disagreed over the deployment and use of the vital Panzer divisions.Rommel recognised that the Allies would possess air superiority and would be able to harass his movements from the air. He therefore proposed that the armoured formations be deployed close to the invasion beaches. In his words, it was better to have one Panzer division facing the invaders on the first day, than three Panzer divisions three days later when the Allies would already have established a firm beachhead. Von Geyr argued for the standard doctrine that the Panzer formations should be concentrated in a central position around Paris and Rouen, and deployed en masse against the main Allied beachhead when this had been identified.The argument was eventually brought before Hitler for arbitration. He characteristically imposed an unworkable compromise solution. Only three Panzer divisions were given to Rommel, too few to cover all the threatened sectors. The remainder, nominally under Von Geyr's control, were actually designated as being in "OKW Reserve". Only three of these were deployed close enough to intervene immediately against any invasion of Northern France; the other four were dispersed in southern France and the Netherlands. Hitler reserved to himself the authority to move the divisions in OKW Reserve, or commit them to action. On 6 June many Panzer division commanders were unable to move because Hitler had not given the necessary authorisation, and his staff refused to wake him upon news of the invasion.

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FANTASTIC HISTORIC BATTLEFIELD FIND ! Excavated WW2 German Whermacht Army "SDKFZ" HALFTRACK ARMOURED VEHICLE License Plate !
( Recovered Stalingrad Battlefield )

How often do you get a chance to own for your collection a highly sought after WW2 German HALFTRACK license plate relic that was recovered in Stalingrad. The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by the Hanomag company during World War II, and based on their earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The larger of the pair (the Sd.Kfz. 250 being the lighter one) of the fully armored wartime half-tracks of the Wehrmacht, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with over 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by various manufacturers, and were commonly referred to simply as "Hanomags" by both German and Allied soldiers. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE !  WW2 German WAFFEN-SS -"Nordland " MOTORCYCLE 2-Sided Official Stamped  VEHICLE LICENSE PLATE Relic !  - ( Recovered Kurland Pocket Battlefield )

Here is a recovered German Motorcycle Vehicle License Plate - 2 sided with faint but visible eagle and swastika military stamp. These have always been and scarce and are now highly collectible. Recoveredat the surrender site of the German Army Group North trapped inside the Courland Pocket and are in various condition of dug. Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland Peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht command on 8 May 1945. At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov commander of the Leningrad Front. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket had surrendered.

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INCREDIBLE RARE German ID TAG - Waffen -SS Nazi 1st SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division NARVA -  ( Recovered Tannenberg Line Battlefield )

Highly Desireable Ground Dug German Waffen-SS ID TAG 1st SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division Narwa. Solid Condition with blood type and serial number visible. The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II.The campaign took place in the northern section of the Eastern Front and consisted of two major phases: the Battle for Narva Bridgehead (February to July 1944) and the Battle of Tannenberg Line (July–August 1944). The Soviet Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive and Narva Offensives (15–28 February, 1–4 March and 18–24 March) were part of the Red Army Winter Spring Campaign of 1944. Following Joseph Stalin's "Broad Front" strategy, these battles coincided with the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive (December 1943 – April 1944) and the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive (July–August 1944). A number of foreign volunteers and local Estonian conscripts participated in the battle as part of the German forces. By giving its support to the German illegal conscription call, the Estonian resistance movement had hoped to recreate a national army and restore the independence of the country. As a continuation of the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive of January 1944, the Soviet Estonian operation pushed the front westward to the Narva River, aiming to destroy the Army Detachment "Narwa" and to thrust deep into Estonia. The Soviet units established a number of bridgeheads on the opposite bank of the river in February. Subsequent attempts failed to expand their toehold. German counterattacks annihilated the bridgeheads to the north of Narva and reduced the bridgehead south of the town, stabilizing the front until July 1944. The Soviet Narva Offensive (July 1944) led to the capture of the city forcing the German troops to retreat to their prepared Tannenberg Defence Line in the Sinimäed hills 16 kilometres from Narva. In the ensuing fierce Battle of Tannenberg Line, the German army group held its ground. Stalin's main strategic goal — a quick recovery of Estonia as a base for air and seaborne attacks against Finland and an invasion of East Prussia — was not achieved. As a result of the tough defence of the German forces.

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RARE Pacific Island Recovery - JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY HELMET Type 90 RELIC Condition !

The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II.The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 340 mi (550 km) away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the U.S. 10th Army (the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) and two Marine Divisions (the 1st and 6th) fought on the island while the 2nd Marine Division remained as an amphibious reserve and was never brought ashore. The invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces. The battle has been referred to as the "Typhoon of Steel" in English.The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Japan lost over 100,000 soldiers, who were either killed, captured or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds. Simultaneously, tens of thousands of local civilians were killed, wounded, or committed suicide. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japans surrender just weeks after the end of the fighting at Okinawa.

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HISTORIC WW2 German Battlefield Dug Relic IRON CROSS 2nd Class AWARD - ( Recovered Battlefield of Berlin )

The forces available to General Weidling for the city's defence included roughly 45,000 soldiers in several severely depleted German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) and Armed SS (Waffen-SS) divisions.These divisions were supplemented by the police force, boys in the compulsory Hitler Youth, and the Volkssturm Many of the 40,000 elderly men of the Volkssturm had been in the army as young men and some were veterans of World War I. Hitler appointed SS Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke the Battle Commander for the central government district that included the Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker He had over 2,000 men under his command. Weidling organised the defences into eight sectors designated 'A' through to 'H' each one commanded by a colonel or a general, but most had no combat experience.[To the west of the city was the 20th Infantry Division. To the north of the city was the 9th Parachute Division To the north-east of the city was the Panzer Division Müncheberg. To the south-east of the city and to the east of Tempelhof Airport was the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland The reserve, 18th Panzergrenadier Division, was in Berlin's central district. On 23 April, Berzarin's 5th Shock Army and Katukov's 1st Guards Tank Army assaulted Berlin from the south east and, after overcoming a counterattack by the German LVI Panzer Corps, reached the Berlin S-Bahn ring railway on the north side of the Teltow Canal by the evening of 24 April. During the same period, of all the German forces ordered to reinforce the inner defences of the city by Hitler, only a small contingent of French SS volunteers under the command of SS Brigadeführer Gustav Krukenberg arrived in Berlin. During 25 April, Krukenberg was appointed as the commander of Defence Sector C, the sector under the most pressure from the Soviet assault on the city.

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NICE Ground Battlefield Excavated WW2 German "LUFTWAFFE" Ground Troops RELIC - ( Stalingrad Battlefield Recovery )

Here is a nice German Luftwaffe Buckle Recovered Stalingrad Battlefield. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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RARE Lot of German LUFTWAFFE FLYING PERMITS - Ground Dug Relics - Recovered STALINGRAD POCKET

Here is an original pair of ground dug Luftwaffe Flying Permit Chits that were recovered Stlingrad. The permits allowed night flying only to prevent further loss of valuable aircraft. Because of the Soviet pincer attack, about 230,000 German and Romanian soldiers, as well as the Croatian 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment and other volunteer subsidiary troops, found themselves trapped inside the resulting pocket. Inside the pocket (German: kessel) there also were the surviving Soviet civilians—around 10,000, and several thousand Soviet soldiers the Germans had taken captive during the battle. Not all German soldiers from Sixth Army were trapped; 50,000 were brushed aside outside the pocket. The encircling Red Army units immediately formed two defensive fronts: a circumvallation facing inward, to defend against any breakout attempt, and a contravallation facing outward, to defend against any relief attempt. The Sixth Army was the largest unit of this type in the world, almost twice as large as a regular German army. Also trapped in the pocket was a corps of the Fourth Panzer Army. It should have been clear that supplying the pocket by air was impossible -- the maximum 117.5 tons they could deliver a day was less than the 800 tons/day needed by the pocket. To supplement the limited number of Junkers Ju 52 transports, the Germans equipped aircraft wholly inadequate for the role, such as the bomber He-177 (some bombers performed adequately -- the Heinkel He-111 proved to be quite capable and was a lot faster than the Ju 52). But Hitler backed Göring's plan and reiterated his order of "no surrender" to his trapped armies.The air supply mission failed. Appalling weather conditions, technical failures, heavy Soviet anti-aircraft fire and fighter interceptions led to the loss of 488 German aircraft. The Luftwaffe failed to achieve even the maximum supply capacity of 117 tons that it was capable of. An average of 94 tons of supplies per day was delivered to the trapped German Army. Even then, it was often inadequate or unnecessary; one aircraft arrived with 20 tonnes of Vodka and summer uniforms, completely useless in their current situation. The transport aircraft that did land safely were used to evacuate technical specialists and sick or wounded men from the besieged enclave (some 42,000 were evacuated in all). The Sixth Army slowly starved. Pilots were shocked to find the troops assigned to offloading the planes too exhausted and hungry to unload food. General Zeitzler, moved by the troops' plight at Stalingrad, began to limit himself to their slim rations at meal times. After a few weeks of such a diet he'd grown so emaciated that Hitler, annoyed, personally ordered him to start eating regular meals again.The expense to the Transportgruppen was heavy. Some 266 Junkers Ju 52s were destroyed, one-third of the fleets strength on the Soviet-German front. The He 111 gruppen lost 165 aircraft in transport operations. Other losses included 42 Junkers Ju 86s, nine Fw 200 "Condors", five He 177 bombers and a single Ju 290. The Luftwaffe also lost close to 1,000 highly experienced bomber crew personnel.

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EXTREMELY RARE Ground Dug Condition BATTLEFIELD ARTIFACT  - WWII German CC CLOSE COMBAT BADGE - FLL PEEKHAUS - ( Recovered BATTLE OF BERLIN )

Here is an extremely rare badge recovered from Seelow Heights. The badge is the zinc variety maker marked Peekhaus Berlin FLL in Circles.Broken bar pin and some oxidation of zinc but incredible relic that displays well. These are highly desireable in dug condition.  The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II Starting on 16 January 1945, the Red Army breached the German front as a result of the Vistula–Oder Offensive and advanced westward as much as 40 kilometres a day, through East Prussia, Lower Silesia, East Pomerania, and Upper Silesia, temporarily halting on a line 60 kilometres east of Berlin along the Oder River. During the offensive, two Soviet fronts (army groups attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin. The Battle in Berlin lasted from 20 April 1945 until the morning of 2 May.The first defensive preparations at the outskirts of Berlin were on 20 March, when the newly appointed commander of the Army Group Vistula, General Gotthard Heinrici correctly anticipated that the main Soviet thrust would be made over the Oder River. Before the main battle in Berlin commenced, the Soviets managed to encircle the city as a result of the battles of the Seelow Heights and Halbe. During 20 April 1945, the 1st Belorussian Front led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov started shelling Berlin's city centre, while Marshal Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front had pushed in the north through the last formations of Army Group Centre. The German defences were mainly led by Helmuth Weidling and consisted of several depleted, badly equipped, and disorganised Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions, as well as many Volkssturm and Hitl Youth members. Within the next days, the Soviets were rapidly advancing through the city and were reaching the city centre, conquering the Reichstag on 30 April after fierce fighting. Before the battle was over, German Führer Adolf Hitler and a number of his followers committed suicide. The city's defenders finally surrendered on 2 May. However, fighting continued to the north-west, west and south-west of the city until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May (9 May in the Soviet Union) as German units fought westward so that they could surrender to the Western Allies rather than to the Soviets.

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RARE Ground Dug Battlefield Relic German Waffen-SS SD M35 Helmet - ( Recovered Tannenberg Battle Line , Russian Front )
Here is a rare relic condition DD SS Waffen Helmet Shell Battlefield recovery from Tannenberg Line, Eastern Front. The helmet has some wicked battle damage and bullet strikes and displays incredible. The runes are faint but nicely visible. The Battle of Tannenberg Line (German: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; Estonian: Sinimägede lahing; Russian: Битва за линию «Танненберг») was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July to 10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for invasions of Finland and East-Prussia. Several Western scholars refer to it as the Battle of the European SS for the 24 volunteer infantry battalions from Denmark, East Prussia, Flanders, Holland, Norway, and Wallonia within the Waffen-SS. Roughly a half of the infantry consisted of the local Estomia conscripts motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. The German force of 22,250 men held off the Soviet advance of 136,830 troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 wounded and dead Soviet troops and 157–164 Soviet tanks.

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ABSOUTELY STUNNING ! Veteran GI Bringback RELIC Large Size German M35/40 SS DD Solid Condition with Liner and Leather !
( Bunker Recovered Manneheim/Sandhofen )

Here is a fascinating German SS DD Helmet Model M35/40 Large Size Helmet complete with metal and leather liner. Quite possibly an Allgemeine-SS Helmet with concentration camp unit ties. The helmet was taken in trade by a GI from a German worker who found it in an abandoned bunker in Sanadhofen/Mannheim.The airfield in Sandhofen was closed to the public and rebuilt as the Fliegerhorst-Kaserne in 1937 as a Luftwaffe base. At the beginning of World War II, the II/JG 53 (2nd Group, Jagdgeschwader 53) fighter unit "Pik-As" (Ace of Spades) was based here, commanded by one of Germany's top combat pilots, Hans Moelders. This unit operated 43 new Bf109 E-1's fighter aircraft at the start of the war. Also stationed at the airbase on the first day of the war was one staffel (squadron) of JG 72 operating 16 of the older Ar68 biplane fighters then being used as a primitive night fighter. In September 1944 a concentration camp was installed on the site which was operated and guarded by the SS, holding 80 POWs from Poland, Luxembourg and Russia.

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WOW !  HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT WW2 MUSEUM LOT ! - Museum Provenance Tagged US 88TH ( BLUE DEVILS )  Division Battlefield Relic Lot - US M1 Helmet Shell and Liner along with a battle damaged mess kit lot ( Recovered Laiatico, Italy )

Here is an incredible offering. A museum lot of 88th Division items of the famed Blue Devil Division a Battlefield recovered Helmet and liner along with a battle damaged mess lit that was picked up in 1964 by a Staff Sergeant serving in Laiatico, Italy.The 88th Infantry Division was one of the first all draftee divisions to enter the war. Formed at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, the division arrived at Casablanca, French Morocco, 15 December 1943, and moved to Magenta, Algeria, on the 28th for intensive training. It arrived at Naples, Italy, 6 February 1944, and concentrated around Piedimonte d'Alife for combat training. An advance element went into the line before Cassino, 27 February, and the entire unit relieved British elements along the Garigliano River in the Minturno area, 5 March. A period of defensive patrols and training followed.On 11 May, the 88th drove north to take Spigno, Mount Civita, Itri, Fondi, and Roccagorga, reached Anzio, 29 May, and pursued the enemy into Rome, being the first American unit into the city on 4 June, after a stiff engagement on the outskirts of the city. An element of the 88th is credited with being first to enter the Eternal City. After continuing across the Tiber to Bassanelio the 88th retired for rest and training, 11 June. The Division went into defensive positions near Pomerance, 5 July, and launched an attack toward Volterra on the 8th, taking the town the next day. Laiatico fell on the 11th, Villamagna on the 13th, and the Arno River was crossed on the 20th although the enemy resisted bitterly.After a period of rest and training, the Division opened its assault on the Gothic Line, 21 September 1944, and advanced rapidly along the Firenzuola-Imola road, taking Mount Battaglia (Casola Valsenio, RA) on the 28th. The enemy counterattacked savagely and heavy fighting continued on the line toward the Po Valley. The strategic positions of Mount Grande and Farnetto were taken, 20 and 22 October. From 26 October 1944 to 12 January 1945, the 88th entered a period of defensive patrolling in the Mount Grande-Mount Cerrere sector and the Mount Fano area. From 24 January to 2 March 1945, the Division defended the Loiano-Livergnano area and after a brief rest returned to the front. The drive to the Po Valley began on 15 April. Monterumici fell on the 17th after an intense barrage and the Po River was crossed, 24 April, as the 88th pursued the enemy toward the Alps. The cities of Verona and Vicenza were captured on the 25th and 28th and the Brenta River was crossed, 30 April. The 88th was driving through the Dolomite Alps toward Innsbruck, Austria where it linked up with the 103rd Infantry Division, when the hostilities ended on 2 May 1945.The unit was in combat for 344 days and sustained 15,173 casualties (killed, wounded or missing).

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RARE and HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE ! - Ground Dug German CC Close Combat Badge Award with t-bar pinback intact - ( Recovered Surrender Site Army Group North Courland Pocket Eastern Front )

Here is a nice recent find from the Courland Battlefield. A ground dug German WW2 close combat badge award zinc/silver, in nice condition with pin and catch still intact. Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was a German Army Group on the Eastern Front which was created from remnants of the Army Group North, isolated in the Courland Peninsula by the advancing Soviet Army forces during the 1944 Baltic Offensive of the Second World War. The army group remained isolated until the end of World War II in Europe. All units of the Army Group were ordered to surrender by the capitulated Wehrmacht command on 8 May 1945. At the time agreed for all German armed forces to end hostilities (see the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945), the Sixteenth and Eighteenth armies of Army Group Courland, commanded by General (of Infantry) Carl Hilpert, ended hostilities at 23:00 on 8 May 1945 surrendering to Leonid Govorov commander of the Leningrad Front. By the evening of 9 May 1945 189,000 German troops, including 42 officers in the rank of general, in the Courland Pocket had surrendered.

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FANTASTIC WW2 " Battlefield Dug" RELIC German Waffen-SS DD M40 HELMET SHELL - ( Recovered Tannenberg Line Eastern Front )

Here is a rough but rare relic condition SD SS Waffen Helmet Shell Battlefield recovery from Tannenberg Line, Eastern Front. The helmet has some wicked battle damage and bullet strikes and displays incredible. The runes are faint but nicely visible. The Battle of Tannenberg Line (German: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; Estonian: Sinimägede lahing; Russian: ????? ?? ????? «??????????») was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July to 10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for invasions of Finland and East-Prussia. Several Western scholars refer to it as the Battle of the European SS for the 24 volunteer infantry battalions from Denmark, East Prussia, Flanders, Holland, Norway, and Wallonia within the Waffen-SS. Roughly a half of the infantry consisted of the local Estomia conscripts motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. The German force of 22,250 men held off the Soviet advance of 136,830 troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 wounded and dead Soviet troops and 157–164 Soviet tanks.
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RARE Ground Dug Relic German Waffen-SS DD M35 Helmet - ( Recovered Tannenberg Line , Russian Front )

Here is a rough but rare relic condition recovery from Tannenberg Line, Eastern Front. The helmet has some minor battle damage some rust through on crown but displays incredible. The runes are faint but nicely visible. The Battle of Tannenberg Line (German: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; Estonian: Sinimägede lahing; Russian: Битва за линию «Танненберг») was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July to 10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for invasions of Finland and East-Prussia. Several Western scholars refer to it as the Battle of the European SS for the 24 volunteer infantry battalions from Denmark, East Prussia, Flanders, Holland, Norway, and Wallonia within the Waffen-SS. Roughly a half of the infantry consisted of the local Estomia conscripts motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. The German force of 22,250 men held off the Soviet advance of 136,830 troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 wounded and dead Soviet troops and 157–164 Soviet tanks.

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INCREDIBLE !! RARE WW2 Large Size " NAMED" GERMAN WAFFEN-SS SD with partial liner remains and visible paint HELMET Shell  ( Eastern Front Recovery )

Extract from the memoirs of the Eastern Front by Wolfram von Beck On 9th November 1943, General Student came to see us and on a sports field near Rome he issued orders for us to move to Russia. The next day we boarded a train from Rome to Zitomir. When we finally arrived in Russia, we received orders to relieve a Waffen SS unit, which had almost been destroyed during the fighting. I was the staff runner for Leutnant Bickel’s 1.Kompanie. He told me to go and obtain a situation report from the Waffen SS commander. In order to reach the SS command post quickly I decided not to use the road but to follow the sound of guns through a wooded area. When I finally reached the commander he reprimanded me about the absence of my unit. He then showed me which part of the frontline we were supposed to occupy. In front of his command post sat a Kubelwagen. It was full of men just about ready to leave. I asked the driver if I too could jump on to his vehicle and hitch a ride. He replied that it would not be a problem but asked if I could lift the Unterscharfuehrer so he would not fall off the rear of the vehicle. I was under the impression that these men were wounded. They were not, they were all dead. The Waffen SS never left their dead on the battlefield. Even their wounded men had to march. I was glad to finally leave this hearse behind me and after reporting back to Leutnant Bickel the Kompanie moved forward into the line. Our position was near a so-called runway, a clearing in the middle of a large forest. On the other side of the runway, Ivan was waiting.  After a day or so we made a dawn attack and drove the Russians from in front of our positions. Suddenly, we received well aimed fire from a thicket of trees. I quickly noticed the source of fire: the Russians had removed the lowest branches from the trees so they not only had a good field of fire but also a good view of any attacker. Myself and a comrade, turned their flank and finished them off from behind. My comrade, a machine gunner was hit. While he was dying he passed me his wallet. All he could say was “Mama, Mama”. I took the wallet and handed it in to Battalion. I do not know if it ever reached “Mama”. We were rolling up the whole Russian trench line but we stopped in front of a soil covered bunker which had not been inspected yet. For good measure we threw in two grenades and after the detonation, three smiling unbruised Russians came out.  We were surprised that anyone could survive such an attack but we naturally took them prisoner. Our unit continued the offensive toward the direction of Kirovgrad. Before Novgorodka we found ourselves alone, without friendly units on our flanks. Leutnant Bickel ordered us to build a defensive perimeter on a nearby hilltop for the night. I was now a number 2 machine gunner and the number 1 was my friend Gefreiter Fritz. We dug an emplacement for our machine gun at the front of the hill. The Russians suddenly fired several shells from an anti-tank gun, (called a Ratschbumm by the Landser, because the sound of the shot and the hit were almost one). We joked that the Russians certainly needed some target practice when after one detonation I found an arm and half of my comrades chest in my lap. I lifted Gefreiter Fritz to see if I could help him but he was already dead. I now dug faster and deeper in order to get my machine gun in place. During this same night, myself and Obergefreiter Zischka, who spoke fluent Russian, crept up on the enemy positions so he could overhear the russians talking. We noted the position of the enemy MG nests and the next morning we attacked, driving the Russians out of Novgorodka.

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RARE AND HISTORIC Lot of Edged WEAPONS - 12th SS German Officers DAGGER and a USGI Garand BAYONET - ( Recovered Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge )

Here is a ghostly lot of "Edged Weapons" of opposing armies from Bastogne. Ok even to find an excavated SS dagger is a needle in a haystack, but to find one from Bastogne is fantastic even in this rough a condition. The Officer Dagger was recovered 12th SS positions. The USGI Garand Bayonet also from Bastogne makes a nice display lot. The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend ("Hitler Youth") was a German Waffen-SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern Front.The division, with 20,540 personnel, first saw action on 7 June 1944 as part of the German defense of the Caen area during the Normandy campaign. The battle for Normandy took its toll on the division and it came out of the Falaise pocket with a divisional strength of 12,000 men.Following the invasion battles, the division was sent to Germany for refitting. On 16 December 1944, the division was committed against the US Army in the Battle of the Bulge. After the failure of the Ardennes offensive the division was sent east to fight the Red Army near Budapest. The 12th SS eventually withdrew into Austria; on 8 May 1945, the surviving 10,000 men surrendered to the US Army at Enns. At 7:20 am, Captain McLean reported that two lieutenant colonels and a major approached troops of Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart, announcing that within two hours the end of their column would reach the city.The reputation of the division has been affected by war crimes committed by members of the division during the early battles in Normandy. Hitlerjugend was given a brief respite, but received virtually no reinforcements or equipment. The division was soon thrown back into battle, and took part in the fighting withdrawal to the Franco-Belgian border. By September 1944, the division counted less than 2,000 men, without armour or heavy equipment. On 6 September, Kurt Meyer was captured by Belgian partisans. Meyer had removed his SS uniform and was wearing the uniform of a regular German army officer. In the confusion of the withdrawal, the division was unable to undertake a rescue attempt. SS-Obersturmbannführer Hubert Meyer was placed in command of the division.In November 1944, the division was pulled out of the line and sent to Neinburg in Germany, where it was to be reformed. The majority of the much-needed reinforcements were transferred Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine personnel, and the reformed division would never match the elite status it had boasted in the spring of 1944. Late in the month, Hubert Meyer was replaced by SS-Obersturmbannführer Hugo Kraas, and the division was attached to SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich's 6.SS-Panzer-Armee, which was forming up for Operation Wacht Am Rhein (the Second Battle of the Ardennes, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge), a large-scale offensive to recapture Antwerp and halt the Allied advance.The operation opened on 16 December 1944. Kampfgruppe Peiper from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler led the assault, breaking through the enemy lines. The HJ, which was to follow the Kampfgruppe and exploit the breakthrough, became bogged down in traffic jams caused by the 12.Volksgrenadier-Division. When the division reached the front, it was met with heavy resistance from American troops stationed on the Elsenborn Ridge. Despite several intense efforts, the division could not budge the American defenders. As a result, the division was ordered to swing left and follow the advance line of the remainder of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. American defenders prevented the division from reaching its objective, and after the destruction of Kampfgruppe Peiper, the advance of Dietrich's army altogether. Near the end of the year, the HJ was shifted south to take part in the efforts to capture Bastogne, and saw heavy fighting around the city. By 18 January 1945, the HJ, along with all the German forces, had been pushed back to its starting positions. Don't let this rare opportunity get away to add historic Bastogne SS soldier artifacts to your personal collection. Bastogne Battlefield Recovered 12TH SS HITLER JUGEND Positions.

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RARE WW2 Battlefield Recovered " BATTLE DAMAGED " German M35/40 LUFTWAFFE SUMMER CAMO  "Named ID Painted "  HELMET ! 

The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel was an Axis counter-offensive against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted 12–28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front  during World War II Its objective was to eliminate the Izium bridgehead (Russian: Изюмский плацдарм) over Seversky Donets, or the "Barvenkovo bulge" (Russian: Барвенковский выступ) which was one of the Soviet offensive's staging areas. After a successful winter counter-offensive that drove German troops away from Moscow, and also depleted the Red Army's reserves, the Kharkov offensive was a new Soviet attempt to expand upon their strategic initiative, although it failed to secure a significant element of surprise Hitler immediately turned to the Luftwaffe to help blunt the offensive. At this point, its premier close support Korps was deployed in the Crimea, taking part in the siege of Sevastopol. Fliegerkorps VIII (8th Air Corps) under the command of Wolfram von Richthofen was ordered to deploy to Kharkov from the Crimea, but the order was rescinded. In an unusual move, Hitler kept it in the Crimea, but did not put the corps under the command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr’s Luftflotte 4 (Air Fleet 4), which already contained General der Flieger Kurt Pflugbeil's Fliegerkorps VI (6th Air Corps) and Oberst Wolfgang von Wild’s Fliegerführer Süd (Flying Command South), a small anti-shipping command based in the Crimea. Instead, he allowed von Richthofen to take charge of all operations over Sevastopol. The siege in the Crimea was not over, and the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula had not yet been won. Still, Hitler was pleased with the progress there and content to keep von Richthofen where he was and withdraw air support from Fligerkorps VIII in order to prevent a Soviet breakthrough at Kharkov. The use of the Luftwaffe to compensate for the German Army's lack of firepower indicated that the OKW saw the Luftwaffe primarily as a ground support arm. This angered von Richthofen who complained that the Luftwaffe "was the army’s whore".Now that he was not being redeployed to Kharkov, Richthofen also complained about the withdrawal of his units to the region, arguing that the Kerch and Sevastopol battles were ongoing and owing to the transfer of aerial assets to Kharkov, victory in the Crimea was no longer guaranteed. In reality, the Soviet units at Kerch were already routed and the Axis position at Sevastopol was comfortable.The news that powerful air support was on its way to bolster the 6th Army boosted German morale. Army commanders, such as Paulus and von Bock, placed so much confidence in the Luftwaffe that they ordered their forces not to risk an attack without air support. In the meantime, Fliegerkorps VI under the command of Pflugbeil, was forced to use every available aircraft to stem the tide. Although meeting more numerous Soviet air forces, he succeeded in winning air superiority and limited the German ground forces' losses to Soviet aviation. But the toll on crews was hard. Often, they flew from dawn until dusk. Some crews flew more than 10 missions per day. By 15 May, Pflugbeil was heavily reinforced and he received Kampfgeschwader 27 (Bomber Wing 27, or KG 27), Kampfgeschwader 51 (KG 51), Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55) and Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76) equipped with Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 bombers. Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (Dive Bomber Wing 77, or StG 77) also arrived to add direct ground support. Pflugbeil now had 10 bomber, six fighter and four Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Gruppen (Groups). Logistical difficulties meant that only 54.5 per cent were operational.

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RARE German WW2 Battle Damaged " Luftwaffe" RELIC HELMET Recovered Eastern Front - Courland Pocket !

Nice ground recovered German Luftwaffe battle damaged M42 Helmet Shell. Luftwaffe ground support helmets are incredibly rare to find in relation to other service branches. Especially in ground dug condition. The divisions were originally authorized in October 1942, following suggestions that the German Army, the Heer, could be bolstered by transferring personnel from other services. The head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring, formulated an alternative plan to raise his own infantry formations under the command of Luftwaffe officers; this was at least partly due to political differences with the Heer. Goering took great pride in the degree of political commitment and indoctrination of the air force men (he went as far as to describe the air-force paratroopers as "political soldiers") while the Army was considered (by Nazi standards) too "conservative" (linked to traditions and ideals harking back to the Imperial days of the Kaiser).

The plan was approved, and the divisions were raised from 200,000–250,000 Luftwaffe ground, support and other excess personnel. They were initially organized with two Jäger regiments of three battalions each, along with an artillery battalion and other support units, but were substantially smaller than equivalent Heer divisions, and by Göring's personal order were intended to be restricted to defensive duties in quieter sectors. Most of the units spent much of their existence on the Eastern Front: Luftwaffe Field Divisions were present at actions such as the "Little Stalingrad of the North", the attempt to relieve Velikiye Luki; the attempted defence of Vitebsk during Operation Bagration, and the fighting in the Courland Pocket, though they also fought in other theatres. The Luftwaffe Field Divisions initially remained under Luftwaffe command, but late in 1943 those that had not already been disbanded were handed over to the Heer and were reorganized as standard infantry divisions with three two-battalion rifle regiments (retaining their numbering, but with Luftwaffe attached to distinguish them from similarly numbered divisions already existing in the Heer) and army officers.Until taken over by the Heer (and in many cases for some time afterwards) these units were issued with standard Luftwaffe feldblau uniforms, and being so easily identifiable were said to often be singled out by opposing forces. Their reputation as combat troops was poor, despite the high standard of Luftwaffe recruits, at least in part from being required to perform roles (ground warfare) for which they as airmen had little training. They were frequently used for rear echelon duties to free up front line troops.

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INCREDIBLE ! WWII Hedgerow Dug RELIC German WALTHER P038 Officers PISTOL - ( Battlefield recovered near Villers-Bocage )

Here is a very cool relic German P38 Pistol that was recovered in the Vilers Bocage area. The pistol is inert and displays very nice missing the handle frame the clip which was dug nearby fits and makes the pistol appear complete. A fine display relic of a rare to find and nontheless to find a Battlefield example. Dont miss this chance ! BAt around 13:00 tanks of the Panzer Lehr Division advanced into Villers-Bocage, but unsupported by infantry found the going difficult. A group of four Panzer IV's attempted to push into the town's southern edge where they found a previously disabled Panzer IV, but as they moved further two tanks were knocked out by British anti-tank gunfire. Some of the Waffen-SS Tiger tanks were brought up and in an exchange of fire they silenced the anti-tank position. SS-Hauptsturmführer Möbius ordered the main counterattack to be launched in two thrusts; the first would advance down the main highway through Villers-Bocage while the second would cut through the southern section of the town parallel to the main road. The objective was to secure the town centre.The Tigers moving along the main road advanced slowly, their commanders confident that they could intimidate the British into withdrawing. However, as they reached the town square they ran into Cotton's ambush. The Firefly, commanded by Sergeant Bramall,opened fire on the lead tank and missed, but the anti-tank gun supporting the position knocked it out.Now alerted to the ambush, a following group of three Tigers split up. Picking their way through the back streets in an attempt to flank the British, one was engaged by an anti-tank gun and destroyed. The other two were tackled by infantry using PIAT anti-tank weapons; one was knocked out and the other immobilisedoth the Panzer Lehr and 2nd Panzer Divisions were in action across the entire sector on 13 June and did not count the casualties sustained at Villers-Bocage separately from all losses incurred that day. However, the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion was only engaged at Villers-Bocage, so this unit's losses are available. Taylor gives nine men killed and 10 wounded in the 1st Company and one killed and three wounded in the 2nd. Sources differ widely on the number of German tanks lost during 13 June—in part because elements of the Panzer Lehr Division were committed piecemeal making it impossible to be certain of the number of Panzer IVs knocked out. German tank losses are generally placed at between eight and fifteen tanks, including six Tiger Is. Chester Wilmot notes what a costly loss this was, as there were only 36 Tiger tanks in Normandy at that time. However, Taylor concedes that the numbers claimed by the British probably include tanks that were immobilised but subsequently recovered.

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RARE Dug WW2 GERMAN WAFFEN SS ID TAG - WAFFEN-SS PRINZ EUGEN - 7TH Mountain Division 5th Artillery - Menumos Estate

The title Prinz Eugen comes from the German spelling of the name Francois Eugene, Prince of Savoy, who lived from 1663 to 1736. Born in Paris, France, Eugene is known to history as being one of the greatest European soldiers of all time. After being refused a commission in the French army by King Louis XIV, Eugene entered the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I in 1683, to fight against the Ottoman Turks Made field marshal in 1693, Prince Eugene was the commander and diplomat who led the military campaigns that would lay the foundations for Habsburg power in central Europe. He fought the Turks at Vienna, and helped to establish the Austrio-Hungarian empire. He also fought against France in two wars, and while in command of the imperial army he helped Marlborough in several battles during the War of the Spanish succession. Later, Prince Eugene won several further victories against the Turks, capturing Belgrade in 1718. After a fairly long process of attempting to form an SS Division from the rather large Volksdeutsche community living outside of Germany, and not to meerly incorporate them into other various Wermacht units, Gottlob Berger (As head of the SS recruiting office) managed to help secure the 7th Division of the SS. The 7th Division of the SS was formed from the Volksdeutsche living in the Serbian and Croatian areas of Yugoslavia through volunteers, and then through conscription. The Division was initially established in March of 1942 from a SS Selbstschutz (SS Protection Force) and the Einsatz-Staffel (Also called Prinz Eugen) from Croatia. German combat groups "North", "West", and "South" proceeded along a front through the Chetnik territory in the direction of combat group "East", which was assigned the role of forming a wall to stop the Chetniks. However, Keserović had intelligence about the preparations and the movement of large German forces for an attack, and did not consider it useful to meet the German and Bulgarian forces on a wide front. He ordered his units to regroup into smaller squads for easy maneuvering and penetration. His tactic meant the Chetnik Rasina Corps was able to escape from the ring of enemy soldiers. The Germans and Bulgarians committed reprisals against the civilian population and burned several villages. The village of Kriva Reka, the location of Keserović's headquarters, suffered the most: 120 civilians were locked in the village church and burned to death by members of the 7th SS Division. In other villages in Kopaonik 300 civilians were killed; in the villages on Mount Goč 250 civilians were executed. The Germans killed a total of 670 civilians during this operation.The division's next action was in the Serbian-Montenegro border in the mountains east of the Ibar River and afterwards it took part in the Fourth anti-Partisan Offensive in the Zagreb-Karlovac area, where together with Italian forces attempted to defeat the Partisans commanded by Josip Broz Tito, the operation failed and most of the Partisans managed to evade the main attack.

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RARE HISTORIC Original Ground Dug "Battlefield Relic" lot of German "6th ARMY" WEHRMACHT "ARMY" HEADQUARTERS Bunker KEYS - ( Excavated in a Bunker - STALINGRAD / GUMRAK )

Here is a relic that you will rarely ever see ! This lot of WW2 German BUNKER KEYS was ground excavated STALINGRAD ! A fantastic unique WW2 artifact to add to your collection. The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the south-western Soviet Union. Marked by constant close quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians by air raids, it is the single largest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare. The heavy losses inflicted on the Wehrmacht make it arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. It was a turning point in the European theatre of World War II–the German forces never regained the initiative in the East and withdrew a vast military force from the West to replace their losses.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in late summer 1942 using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into building-to-building fighting, and both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November 1942, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones generally along the west bank of the Volga River. On 19 November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack targeting the weaker Romanian and Hungarian forces protecting the German 6th Army's flanks. The Axis forces on the flanks were overrun and the 6th Army was cut off and surrounded in the Stalingrad area. Adolf Hitler ordered that the army stay in Stalingrad and make no attempt to break out; instead, attempts were made to supply the army by air and to break the encirclement from the outside. Heavy fighting continued for another two months. By the beginning of February 1943, the Axis forces in Stalingrad had exhausted their ammunition and food. The remaining elements of the 6th Army surrendered. The battle lasted five months, one week, and three days.

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VERY RARE Ground Dug Relic German ANTI-TANK "Panzerschreck Shield" ! ( Stalingrad Recovery )
Here is a nice ground dug relic german anti-tank panzerschreck shield that was excavated near Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was among the largest on the Eastern Front and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In its defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war, after which the German forces attained no further strategic victories in the East.The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually became bogged down in house-to-house fighting; and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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FANTASTIC WW2 Relic "Battlefield Recovered" WINTER CAMO MEDICS "Battle Damaged" RUSSIAN Helmet !  - ( Demyansk Pocket Eastern Front ) 

Incredible Demjansk "battlefield recovered" Russian Winter Camo Medics helmet with horrific "battle damage" being strafed with MG fire as can be seen by the pattern. The paint is in excellent preserved condition. A fine example of an extremely rare helmet .On 21 March 1942, German forces under the command of Generalleutnant Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach attempted to leave through the "Ramushevo corridor". Over the next several weeks, this corridor was widened. A battle group was able to break out of the siege on 21 April, but the fighting had taken a heavy toll. Out of the approximately 100,000 men trapped, there were 3,335 lost and over 10,000 wounded. However, their strong resistance had tied up numerous Soviet units at a critical moment, units that could have been used elsewhere. Instrumental in the German breakout, was the first time use of the Mkb-42(H), which would later be re-designated the MP-43 and then finally the StG-44.Between the forming of the pocket in early February to the virtual abandonment of Demyansk in May, the two pockets (including Kholm) received 65,000 short tons (59,000 t) of supplies (both through ground and aerial delivery), 31,000 replacement troops, and 36,000 wounded were evacuated. However, the cost was significant. The Luftwaffe lost 265 aircraft, including 106 Junkers Ju 52, 17 Heinkel He 111 and two Junkers Ju 86 aircraft. In addition, 387 airmen were lost. The Soviet Air Forces lost 408 aircraft, including 243 fighters, in a bid to crush the pocketFighting in the area continued until 28 February 1943. The Soviets did not liberate Demyansk until 1 March 1943, with the retreat of the German troops. For his excellence in command and the particularly fierce fighting of his elite unit, 3. SS Division Totenkopf, SS-Obergruppenführer Theodor Eicke was the 88th person to be awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 20 May 1942. The success of the Luftwaffe convinced Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and Hitler that they could conduct effective airlift operations on the Eastern front.[Göring later proposed a similar "solution" to supply the 6. Armee when it was surrounded in Stalingrad. In theory, the outcome could be equally advantageous; with the 6. Armee trapped, but still in fighting condition, the Soviet army would have to use up much of its strength to keep the pocket contained. This could allow other German forces to re-group and mount a counterattack. However, the scale of the forces trapped in the two operations differed greatly. While a single corps (about ⅓ of an army) with about six divisions was encircled in Demyansk, in Stalingrad, an entire and greatly reinforced army was trapped. Whereas the Demyansk and Kholm pockets together needed around 265 t (292 short tons) of supplies per day, the 6. Armee required an estimated daily minimum of 800 t (880 short tons), delivered over a much-longer distance and faced by a much better organised Red Air Force. The air transport force had already suffered heavy losses, and was much further away from good infrastructure. The Luftwaffe simply did not have the resources needed to supply Stalingrad.

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BEAUTIFUL RELIC CONDITION German WW2 SS SD Model 35/40 large Size Helmet Shell - ( Barn Find Near Walomim, Poland Battle Site )

Here is a nice solid with minimal ground action German SS M35/40 SD with faint but visible runes. A fine example. In response to Vedeneev's thrust, the Germans started a tactical counter-attack near Radzymin on July 31. The offensive, carried out by 4 understrength Panzer divisions,was to secure the eastern approaches to Warsaw and Vistula crossings, and aimed to destroy the three tank corps of the Second Tank Army in detail. Under the leadership of German Field Marshal Model, the 4th, 19th, Hermann Göring, and 5th SS Panzer Divisions were concentrated from different areas with their arrival in the area of Wołomin occurring between July 31 and August 1, 1944. Although the 3rd Tank Corps gamely defended the initial assaults of the Hermann Göring and 19th Panzer Divisions, the arrival of the 4th Panzer and 5th SS Panzer Divisions spelled doom for the isolated and outnumbered unit Already on August 1, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wołomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on August 3, 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive For unknown reasons, on August 2, 1944 all armies that were to assault Warsaw had their orders changed. The 28th, 47th and 65th Armies were ordered to turn northwards and seize the undefended town of Wyszków and the Liwiec river line. The 2nd Tank Army was left in place and had to fight the Germans alone, without support of the infantry. Also, 69th Army was ordered to stop while the 8th Guards Army under Vasily Chuikov was ordered to halt the assault and await a German attack from the direction of Garwolin. Further combat lasted until August 10, when the Germans finally withdrew. Soviet losses were heavy, but not heavy enough to affect the overall course of their thrust to the vicinity of Warsaw. The 3rd Tank Corps was destroyed, the 8th Guards Tank Corps took heavy losses, and the 16th Tank Corps took significant losses as well. Overall, the Second Tank Army's losses were significant enough that it was withdrawn from the front lines by August 5, 1944.

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EXTREMELY RARE ! "Battle Damaged"  WW2 German Waffen-SS DD M35/40 Helmet Shell - ( Recovered NARVA Battle Area )
Here is a rare battle damaged German Model 35/40 DD SS Helmet shell with both decals faint but visible. Nice Battle Damage and the plus is the inner liner ring still in place as dug. A very historic artifact with a great look ! Launching the Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive on 1 February, the 2nd Shock Army's 109th Rifle Corps captured the town of Kingisepp on the first day. The 18th Army was forced into new positions on the eastern bank of the Narva River.Forward units of the 2nd Shock Army crossed the river and established several bridgeheads on the west bank to the north and south of the city of Narva on 2 February. The 2nd Shock Army expanded the bridgehead in the Krivasoo Swamp south of Narva five days later, temporarily cutting the Narva–Tallinn Railway behind the III SS Panzer Corps. Govorov was unable to encircle the smaller German Army Group, which called in reinforcements. These came mostly from the newly mobilised Estonians, motivated to resist the looming Soviet return. At the same time, the Soviet 108th Rifle Corps landed units across Lake Peipus 120 kilometres south of Narva and established a bridgehead around the village of Meerapalu. By a coincidence, the I.Battalion, SS Volunteer Grenadier Regiment 45 (1st Estonian), which was headed for Narva, reached the same area. A battalion of the 44th Infantry Regiment (consisting of personnel from East Prussia), the I.Battalion, 1st Estonian and an air squadron destroyed the Soviet bridgehead on 15–16 February. The Mereküla Landing Operation was conducted as the 517-strong 260th Independent Naval Infantry Brigade landed at the coastal borough of Mereküla behind the Sponheimer Group lines. However, the unit was almost completely.annihilated. Dont let this one get away !

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RARE ADDITION ! Ground Dug German WAFFEN-SS SD M35/40 Relic HELMET SHELL - ( Recovered Huertgenwald )

Here is one of the final helmets from my personal collection. A ground dug but clear dug metallic runes M35/40 SD Shell that was recovered in Huertgewald. A wonderful relic that will be the highlight of your collection. The Battle of Hürtgen Forest is the name given to the series of fierce battles fought between U.S. and German forces in the Hürtgen Forest, which became the longest battle on German ground during World War II, and the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought in its history. The battles took place between September 14, 1944, and February 10, 1945, over barely 50 square miles, east of the Belgian–German border. In early December, the Division moved north to the Hurtgen Forest in Germany to relieve elements of the 4th Infantry Division which was fighting within the Siegfried Line.  Despite ankle-deep mud, heavy enemy artillery barrages and fanatical Nazi resistance, the 83rd slugged its way out of the dense forest and seized the western bank of the Roer River in the vicinity of Duren.  Seven key villages guarding the approaches to the Roer fell to the 83rd as the enemy retreated.  Stiffest resistance was met in the villages of Gey, Gurzenich, and Strass. The 331st Infantry broke the backbone of the resistance at Gey, while in Strass the 3rd Battalion of the 330th Infantry was cut off for three days and subjected to heavy enemy counterattacks.  Despite their precarious position, the men of the battalion fought off the Germans and took more than 150 prisoners during the siege.  Finally the 3rd Battalion of the 329th hammered its way into the village and routed the Germans.  Patrols from the 329th Infantry entered Duren after the regiment took the village of Gurzenich directly opposite the city.  This was the deepest penetration of German soil made by any American force during 1944.

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RARE and HISTORIC WW2 M40/SD German Wehrmacht "Battlefield Battle-Damaged" Machine Gun Riddled HELMET
( Recovered 295th Infantry Division Positions, Stalingrad )

Here is great display M40 SD German Infantry helmet with brutal bullet strikes and still retains the SD Wehrmacht from Stalingrad 295th Infantry Positions. November the 9th the harsh Russian winter arrived in earnest, as the temperature dropped to -18°C. The Volga, one of the last rivers in Russia to freeze began to clog with ice flows. On the 11th of November the final German assault began. Battle groups assembled from the 71st, 79th, 100th, 295th, 305th and 389th Infantry Divisions attacked the remaining pockets of resistance. An airel bombardment opened the offensive, which thrust towards the Lazur Chemical factory and the Mamayev Kurgan. While the Russian 138th Infantry Division fought desperately to hold on to their position to the east of the Barrikady plant the 95th Rifle Division counter attacked to the plants south east, but was halted by heavy German shelling.Within 48 hours the main thrust of the attack had disintigrated into a series of isolated battles. Small groups of German infantry reached the Volga, but were then cut off themselves as Russian forces infiltrated their rear. By the 18th exhaustion and a lack of ammunition saw the attack come to an end. The division lost 16 NCOs/enlisted killed in action; two officers and 42 NCOs/enlisted were wounded in action. The division reported that of its seven infantry battalions, four were weak and three were exhausted in combat power; the division rated its combat engineer battalion as average.

$ 190

RARE HISTORIC Battlefield "BATTLE-DAMAGED" Pair of ARTILLERY SHELLS and a Large TAIL FIN SECTION of PROJECTILE ( Recovered Bastogne )

Here is a chance to own a historic and incredible US artifacts dug up from Bastogne. These were found with a metal detector near Bastogne. A pair of "battle damaged" artillery shells and a tail fin section from a projectile. Panzer columns took the outlying villages and widely separated strongpoints in bitter fighting, and advanced to points near Bastogne within four days. The struggle for the villages and American strongpoints, plus transport confusion on the German side, slowed the attack sufficiently to allow the 101st Airborne Division (reinforced by elements from the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions) to reach Bastogne by truck on the morning of 19 December. The fierce defense of Bastogne, in which American paratroopers particularly distinguished themselves, made it impossible for the Germans to take the town with its important road junctions. The panzer columns swung past on either side, cutting off Bastogne on 20 December but failing to secure the vital crossroads. In the extreme south, Brandenberger's three infantry divisions were checked by divisions of the U.S. VIII Corps after an advance of 6.4 km (4 mi); that front was then firmly held. Only the 5th Parachute Division of Brandenberger's command was able to thrust forward 19 km (12 mi) on the inner flank to partially fulfill its assigned role. Eisenhower and his principal commanders realized by 17 December that the fighting in the Ardennes was a major offensive and not a local counterattack, and they ordered vast reinforcements to the area. Within a week 250,000 troops had been sent. General Gavin of the 82nd Airborne Division arrived on the scene first and ordered the 101st to hold Bastogne while the 82nd would take the more difficult task of facing the SS Panzer Divisions; it was also thrown into the battle north of the bulge, near Elsenborn Ridge.

$ 240 for all !

RARE WWII German NAZI Relic MAUSER HSC Officers PISTOL - ( Recovered Falaise Pocket "The Corridor of Death"  )

Here is an awesome relic. A Nazi ground dug HSC MAUSER PISTOL. This relic was ground dug in the Falaise area. Known as the "Corridor of Death". The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border.Following Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south, the south-east, and into Brittany. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the US penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, in overall command of German armed forces on the Western Front, was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. However, the remnants of four panzer divisions, which was all that von Kluge could scrape together, were not strong enough to make any impression on the United States First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position. 

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SOLD ITEMS Romans 8:28 - " This one thing I know: All things work together for good, to them who Love God. To them who are called according to his eternal purpose."

RARE 6th Fallschirmjäger’s ( GERMAN PARATROOPER ) Ground Dug Relic BATTLE DAMAGE Bullet Struck HELMETwith partial liner remanining - Recovered NORMANDY Hedgerow ! 
Here is a nice and desireable hard to find original ground dug relic condition German Para helmet with bullet hole strikes and still retains the liner in relic ground dug condition. This rare piece was recovered in a hedgerow near positions occupied by the 6th Fallschirmjäger. Although they never parachuted into combat, all of the 6th’s paratroopers had earned their jump wings, and all had jumped several times during training. While the commissioned and noncommissioned officers were mostly battle-wise and experienced, the rank and file were generally quite young. Many of them first saw combat against Allied soldiers in Normandy–and for many it was also their last. Between June 6 and 10, 1944, the 6th Fallschirmjäger’s 1st Battalion was wiped out in heavy action. elments of the German regiment’s 2nd and 3rd battalions were entrenched in defensive positions opposite the 90th Infantry Division on the Cotentin Peninsula. The 90th had landed at Utah Beach right behind the initial assault elements. The division fought hard and lost heavily during the initial battles for Normandy’s hedgerow country, as did many other American units. On July 18, the 90th began preparations for an assault on the village of St. Germain-sur-Seves as a prelude to Operation Cobra, the planned attack on St. Lô that it was hoped would allow Allied ground forces to break out of hedgerow country. The capture of St. Germain-sur-Seves would put the division in a position to push forward to the key crossroads town of Periers, then advance to the highway linking Periers with the important city of Coutances, located near St. Malô, at the base of the peninsula. The 6th Fallschirmjäger’s troops had halted an attack of the U.S. 83rd Infantry Division in the same sector, inflicting very heavy casualties on its 331st Infantry Regiment. The division lost nearly 1,400 men in its ill-fated attack south of Carentan, toward Periers. After that costly assault, von der Heydte had reportedly returned captured American first aid men with a note to Maj. Gen. Robert C. Macon, the division commander, saying that he thought Macon probably needed them. The German commander had also requested that, if the situation were ever reversed, he hoped General Macon would ‘return the favor.’ The result had been a three-hour armistice in which 16 seriously wounded Americans were evacuated to the aid post in addition to those recovered from the German aid station. At the same time, wounded Fallschirmjäger troops that had been taken to the American aid stations were turned over to German medics.

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EXTREMELY RARE "BATTLE DAMAGED" Ground Dug "Nordland" M38/40 SS SD Helmet Shell with SEVERE BULLET HOLES in crown !  ( Recovered Tannenberg Line Eastern Front )

This one I'm halfway hoping doesnt sell as it not only displays incredible but speaks of the terrific battles that occured along the eastern front. Here is a dramatic battle damaged SS Shell with faint but very clear runes and multiple bullet holes "execution style" in the crown. A rare example recovered by Dimi in the 1980's. The Tannenberg Line anchored on three strategic hills. Running west to east, these were known as Hill 69.9, Grenadier Hill and Orphanage Hill. From Orphanage Hill, the rear side of the town of Narva could be protected.From 27 July, Nordland fought alongside Sturmbrigade Langemarck and Kampfgruppe Strachwitz from the Grossdeutschland Division to keep control of Orphanage Hill. Despite the death of the Nordland's commander, SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Scholz, who was killed in the fighting, and the subsequent deaths of the commanders of Norge and Danmark regiments, the division grimly held onto Orphanage hill, destroying 113 tanks on July 29th.On the 4th of August, men from Penal Company 103, a punishment company, were reinstated and absorbed into the Danmark regiment. The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps beld itself white defending the Tannenberg Line, until on September 16th it was pulled back into Latvia to defend the capital, Riga. Riga fell on 12 October, and by the end of the month all Waffen SS units had been withdrawn into what was known as the the Kurland Pocket. From late October to December 1944, the Nordland fought fierce defensive battles in the pocket, and by early December the divisional strength was down to 9,000 men. In January 1945, the division was ordered to the Baltic port of Libau, where it was shipped out of the pocket to Pomerania. The division disembarked at Stettin, with the Panzer Abt Hermann von Salza being sent on to Gothafen for refitting. In late January, Nordland was assigned to Steiner's 11th SS Panzer Army, which was now forming in anticipation of the defense of Berlin.

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RARE Ground Dug WWII German IRON CROSS 1ST CLASS ! - ( Recovered Capriquet Airport - Normandie Campaign )

RARE Ground Dug WWII RELIC "IWO JIMA" Battlefield US M1 MARINES Helmet with attached old Museum Tag portion- "IWO 1951" - ( Recovered IWO JIMA )

Here is a historic relic US M1 helmet shell and liner recovered from IWO JIMA in the 1950's. Relic US Helmets from the pacific theatre are highly collectible and rare to find ! The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February–26 March 1945), or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S. invasion, charged with the mission of capturing the three airfields on Iwo Jima, resulted in some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Of the 22,060 Japanese soldiers entrenched on the island, 21,844 died either from fighting or by ritual suicide. Only 216 were captured during the battle. According to The official Navy Department Library website,“The 36-day (Iwo Jima) assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead.”To put that into context, the 82-day Battle for Okinawa lasted from early April until mid-June 1945 and U.S. (5 Army and 2 Marine Corps Divisions) casualties were over 62,000 of whom over 12,000 were killed or missing ; while the Battle of the Bulge lasted 40 days (16 Dec 44 – 25 Jan 45) with almost 90,000 U.S. casualties; 19,000 killed, 47,500 wounded, and 23,000 captured or missing. Iwo Jima was also the only U.S. Marine battle where the American casualties exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times as many American deaths. 2 US Marines were captured as POWs during the battle, though neither of them survived their captivity. USS Bismarck Sea had also been lost, as the last U.S. aircraft carrier sunk in World War II.Because all the civilians had been evacuated, there were no civilian casualties at Iwo Jima, unlike at Saipan and Okinawa. After Iwo Jima, it was estimated there were no more than 300 Japanese left alive in the island's warren of caves and tunnels. In fact, there were close to 3,000. The Japanese bushido code of honor, coupled with effective propaganda which portrayed American G.I.s as ruthless animals, prevented surrender for many Japanese soldiers. Those who could not bring themselves to commit suicide hid in the caves during the day and came out at night to prowl for provisions. Some did eventually surrender and were surprised that the Americans often received them with compassion, offering water, cigarettes, or coffee.The last of these holdouts on the island, two of Lieutenant Toshihiko Ohno's men, Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki, lasted six years without being caught and finally surrendered in 1951 (another source gives the date of surrender as January 6, 1949).

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RARE Ground Dug RELIC Set of WWII RUSSIAN ( Shark Fin ) T-34 TANK TRACK LInks and Pin  ( Recovered KURSK Battlefield )

Here is an impressive display ! An original set of interlocking tank track links recovered from the Kursk Battlefield Site of the largest tank battle of the War. Rare to find them still interlocked like this. In the first two days the II SS Tank Corps penetrated 25 km deep into the Russian lines and took Jakovlevo. The 200 Panthers of XLVIII Tank Corps to the left spent more time in the workshops than fighting the enemy. Armygroup Kempf, which was to assist the II SS Tank Corps, was outnumbered and had problems crossing the Donec.The steady progress of the German units forced the Russian leaders to commit some of their strategic reserves, as nearly all operational reserves were in action. The Steppe Front had been formed in the months prior to the operation as a central reserve. As early as 6 July Stavka decided to send the II, X Tank Corps and the 5th Guards Tank Army to the southern sector; a day later other formations got their marching orders. Vatutin planned an operational counterstrike against the German units but decided to cancel it after the failure of the northern counter-attack. Instead of seeking open battle against the German tanks Vatutin let his tanks dig in as Rokossovskiy did in the north. Zhukov protested against this use of the tanks but Vatutin's decision stood.German officers reported that they were slowed down by the Schweigepanzer (silent tanks), because it cost much time to overcome these camouflaged "bases".Despite the order to dig in many of their tanks, enough tanks remained to launch some counterattacks. On 8 July a German tank commanded by SS Unterscharführer Franz Staudegger met a group of about 50 T-34s. In the following battle Staudegger knocked out 22 T-34s; he was awarded the first Knights Cross for a Tiger commander.

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RARE TO FIND EXCAVATED !  WWII German SS Relic EM Waist Belt Buckle ( Recovered near KHARKOV Eastern Front )

These SS german waist belt buckles are becoming much more difficult to find. As they come available they are quickly gobbled up so don't let a chance get away. The most collectible german buckle.  With non-dug examples listed in the $400-600 range, I will take battle dug and combat present examples over the minty for much less every time ! I am always trying to get my hands on these and its hard to part with them honestly ..This example has a portion of rim missing as can be seen part of the attachemnt group in the back however very strong motif. Although the Germans were also understrength, the Wehrmacht successfully flanked, encircled and defeated the Red Army's armored spearheads south of Kharkov. This enabled von Manstein to renew his offensive against the city of Kharkov proper, which began on 7 March. Despite orders to encircle Kharkov from the north, the SS Panzer Corps instead decided to directly engage Kharkov on 11 March. This led to four days of house-to-house fighting before Kharkov was finally recaptured by the 1st SS Panzer ("Leibstandarte") Divisions on 15 March. Two days later, the Germans also recaptured Belgorod, creating the salient  which in July 1943 would lead to the Battle of Kursk. The German offensive cost the Red Army an estimated 70,000 casualties but the house-to-house fighting in Kharkov was also particularly bloody for the German SS Panzer Corps, which had lost approximately 4,300 men by the time operations ended in late March.

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HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT RELIC ! Battle Damaged Relic Ground Dug RUSSIAN T-34 TANK Track Link partially BLOWN AWAY by PANZER SHELL !  ( Recovered Narva Battlefield ) Here is a relic that speaks volumes of the carnage that occurred during that fierce battle for the Narva Bridghead. The tank track link is from a Russian T-34 Tank and has over a quarter section blown off from either a Panzer or German Heavy Artillery. Anyone who has held these track links knows how thick the iron is and how incredible of a blast it would take. This relic displays impressively on a bookshelf and oh the stories it could tell !  Truly one of a kind ! Russian General Govorov continued attacking up and down the Narva Line seeking a weakness in the German defenses. One attack against Nederland’s 49.SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier regiment named de Ruyter broke through toward the river. Govorov committed his tank reserves with orders to seize the bridges across the river into the city. The defenders counter attacked with Nordland’s Herman von Salza Panzer Abteilung. The panzers stopped the advancing tanks but they were prevented from exploiting their advantage by heavy anti-tank fire from the east side of the river.

On March 23 Hilter order the creation of Festung Narwa a fortress city that was to be held at all costs. The Germans launched a series of counter attacks beginning on March 26. These attacks were designed to eliminate the Soviet bridgehead gained by the 30th Guard Rifle Corps in February on the west side of the river. In this they were mostly successful driving the Red forces back to the river, but not across it. These attacks could not be sustained with the equipment and manpower available, but the threat was sufficient that General Govorov ordered the construction of extensive defensive works on the east side of the river to prevent a possible breakout. SOLD

INCREDEBLE BATTLEFIELD RELIC ! - Ground Dug Battle Damaged M35/40 SD PANZER SS 17th Regiment HELMET - ( Recovered Saint-Lô, Normandy Campaign )

Here is an addition from the propietors personal collection a Battle Damaged M35/40 SD SS Panzergrenadiers Helmet that was recovered Saintt.Lo, Normandy. Incredible helmet shows visible runes on a metalic field with original fieldgrau paint showing through the ground action.Carentan was defended by two battalions of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 (6th Parachute Regiment), commanded by Oberst Friedrich von der Heydte, and remnants of 91 Air Landing Division's Grenadier-Regiment 1058. Both had escaped from nearby Saint Côme-du-Mont Saint-Lô on 8 June when the village was captured by the 101st Airborne. II./FJR6 and III./FJR6 (2nd and 3rd Battalions, 6th Paraute Regiment) were still intact as fighting formations, but III./GR1058 had been nearly destroyed in three days of combat and was no longer effective as a unit. The German LXXXIV Corps (84.Korps) reinforced the 6th Parachute Regiment (FJR6) with two Ost battalions and a few survivors of Grenadier-Regiment 914 (German 352nd Infantry Division following its 9 June defeat at Isigny. Army Group B commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel ordered von der Heydte to defend the town "to the last man.Otl. von der Heydte positioned the third- and fourth-rate (by German definition) Ost battalions along the Vire-Taute Canal to defend to the east. II./FJR6 he placed across the Carentan end of the causeway, and III./FJR6 dug in to defend against an attack from the north.The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division stationed at Thouars ostensibly a mechanized infantry division of the OKW Mobile Reserve but without tanks or adequate transport, was ordered on 7 June to move to Normandy following the Allied landings. However it was delayed by shortages of trucks and attacks by Allied aircraft that destroyed bridges over the Loire River and interdicted rail movements. Advance elements reached Angers on 9 June and Saint-Lô on 10 June, by which time Rommel's main concern was in preventing an attack westward from Carentan to cut off the Cotentin. The 38th Panzergrenadier Regiment formed a mobile battle group to resist V Corps units south of Isigny, and the 37th PzG-Rgt was sent to Carentan.

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AWESOME FIND !  Rare Ground Dug Relic Luftwaffe Fallschirmjaeger ( GERMAN PARATROOPER )  Large  "GRAVITY KNIFE" - Recovered Ste. Marie du Mont NORMANDY !

In the early hours of June 7th, the first American tanks to be seen by the 1st Battalion, appeared on the approaches to St.Marie du Mont. The 1st Battalion were not equipped for a long battle against armour, they had already expended large amounts of ammo during probing attacks into Ste.Marie du Mont. There were limited supplies of the PanzerFaust and Panzerschreck. There were also other pressing matters for the 1st Battalion to take care of. They were ordered by radio to dispatch a force to counterattack 2 bridges over the Carentan Canal south west of Ste.Marie du Mont. These bridges had been taken on D-Day and the Americans were going to use them to bypass Carentan and link up with forces in the Omaha Bridgehead. The 1st Battalion sent its last radio message back to Rgt HQ late in the morning on June 7th, "5 enemy tanks destroyed, battalion now surrounded ". Hauptmann Priekschat now decided it was time to withdrawal, ammo was low and casualties were high. The order went out and the remnants of the 1st Battalion from St.Marie du Mont to Vierville began their fighting withdrawal to the south west, only to find that US tanks had already entered Vierville and were slowly pushing west. In the afternoon of June 7th, US Paratroops backed up by Grant medium tanks, approached the road junction on a probing attack into St.Come du Mont. The lead tank was brewed up by an AT round. Fierce fire erupted from the hedgerows and from positions in Pont du Douve further south. The American advance stalled and they withdrew back toward Beaumont to regroup. At around 3am on June 8th, more US Paratroops were dropped east of Angoville. St.Come du Mont now came under renewed artillerie attacks from land and sea. A second attack on the  road junction began in the morning of June 8th and US Paratroops were this time successful in capturing dead mans corner.  Layaway Available !

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EXTREMELY Historic Find !!  RARE WWII Ground Dug German PANZER OFFICER Walther P.38 PISTOL ( Recovered Falaise Pocket "The Corridor of Death" NORMANDY CAMPAIGN )

Here is a hard to find artifact that I am only selling due to having a another example already in my collection. The German P.38 is a rarity to find in Battlefield excavated condition, let alone a Western Front location with so much history. Don't let this one get away ! The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border. Following Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south, the south-east, and into Brittany. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the US penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, in overall command of German armed forces on the Western Front, was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. However, the remnants of four panzer divisions, which was all that von Kluge could scrape together, were not strong enough to make any impression on the United States First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position. By the evening of 21 August the pocket was closed for the last time, with around 50,000 Germans still trapped inside. Although it is estimated that significant numbers managed to escape, German losses in both men and materiel were huge, and the Allies had achieved a decisive victory. Two days later Paris was liberated, and by 30 August the last German remnants had retreated across the Seine, effectively ending Operation Overlord.
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EQUIPMENT / PERSONAL ITEMS Romans 8:28 - " This one thing I know: All things work together for good, to them who Love God. To them who are called according to his eternal purpose."

TANK TRACKS Romans 8:28 - " This one thing I know: All things work together for good, to them who Love God. To them who are called according to his eternal purpose."

RARE Ground Dug RELIC Set of WWII RUSSIAN ( Shark Fin ) T-34 TANK TRACK LInks and Pin  ( Recovered KURSK Battlefield )

Here is an impressive display ! An original set of interlocking tank track links recovered from the Kursk Battlefield Site of the largest tank battle of the War. Rare to find them still interlocked like this. In the first two days the II SS Tank Corps penetrated 25 km deep into the Russian lines and took Jakovlevo. The 200 Panthers of XLVIII Tank Corps to the left spent more time in the workshops than fighting the enemy. Armygroup Kempf, which was to assist the II SS Tank Corps, was outnumbered and had problems crossing the Donec.The steady progress of the German units forced the Russian leaders to commit some of their strategic reserves, as nearly all operational reserves were in action. The Steppe Front had been formed in the months prior to the operation as a central reserve. As early as 6 July Stavka decided to send the II, X Tank Corps and the 5th Guards Tank Army to the southern sector; a day later other formations got their marching orders. Vatutin planned an operational counterstrike against the German units but decided to cancel it after the failure of the northern counter-attack. Instead of seeking open battle against the German tanks Vatutin let his tanks dig in as Rokossovskiy did in the north. Zhukov protested against this use of the tanks but Vatutin's decision stood.German officers reported that they were slowed down by the Schweigepanzer (silent tanks), because it cost much time to overcome these camouflaged "bases".Despite the order to dig in many of their tanks, enough tanks remained to launch some counterattacks. On 8 July a German tank commanded by SS Unterscharführer Franz Staudegger met a group of about 50 T-34s. In the following battle Staudegger knocked out 22 T-34s; he was awarded the first Knights Cross for a Tiger commander.

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AWESOME PIECE OF HISTORY !  Battlefield Recovered German PANZER IV TANK Lower Side Skirt Panel   ( Recovered Tower Hill Defenses, TANNENBERG LINE )

Here is an artifact that I have owned for years and is very hard to part with. The relic German PANZER IV Tank Armour Plate Panel was recovered with other tank parts and tracks by my friend Val. An original armor panel plate with original paint showing through the ground action and the clear insignia GERMAN CROSS paint intact. The relic is extremely heavy. This incredible panel measures 22 by 39.5 inches ! Price includes shipping to make it easy. When considering the price I know you will realize the rarity of having an eastern front panzer IV tank side panel plate with the original insignia intact ! You will definitely not find another.

After defending the Narva bridgehead for six months, the German forces fell back to the Tannenberg Line at the hills of Sinimäed (Russian: Синие горы) on 26 July 1944. The three hills are running east to west. The eastern hill was known to Estonians as the Lastekodumägi, Kinderheimhöhe in German (Orphanage Hill), the central hill was the Grenaderimägi or Grenadierhöhe (Grenadier Hill) and the westernmost as the Tornimägi or 69.9 Höhe (Love Hill, also known in German as Liebhöhe). The hills are less than imposing and resemble gently sloping mounds rather than defensible heights. On the hills, the formations of Gruppenführer Felix Steiner's III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps halted their withdrawal and fell into defensive positions. The 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland started digging in on the left (north) flank of the Tannenberg Line, units of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) in the centre, and the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland on the right (south) flank. Another front section manned by the East Prussians of the 11th Infantry Division was situated a few kilometres further south, against the 8th Army in the Krivasoo bridgehead. Measurements and weight provided upon request. US Shipping only.

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EXTREMELY RARE !  But Rough RELIC Battlefield Condition WWII POLISH MODEL 31wz.  HELMET with traces of National INSIGNIA ! ( Recovered Gdansk/Danzig )

Very rare helmet shell that was recovered in Danzig showing rough battle scarred condition and traces of national insignia. A fine relic. On September 3, 1939, the Allies declared war against National Socialist Germany.  The declaration did not save Poland.  Lodz was about to fall, and Krakow fell on September 6.  The fort at Danzig fell on September 7, after a week of direct fire from German battleships.After a surprise Polish maneuver inflicted heavy casualties, the Germans rallied and took 100,000 prisoners.  By September 16, German artillery ringed Warsaw, and the Nazis gave the Poles an ultimatum: surrender or face bombardment.  The Poles demurred, and endured heavy shelling until September 27.  German troops occupied Warsaw on October 1.On September 17, Soviet troops entered Western Poland.  They stopped at Brest-Litovsk, where Germans had allowed the Bolsheviks to withdraw from World War I.  Again the two nations carved up Poland.

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VERY RARE ! WWII RELIC Condition German RAD "Wehrmachtgefolge" SD Helmet ( Recovered Batogne Area )

Here is a very nice and hard to find helmet worn by a soldier if the RAD forces. The helmet was earlier misidentified on the website as NSKK.
The RAD was classed as Wehrmachtgefolge (lit. Armed Forces Auxiliaries). Auxiliary forces with this status, while not a part of the Armed Forces themselves, provided such vital support that they were given protection by the Geneva Convention. Some, including the RAD, were militarised.
During the early war Norwegian and Western campaigns, hundreds of RAD units were engaged in supplying frontline troops with food and ammunition, repairing damaged roads and constructing and repairing airstrips. Throughout the course of the war, the RAD were involved in many projects. The RAD units constructed coastal fortifications (many RAD men worked on the Atlantic Wall), laid minefields, manned fortifications, and even helped guard vital locations and prisoners.The role of the RAD was not limited to combat support functions. Hundreds of RAD units received training as anti-aircraft units and were deployed as RAD Flak Batteries. Several RAD units also performed combat on the eastern front as infantry. As the German defences were devastated, more and more RAD men were committed to combat. During the final months of the war RAD men formed 6 major frontline units, which were involved with serious fighting.RAD units served on all fronts during WWII, from Norway to the Mediterranian Sea, and from France in the west, to the far reaches of Russia in the east. Units served in Albania, Greece, and the former Yugoslavia. In the Soviet Union, they supported the Wehrmacht in its massive drives towards Moscow in 1941, and into the Caucaus Region in 1942. Many RAD units were encircled and forced into frontline combat, while other units were drafted directly into military service on the spot. In 1942, there were at least 427 RAD units serving on the Eastern Front. Increasingly in the fighting on the Eastern Front, RAD units took up arms to fight off Soviet tanks as well as partisan forces. Security operations also became an increasingly common duty of the RAD units. Service was not limited to the multitude of combat support roles listed above though, as hundreds of RAD units were trained and later used as anti-aircraft units under the control of the Luftwaffe. Many saw service along the Western Front in the form of RAD Flak Batteries, while others also saw service in the East as ground combat units against the advancing Soviet Armies. In October of 1944, at least 60,000 RAD troops are known to have served in RAD Flak Batteries. When serving in RAD Flak Batteries, the troops were known as Luftwaffe-Flakhelfer. RAD troops were but a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands that served in such a role during WWII.

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NICE RELIC BARN FIND Condition WWII German "Heer" Whermacht M35/40 DD HELMET with Liner ET64 !

Here is a nice relic condition "war-used" barn find condition German Whermacht Helmet with a nice decal and liner with chinstrap ! The size and maker are ET64. The condition is solid with leather still very supple on the strap. Here is a chance to own a hard to come by helmet at this price. Ive priced it low to sell quickly as we mostly focus on the ground dug example of the species and not these "minty"examples.. : ) 

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NICE BARN FOUND RELIC WWII German M35 DD with 1st Pattern "Snake Leg" Decal intact LUFTWAFFE HELMET !

Here is a nice example of a relic barn found Luftwaffe 1st pattern M35 DD with the business side decal remaining "Snake Leg" 1st Pattern Luftwaffe helmet. Of course this helmet is in far too nice condition ( not being ground excavated ) and it still has a loose but present liner remains. Alas, I must sell it for much less than it worth...lol.. So for those out there who collect "minty" helmets here is one that shouldnt last long ! The formation of the Luftwaffe was openly announced in February 1935, with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring as its Commander in Chief (German: Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe), in blatant defiance of the Versailles Treaty. Initial plans were for long-term growth of the Luftwaffe over a period of five years with the intention of using the Luftwaffe as a strategic force. These plans were changed several times, especially after the death of General Walter Wever and the succession of Ernst Udet. The focus and role of the Luftwaffe became one of ground support for the German army during its Blitzkrieg campaigns. Göring, using his political capital, was able to get significant resources allocated to the Luftwaffe, more so than the army (German: Heer) or the navy (German Kriegsmarine). This made the Luftwaffe the most powerful force in Europe during its initial years. Partly due to its ground support role, the Luftwaffe was reorganized in a fashion similar to the army units, with one unit controlling a specific area. Each Luftwaffe unit was self-contained and had complete control over all aspects of Luftwaffe forces in that area.

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STUNNING AND RARE German SS M35 SD CHICKEN WIRE Camo Soldier ID'D HELMET - ( Recovered ITALY )

The Leibstandarte division was re-equipped with vehicles and continued the journey by road, travelling across the Alps and into Northern Italy. The division arrived on the Po River Plain on 8 August 1943.The Leibstandarte was given the task of guarding several vital road and rail junctions in the area of Trento-Verona. After several weeks operating in this area, the division was moved to the Parma-Reggio area. During this period, the Leibstandarte was involved in several skirmishes with partisans. With the Italian collapse of 8 September 1943, the division was ordered to begin disarming nearby Italian units. This went smoothly, with the exception of a brief skirmish with Italian troops stationed in Parma on 9 September. By 19 September, all Italian forces in the Po River Plain had been disarmed, but OKW was concerned by reports that elements of the Italian Fourteenth Army were regrouping in Piedmont, near the French border. Sturmbannführer Peiper's mechanised III/2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment was sent to disarm these units. Upon arriving in the Province of Cuneo, Peiper was met by an Italian officer who warned that his forces would attack unless Peiper's unit vacated the province immediately. Peiper refused, which goaded the Italians into attacking. The veterans of Peiper's battalion defeated the Italians in a fierce battle, and then proceeded to disarm the remaining Italian forces in the area.Following the disintegration and capitulation of Italy, the activities of partisan groups increased all across the area. The Leibstandarte was sent to the Istria Peninsula and was engaged in several major anti-partisan operations. During its period in Italy, the Leibstandarte was reformed as a full panzer division, and redesignated 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. In early November, the deteriorating situation in the east meant that the division was ordered back to the Russian Front, arriving in the Zhitomir area in mid November.

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HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE RELIC !! German WWII "Silver" CLOSE COMBAT AWARD BADGE - Recovered Stalingrad Area !

Here is a fantastic find. A ground dug relic German Silver Close Combat Award Medal. The condition is great considering with attachment t-bar pin intact as well as the maker marks Peekhaus Berlin. There is minor damage to the laurel tip on one side that does not detract from this incredibly rare award especially one that is Battlefield recovered ! The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. It took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943. The battle is considered by many historians to be the turning point of World War II in Europe, comparable to the way the Battle of Midway was the turning point of the Pacific War and the Second Battle of El Alamein was the turning point of the North African CampaignThe battle involved more participants than any other on the Eastern Front, and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties by both sides. It was amongst the bloodiest in the history of warfare, with the upper estimates of combined casualties coming to nearly two million.

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EXTREMELY RARE WWII Battlefield Dug German WAFFEN-SS Issued and MARKED 1938 DWM MAUSER SHELL CASING ! - ( Recovered near KURSK )

Here is a rare collectors item. The highly sought after SS issued mauser shell casing. Better yet this one was Battlefield recovered and has a clear stamping. I have heard that some branches of the SS were issued rounds where these casings were manufactured in concentration camps. The Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken Aktien-Gesellschaft (German Weapons and Munitions Works), known as DWM, was an arms company in Imperial Germany created in 1896 when Ludwig Loewe & Company united its weapons and ammunition production facilities within one company. In 1896 Loewe founded Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken with a munitions plant in Karlsruhe (Baden), formerly Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik Lorenz, and the weapons plant in Berlin. Shares that Loewe had in other gun- and ammunition plants were transferred to DWM. This included Waffenfabrik Mauser, Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN) in Belgium and Waffen- und Munitionsfabrik A.G. in Budapest. The DWM was orchestrated by Isidor Loewe (1848–1910), as his brother Ludwig had died in 1886. Ironically in view of later developments, the Loewe family was of Jewish descent. Karl Maybach (who was part of the Maybach company) was employed by the Loewe company in 1901.

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RARE to find in any condition ! WWII GROUND DUG CZECH DUO PISTOL Relic carried by a GERMAN PANZER OFFICER - KURSK Salient !

Rare Czech pistol made during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia Chambered in 6.35mm (or .25 cal) it was produced under German occupation, though it was not a widely issued weapon, it had wide popularity in the German officer corps, who purchased many as personal sidearms. This relic was ground dug near the Kursk Salient Battlefield. A fine display relic that is rendered inert as an excavated example.

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RARE DUG UPWWII ( PRIZED ) Relic German LUGER P08 Recovered from the ARDENNES near BASTOGNE !

The lead divisions of Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army arrived at the outskirts of Bastogne, which was the key road junction for his drive from the South to the Meuse River and Antwerp. There had been a race between the Fifth Panzer Army and the American 101st Airborne division as to who would get to Bastogne first and hold it. The Americans won, but by December 25th, the Germans had surrounded the city and had moved on. Bastogne would become the heroic pocket of American resistance to the German offensive, and would be the object of General Patton's amazing counterattack against the German Southern flank.
1st SS Panzer Corps headquarters received orders from 6th SS Panzer Army to find some way to reinforce Peiper and make his increasingly boxed in KG mobile again. Holding the bridgehead on the hill at Wanne was E Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Led by assault guns, German infantry hit the hill from the front while other men infiltrated along the flanks. Impeded by the soggy ground, the vehicles soon halted and fierce hand-to-hand fighting began. Outnumbered, the Americans fell back across the bridge to the other side of the Salm with the Germans following close on their heels. A number of the SS got across and formed a bridgehead on the American bank. But their success was short-lived. The 2nd Battalion reformed and, supported by the firepower of some engineers and artillery soon pushed the Germans back across the river. Later that afternoon the US engineers blew up the bridge.
The defenders of Bastogne are offered an ultimatum for surrender or death. The commander in Bastogne, General McAuliffe, answered "Nuts". This was to signify the entire American defensive effort during this German offensive, as across the entire front, overmatched American units continually fought hard and slowed the advance with costly effects to the German's strict timetable for this operation

A nice display example of an authentic ground dug non-working curio/relic that is sold for display only.

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RARE DUG UPWWII ( PRIZED ) Relic German LUGER P08 Recovered from the ARDENNES near BASTOGNE !

The lead divisions of Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army arrived at the outskirts of Bastogne, which was the key road junction for his drive from the South to the Meuse River and Antwerp. There had been a race between the Fifth Panzer Army and the American 101st Airborne division as to who would get to Bastogne first and hold it. The Americans won, but by December 25th, the Germans had surrounded the city and had moved on. Bastogne would become the heroic pocket of American resistance to the German offensive, and would be the object of General Patton's amazing counterattack against the German Southern flank.
1st SS Panzer Corps headquarters received orders from 6th SS Panzer Army to find some way to reinforce Peiper and make his increasingly boxed in KG mobile again. Holding the bridgehead on the hill at Wanne was E Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Led by assault guns, German infantry hit the hill from the front while other men infiltrated along the flanks. Impeded by the soggy ground, the vehicles soon halted and fierce hand-to-hand fighting began. Outnumbered, the Americans fell back across the bridge to the other side of the Salm with the Germans following close on their heels. A number of the SS got across and formed a bridgehead on the American bank. But their success was short-lived. The 2nd Battalion reformed and, supported by the firepower of some engineers and artillery soon pushed the Germans back across the river. Later that afternoon the US engineers blew up the bridge.
The defenders of Bastogne are offered an ultimatum for surrender or death. The commander in Bastogne, General McAuliffe, answered "Nuts". This was to signify the entire American defensive effort during this German offensive, as across the entire front, overmatched American units continually fought hard and slowed the advance with costly effects to the German's strict timetable for this operation

A nice display example of an authentic ground dug non-working curio/relic that is sold for display only.

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HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE RELIC !! German WWII "Silver" CLOSE COMBAT AWARD BADGE - Recovered Stalingrad Area !

Here is a fantastic find. A ground dug relic German Silver Close Combat Award Medal. The condition is great considering with attachment t-bar pin intact as well as the maker marks Peekhaus Berlin. There is minor damage to the laurel tip on one side that does not detract from this incredibly rare award especially one that is Battlefield recovered ! The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. It took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943. The battle is considered by many historians to be the turning point of World War II in Europe, comparable to the way the Battle of Midway was the turning point of the Pacific War and the Second Battle of El Alamein was the turning point of the North African CampaignThe battle involved more participants than any other on the Eastern Front, and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties by both sides. It was amongst the bloodiest in the history of warfare, with the upper estimates of combined casualties coming to nearly two million.

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WOW ! JUST ARRIVED THE ULTIMATE WWII WEAPON ! - BATTLEFIELD German PANZERFAUSTANTI-TANK Rocket TUBE RELIC with Camo Paint and markings ! ( Recovered Berlin ) SIMPLY AWESOME !

Here is rare to find complete German early model Anti-Tank Rocket launcher over shoulder  tube in nice relic condition that was found near Berlin and still retains alot of original camo paint and words markings are faint but visible . This Faustpatrone early version with pointed tip anti-tank weapon cone. You can truly feel the history when holding this weapon relic. The Panzerfaust was a WWII German short-range antitank weapon designed for infantry use. The Panzerfaust consisted of a rocket-propelled, hollow-charge warhead fired from a disposable tube launcher. The Panzerfaust could penetrate up to 200-mm of armor which was sufficient to defeat all the major Allied tanks. The simple, cheap Panzerfaust was manufactured in large quantities until the end of WWII and gave the infantry a useful anti-tank capability. Faustpatrone: The first model with small pointed warhead. Production continued after the introduction of later Panzerfaust versions. Also known as Faustpatrone 1, Faustpatrone klein, Gretchen, and Panzerfaust 30 klein.

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ULTIMATE WAR PRIZE ! WWII Ground Dug German Officers P08 LUGER ( Inert as found ) PISTOL Relic ( Recovered - Huertgenwald-Siegfried Line ) 

Here is an incredible display relic from my personal collection. Every GI was enamored with this war trophy and here is one that actually saw battle ! The ultimate collectors relic ! The Luger is in relic condition as dug and safe for display. American troops cross the German border north of Trier on 11 September and hit the Siegfried Line near Aachen on 12 September 1944, taking the first Siegfried Line pillboxes. 96 days after their landing in Normandy, the Allied forces thus occupy a line which, according to their planning, was to be reached no sooner than 330 days after D-Day, that is, on 2 May 1945. This means, among other things, that logistic planning cannot be fulfilled: The supply forces are not able to follow the unexpectedly rapid advance. The Allies' pursuit of the enemy comes to a halt, the advance can be resumed after preparation only. This explains the American troops' "hesitant" -- from the German perspective -- advance in the Aachen and Huertgen Forest sectors in September 1944. The Aachen sector lies in the VII U.S. Corps' area of responsibility. The 3rd U.S. Armored Division is given the mission to attack south of Aachen. The American troops call this relatively open, armor-favorable terrain the "Stolberg Corridor." Even though this terrain favors the advance of major mechanized forces, the 3rd Armored Division's advance progresses slowly. On the German side, the LXXIV (74th) Army Corps tries to consolidate and hold to the largest possible degree the front line in the Aachen sector in order to exploit the Siegfried Line and its favorable terrain for defense. The wooded terrain offers the defender the opportunity to reduce the effects of the American air, armor and artillery superiority. From 16 September 1944 on, the 12th German Infantry Division brought up from the east is employed in the counterattack on Aachen. Elements of the 353rd German Infantry Division occupy the Siegfried Lines defenses in the Huertgen Forest, while elements of the 89th Infantry Division transition to defense in the area of Monschau. At this time, the German forces' 239 tanks and self-propelled assault guns are confronted by at least 2,300 enemy tanks, that is, a ten-time American superiority.

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RARE WWII JUNGLE Relic Condition with possible Battle Damaged JAPANESE Type 90 IMPERIAL HELMET - ( Recovered Philippines Islands PACIFIC THEATRE )

Here is a nice Philippines Islands find originl relic condition Type 90 Japanese soldier helmet with star and small trace of cloth camo. These are very nice example in recovered condition. The Japanese occupation of the Philippines was the period in the history of the Philippines between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan occupied the previously American-controlled Philippines during World War II. The invasion of the Philippines started on December 8, 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. As at Pearl Harbor, the American aircraft were severely damaged in the initial Japanese attack. Lacking air cover, the American Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines withdrew to Java on December 12, 1941. General Douglas MacArthur escaped Corregidor on the night of March 11, 1942 for Australia, 4,000 km away. The 76,000 starving and sick American and Filipino defenders on Bataan surrendered on April 9, 1942, and were forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March on which 7-10,000 died or were murdered. The 13,000 survivors on Corregidor surrendered on May 6. Japan occupied the Philippines for over three years, until the surrender of Japan. A highly effective guerilla campaign by Philippine resistance forces controlled sixty percent of the islands, mostly jungle and mountain areas. MacArthur supplied them by submarine, and sent reinforcements and officers. Filipinos remained loyal to the United States, partly because of the American guarantee of independence, and also because the Japanese had pressed large numbers of Filipinos into work details and even put young Filipino women into brothels. General MacArthur discharged his promise to return to the Philippines on October 20, 1944. The landings on the island of Leyte were accomplished by a force of 700 vessels and 174,000 men. Through December 1944, the islands of Leyte and Mindoro were cleared of Japanese soldiers.

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EXTREMELY RARE Original US "Flyboy" WWI 94th AERO SQUADRON Painted HELMET - With verbal provenance it was at one time in the collection of CHARLES WOOLEY who wrote the HISTORY of the 94th. His hard-bound book is included in the purchase !

Here is a fine condition original with liner - rare is not even the right word to describe this Flyboy helmet ! I have only seen one other example offered for sale years ago that was priced just under $3000. On September 30, 1917, two officers and 150 enlisted men left Texas for France and were sent to seven different aircraft factories for maintenance and repair training. In April 1918, the 94th was reunited and stationed at the Gengault Aerodrome near Toul, France, where it began operations as the first American squadron at the front.As the first American squadron in operation, its aviators were allowed to create their squadron insignia. They used the opportunity to commemorate the United States' entry into World War I by taking the phrase of tossing one's "hat in the ring" (a boxing phrase to signify one's willingness to become a challenger) and symbolizing it with the literal image of Uncle Sam's red, white and blue top hat going through a ring.On April 14, Lt. Douglas Campbell, who later became America's first flying ace, and Lt. Alan Winslow downed two German aircraft. These were the first victories ever scored by an American unit. No 94th pilot achieved more aerial victories than 1st Lt. Edward Vernon Rickenbacker, who was named America's "Ace of Aces" during the war. In his Nieuport 28 and later in his SPAD S.XIII, Rickenbacker was credited with 26 of the squadron's 70 kills during World War I. By the end of hostilities, the 94th had won battle honors for participation in 11 major engagements and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm.During World War I, The squadron was based at Toul (May 5, 1918), Touquin (June 28, 1918), Saints (July 9, 1918) and Rembercourt (September 1, 1918).Another flying ace of this squadron was Harvey Weir Cook. A popular restaurant chain, the 94th Aero Squadron, is named after the 94th from the First World War.

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NICE Original Eurpoean Attic Find ! - RELIC WWII French Conscript WWII German NAZI POLIZEI ( Police ) HELMET
Here is a nice relic condition WWII French Helmet with original German Police Decal Camo white winter paint still intact. A nice addition to your helmet collection from a French to German Police conscript.  The French police, headed by Bousquet, arrested 7,000 Jews in the southern zone in August 1942. 2,500 of them transited through the Camp des Milles near Aix-en-Provence before joining Drancy. Then, on 22, 23 and 24 January 1943, assisted by Bousquet's police force, the Germans organized a raid in Marseilles. During the Battle of Marseilles, the French police checked the identity documents of 40,000 people, and the operation succeeded in sending 2,000 Marseillese people in the death trains, leading to the extermination camps. The operation also encompassed the expulsion of an entire neighborhood (30,000 persons) in the Old Port before its destruction. For this occasion, SS-Gruppenführer Karl Oberg, in charge of the German Police in France, made the trip from Paris, and transmitted to Bousquet orders directly received from Himmler. It is another notable case of the French police's willful collaboration with the Nazis.

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AWESOME FIND !  Rare Ground Dug Relic Luftwaffe Fallschirmjaeger ( GERMAN PARATROOPER )  Large  "GRAVITY KNIFE" - Recovered Ste. Marie du Mont NORMANDY !

In the early hours of June 7th, the first American tanks to be seen by the 1st Battalion, appeared on the approaches to St.Marie du Mont. The 1st Battalion were not equipped for a long battle against armour, they had already expended large amounts of ammo during probing attacks into Ste.Marie du Mont. There were limited supplies of the PanzerFaust and Panzerschreck. There were also other pressing matters for the 1st Battalion to take care of. They were ordered by radio to dispatch a force to counterattack 2 bridges over the Carentan Canal south west of Ste.Marie du Mont. These bridges had been taken on D-Day and the Americans were going to use them to bypass Carentan and link up with forces in the Omaha Bridgehead. The 1st Battalion sent its last radio message back to Rgt HQ late in the morning on June 7th, "5 enemy tanks destroyed, battalion now surrounded ". Hauptmann Priekschat now decided it was time to withdrawal, ammo was low and casualties were high. The order went out and the remnants of the 1st Battalion from St.Marie du Mont to Vierville began their fighting withdrawal to the south west, only to find that US tanks had already entered Vierville and were slowly pushing west. In the afternoon of June 7th, US Paratroops backed up by Grant medium tanks, approached the road junction on a probing attack into St.Come du Mont. The lead tank was brewed up by an AT round. Fierce fire erupted from the hedgerows and from positions in Pont du Douve further south. The American advance stalled and they withdrew back toward Beaumont to regroup. At around 3am on June 8th, more US Paratroops were dropped east of Angoville. St.Come du Mont now came under renewed artillerie attacks from land and sea. A second attack on the  road junction began in the morning of June 8th and US Paratroops were this time successful in capturing dead mans corner.  Layaway Available !

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EXTREMELY RARE Ground Dug RELIC M1910 FN BROWNING German Officers PISTOL with Grips remaining on both sides ! - ( Excavated ANZIO, ITALY )
 
Here is a rare addition from an often overlooked front. The Italian campaign. This FN Browning Pistol Model 1910 with grips was ground dug in Anzio, Italy and more than likely was either a German Whermacht Officer or Fallschirmjager Officer sidearm.The Anzio invasion began at 0200 on 22 January 1944 and achieved, General Lucas recalled, one of the most complete surprises in history. The Germans had already sent their regional re- serves south to counter the Allied attacks on the Garigliano on 18 January, leaving one nine-mile stretch of beach at Anzio defended by a single company. The first Allied waves landed unopposed and moved rapidly inland. On the southern flank of the beachhead the 3d Division quickly seized its initial objectives, brushing aside a few dazed patrols, while unopposed British units achieved equal success in the center and north. Simultaneously, Rangers occupied Anzio, and the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion seized Nettuno. All VI Corps objectives were taken by noon as the Allied air forces completed 1,200 sorties against targets in and around the beachhead. On the beach itself, the U.S. 36th Engineer Combat Regiment bulldozed exits, laid corduroy roads, cleared mines, and readied the port of Anzio to receive its first landing ship, tank (LST), an amphibious assault and supply ship, by the afternoon of D-day. By midnight over 36,000 men and 3,200 vehicles, 90 percent of the invasion force, were ashore with casualties of 13 killed, 97 wounded, and 44 missing. During D-day Allied troops captured 227 German defenders.
 
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RARE WWII German NAZI Relic WALTHER HSC Officers PISTOL - ( Recovered Falaise Pocket "The Corridor of Death"  )

Here is an awesome relic. A Nazi ground dug HSC WALTHER PISTOL. This relic was ground dug in the Falaise area. Known as the "Corridor of Death". The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border.Following Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south, the south-east, and into Brittany. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the US penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, in overall command of German armed forces on the Western Front, was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. However, the remnants of four panzer divisions, which was all that von Kluge could scrape together, were not strong enough to make any impression on the United States First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position. 

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RARE HISTORIC FIND ! - Ground Dug WWII RUSSIAN 76mm ARTILLERY SHELL - Wicked BATTLE DAMAGE and EXPLODED ! - ( Recovered STALINGRAD Area )

Here is an incredible find that the digger in Russia was using as a candle holder and I had to have it !  Showing the intensity of this historic battle around Stalingrad this blown 76mm Russian Shell with markings on the base, is riddled with small arms fire and yet expoded leaving an incredible display relic !  The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943 and was among the largest on the Eastern Front,and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. The outcome was disastrous for Germany, proving to be turning points in the tide of war in favour of the Allies, making a German victory in the East impossible. The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually bogged down in house-to-house fighting and despite controlling over 90% of the city at times, the Wehrmacht was unable to dislodge the last Soviet defenders clinging tenaciously to the west bank of the Volga River.

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INCREDIBLE Ground Dug WWII German WHERMACHT Soldiers RING - ( Recovered retreat route BATTLE OF BERLIN area )

Here is a very neat relic that was ground dug by my friend in the region of the Battle of Berlin. Many HJ buckles were also recovered in this area and seen on the website. The ring is a spectacular personal item that I wish could tell its story of those final days. Starting on 16 January 1945, the Red Army breached the German front as a result of the Vistula-Oder Offensive and advanced westward as much as 40 kilometres a day, through East Prussia, Lower Silesia, East Pomerania and Upper Silesia, temporarily halting on a line 60 kilometres east of Berlin along the Oder River. During the offensive, two Soviet fronts (army groups attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin. The Battle in Berlin lasted from late 20 April 1945 until the )morning of 2 May and was one of the bloodiest battles in history. The first defensive preparations at the outskirts of Berlin were on 20 March, when the newly appointed commander of the Army Group Vistula, General Gotthard Heinrici, correctly anticipated that the main Soviet thrust would be made over the Oder River. Before the main battle in Berlin commenced, the Soviets managed to encircle the city as a result of the smaller battles of the Seelow Heights and Halbe. During 20 April 1945, the 1st Belorussian Front led by Marshal Geori Zhukov started shelling Berlin's city centre, while Marshal Ivan Konevs 1st Ukrainian Front had pushed in the north through the last formations of Army Group Centre. The German defences were mainly led by Helmuth Weidling and consisted of several depleted, badly equipped, and disorganised Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions, as well as many Volkssturm and Hitler Youth members. Within the next days, the Soviets were rapidly advancing through the city and were reaching the city centre, conquering the Reichstag on 30 April after fierce fighting.

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JUST ARRIVED - THE ULTIMATE WWII WEAPON ! - Eastern Front WWII BATTLEFIELD German PANZERFAUST/ FAUSTPATRONE-KLEIN Tube ANTI-TANK Rocket WEAPON RELIC !  ( Recovered Kurland Pocket )  SIMPLY AWESOME !

Here is rare to find German early model WWII Anti-Tank Rocket launcher tube minus the cone that was discarded near Kurland. This Faustpatrone early version with pointed tip anti-tank weapon cone. You can truly feel the history when holding this weapon relic. The Panzerfaust was a WWII German short-range antitank weapon designed for infantry use. The Panzerfaust consisted of a rocket-propelled, hollow-charge warhead fired from a disposable tube launcher. The Panzerfaust could penetrate up to 200-mm of armor which was sufficient to defeat all the major Allied tanks. The simple, cheap Panzerfaust was manufactured in large quantities until the end of WWII and gave the infantry a useful anti-tank capability. Faustpatrone: The first model with small pointed warhead. Production continued after the introduction of later Panzerfaust versions. Also known as Faustpatrone 1, Faustpatrone klein, Gretchen, and Panzerfaust 30 klein.

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FANTASTIC WWII " War Relic " US M1 HELMET - Massive MG DAMAGE AND BULLET RIDDLED !  - ( Recovered Cherbourg )

Here is an incredible relic condition US M1 Helmet that just arrived. The verbal is that it was found in a barn near Cherbourg. On June 18, the US 9th Infantry Division reached the west coast of the peninsula. Within 24 hours, the 4th, 9th and 79th Infantry Divisions were driving north on a broad front. There was little opposition on the western side of the peninsula and on the eastern side, the exhausted defenders around Montebourg collapsed. Several large caches of V-1 flying bombs were discovered by the Americans in addition to a V-2 rocket installation at Brix.In two days, the American divisions were within striking distance of Cherbourg. The garrison commander, Lieutenant General Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben, had 21,000 men but many of these were hastily drafted naval personnel or from labour units. The fighting troops who had retreated to Cherbourg (including the remnants of von Schlieben's own Division, the 709th), were tired and disorganised. Food, fuel and ammunition were short. The Luftwaffe dropped a few supplies, but these were mostly items such as Iron Crosses, intended to bolster the garrison's morale. Nevertheless, von Schlieben rejected a summons to surrender and began carrying out demolitions to deny the port to the Allies. Collins launched a general assault on June 22. Resistance was stiff at first, but the Americans slowly cleared the Germans from their bunkers and concrete pillboxes. Allied Naval ships bombarded fortifications near the city on June 25. On June 26, the 79th Division captured Fort du Roule, which dominated the city and its defenses. This finished any organised defense. Von Schlieben was captured. The harbor fortifications and the Arsenal surrendered a few days later, after token resistance. Some German troops cut off outside the defenses held out until July 1.

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IMPOSSIBLE to FIND DUG and HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE !  RARE WWII Ground Dug RELIC German HJ HITLER YOUTH KNIFE ! - ( Recovered in a Farm Field BIELEFELD, GERMANY )

Here is a rarity that just arrived from a UK collection. This Battlefield excavated German Hitler 'Jugend' Youth Dagger is in remarkable condition around the handle but the blade is paper thin and has deteriorated but has incredible eye appeal. I have never seen another in ground dug state. On March 29, 1945, the railway viaduct a Bielefeld, Germany, was attacked by RAF Lancaster's of 617 Squadron, (The Dambusters). The bombers were specially modified to carry the 'Grand Slam' the monster 22,000lb (9,979kg) bomb designed by Barnes Wallace. At almost 10 tons, the Lancaster could only carry one bomb at a time. Piloted by Squadron Leader C. Calder, his Lancaster, one of the 33 converted, dropped the bomb about thirty metres from the viaduct, the resulting explosion caused powerful shock waves to radiate outwards destroying two arches each 1,100 feet in length. The bomb was the largest ever used in war, it could penetrate seven meters (23 feet) of reinforced concrete as it did on the U-boat pens near Bremen. The Grand Slam measured 7.7 meters in length and contained 4,144 kg of explosive. A total of 41 of these bombs were dropped during the war. In all, 7,374 Lancaster bombers were built during the war. (The last RAF crews to loose their lives in the war were the crews of two Halifax bombers which collided in mid-air during a raid onKiel on May 2, 1945. All thirteen crew members were killed)

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RARE FIND ! - Ground DUG RELIC WWII - German M42 SD WAFFEN -SS ( SAND CAMO ) HELMET Shell with faint but visible SS RUNES ! - ( Recovered Kursk Battlefield Area )
Here is a nice and rare to find german camo Waffen-SS SD M42 raw edge helmet shell that was recovered near Kursk. The Shell still has part of the liner rough but intact. A fine piece of history from a historic location.The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, (450 kilometres / 280 miles south of Moscow in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka, and the costliest single day of aerial warfare. It was the final strategic offensive the Germans were able to mount in the east. The resulting decisive Soviet victory gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war.The Germans hoped to shorten their lines by eliminating the Kursk salient (also known as the Kursk bulge), created in the aftermath of their defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad. They envisioned pincers breaking through its northern and southern flanks to achieve a great encirclement of Red Army forces. The Soviets, however, had intelligence of Adolf Hitler's intentions. This and German delays to wait for new weapons, mainly Tiger and Panther tanks, gave the Red Army time to construct a series of defense lines and gather large reserve forces for a strategic counterattack.

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RARE Ground Dug M35/40 SD LUFTWAFFE HELMET with Eagle Decal Faintly visible - ( Recovered British Landing Zone NORMANDY )

Here is a nice relic condition Luftwaffe helmet that was recovered in an area occupied by the German 16th Luftwaffe Field Division. The M35/40 SD helmet has remnants of the original liner and very faintly but present is the Eagle decal. A fine relic Luftwaffe helmet from the historic Normandy campaign. In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, with the protection of the air force above them, British and Canadian forces landed on the eastern French beaches codenamed Gold, Juno, and Sword.The United States would land to the west on beaches codenamed Omaha and Utah. At 6:30 am, the 1st and 29th Infantry divisions landed on Omaha beach and discovered the Germans in full force despite the Allies' best effort in the pre-invasion attacks. Concerned over the situation, U.S. 1st Army commander Lt. General Omar Bradley considered retreating and landing his troops in a different part of Normandy coastline. But the bravery and initiative of the young men persevered and slowly they began to make their way across the blood-stained sand driving the enemy inland. By the end of the day, Allied forces had overtaken the Normandy coast. D-Day remains to this day the largest concentration of air, land, and naval forces ever. Through the diligence and sacrifice of thousands of men, Europe had been liberated from the Nazi war machine.

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RARE Ground Dug RELIC WWII German Nerbelhandgranate 39 STICK GRENADE Battlefield Dug - ( Battle of Bastogne )

Here is a relic German smoke stick grenade ( potato masher ) that still has remains of the S-24 wood handle. The NB HGR has eight holes around the head. The head would have contained 2 minutes of smoke material. On the evening of 15 December, the 26th Volksgrenadier established an outpost line on the west bank of the Our, something they did routinely during the nighttime. At 03:00, engineers began ferrying men and equipment over the river where they began assembling at the departure point, quite close to the American garrisons. At 05:30, the German artillery began bombarding the American positions, knocking out telephone lines, as the infantry started to advance. The Germans attacked swiftly, their advances made possible by sheer weight of numbers. In Weiler, one American company, supported by some mortars and a platoon of anti-tank guns, lasted until nightfall against repeated attacks from multiple German battalions. German engineers completed bridges over the Our before dark, and armor began moving to the front, adding to the Germans' vast numerical superiority. But in the end, the Germans were significantly delayed by the American defenders —- their plan to cross the Clerf River by nightfall on the first day was delayed by two days.On 19 December, the 28th Division command post transferred to Bastogne from Wiltz, a large village to the southeast. At Wiltz, the division put up its last stand; 3rd Battalion of the 110th—supported by armor and artillery—arrived at the city around noon of that day. The 44th Engineer Battalion was set up north of the town, but they were soon overwhelmed and retreated into the city, blowing up a bridge behind them. This small force—numbering no more than 500 in total—held out until the evening, when their position became completely untenable and they retreated to the west. With the 110th Infantry completely destroyed as an effective combat unit, it would be up to the rest of the Allied army to defend Bastogne.

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RARE Ground Dug RELIC Condition WAFFEN-SS HELMET SD M35/40 early pattern large runes decal visible with a portion of inner liner !  ( Recovered Radzymin / Walomin Poland )

Here is a nice ground dug relic M35/40 edge rim SD SS Helmet with faint but visible runes through the ground action, that would be a nice compliment to your helmet collection. It still retains a portion of the inner liner. After the Russian reconnaissance units reached Warsaw in late July, on August 1, 1944 the Warsaw Uprising started. Starting from an area south of Mińsk Mazowiecki, Lieutenant-General N. D. Vedeneev's 3rd Tank Corps (part of the Soviet Second Tank Army) thrust northwest through Okuniew and Wołomin to Radzymin, reaching an area only three miles (five kilometers) from the strategic bridge over the Narew River at Zegrze. In response to Vedeneev's thrust, the Germans started a tactical counter-attack near Radzymin on July 31. The offensive, carried out by 4 understrength Panzer divisions was to secure the eastern approaches to Warsaw and Vistula crossings, and aimed to destroy the three tank corps of the Second Tank Army in detail. Under the leadership of German Field Marshal Model, the 4th, 19th, Hermann Göring, and 5th SS Panzer Divisions were concentrated from different areas with their arrival in the area of Wołomin occurring between July 31 and August 1, 1944. Although the 3rd Tank Corps gamely defended the initial assaults of the Hermann Göring and 19th Panzer Divisions, the arrival of the 4th Panzer and 5th SS Panzer Divisions spelled doom for the isolated and outnumbered unit. Already on August 1, the leading elements of the 19th and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, closing from the west and east respectively, met at Okuniew, cutting the 3rd Tank Corps off from the other units of the Second Tank Army. Pressed into the area of Wołomin, the 3rd Tank Corps was pocketed and destroyed on August 3, 1944. Attempts to reach the doomed tank corps by the 8th Guards Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps failed, with the 8th Guards Tank Corps taking serious losses in the attempt. Although Model had planned to attack the 8th Guards Tank Corps next, the withdrawal of the 19th and Hermann Göring Panzer Divisions to shore up the German defenses around the Magnuszew bridgehead forced the remaining German forces around Okuniew to go on the defensive.

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RARE AND IMPRESSIVE WEAPON ! - The ultimate war prize ! RELIC WWII German PANZERSHRECK ANTI-TANK CANNON - ( Recovered West Front Faliase Gap )  A MUSEUM WORTHY ARTIFACT !

Here is a fine relic that would be the centerpiece of any weapons collection. An original relic condition German Anti-Tank ( Tank Terror ) Panzershreck that was recovered cut in half in order to ship and creatively can be plugged in order fit and display. An incredible Battlefield artifact that would be the envy of any museum.  Panzerschreck was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse (abbreviated to RPzB), an 88 mm calibre reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Another popular nickname was Ofenrohr ("stove pipe").The Panzerschreck was designed as a lightweight infantry anti-tank weapon. The weapon was shoulder-launched and fired a rocket-propelled, fin-stabilized grenade with a shaped charge warhead. It was made in much smaller numbers than the Panzerfaust, which was a disposable recoilless rifle firing an anti-tank warhead. The Panzerschreck was an effective weapon. Allied bazookas had problems with newer up-armored German tanks later in the war, most notably the Tiger tank and the Panther tank. By comparison the Panzerschreck rocket could penetrate over 200 mm of armor, which was only found on the IS-2 Soviet tanks, but paid for this extra hitting power with extra weight. The rocket projectile weighed 3.3 kg (7.25 lb). One direct hit was usually enough to destroy any Allied armored vehicle. When handled by well-trained crews, this weapon became the bane of Allied armored units, who frequently attempted to add improvised protection to their tanks, e.g. sandbags, spare track units, logs and so on. Most of this make-shift protection had little actual effect  The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border.

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RARE BATTLEFIELD RELIC ! - Ground Dug WWII German P08 LUGER PISTOL - ( Recovered Pointe du' Hoc NORMANDY )
Here is a solid relic condition German P08 luger that displays incredible and has been in my personal collection. Recovered in Pointe du Hoc (sometimes erroneously known as Pointe du Hoe following a typographical error by an American military cartographer) the Germans had built, as part of the Atlantic Wall, six casemates to house a battery of captured French 155mm guns. With Pointe Du Hoc situated between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east, these guns threatened Allied landings on both beaches, risking heavy casualties in the landing forces. Although there were several bombardments from the air and by naval guns, intelligence reports assumed that the fortifications were too strong, and would also require attack by ground forces. The U.S. 2nd Ranger Battalion was therefore given the task of destroying the strongpoint early on D-Day.Prior to the attack, the guns were moved approximately 1 mile away; however, the concrete fortifications were intact, and would still present a major threat to the landings if they were occupied by artillery forward observers. The Ranger Battalion commanders and executive officers knew the guns had moved, but the rest of the Rangers were not informed prior to the attack.

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INCREDIBLE WWII "Battlefield" Recovered Ground Dug RELIC Battle Damaged shoulder and handle section' of a GERMAN MP38/40 SUB-MACHINE GUN !  ( Dug KURLAND Peninsula EASTERN FRONT )

Here is an incredible ground dug relic shoulder arm and handle frame portion of a German MP Sub-Machine Gun just arrived from Kurland. Highly desireable among collectors are the actual battle found weapons with the German MP38/40 being the jewel. A fine display relic that rarely is seen for your collection. In the middle of October 1944, about 500,000 soldiers -- 32 German divisions and the 20,000 men of the Latvian Nineteenth Division of the Waffen–SS -- were cut off from the rest of the German army and encircled. To the east and the south was the Soviet army, to the north and the west -- the Baltic Sea. The Latvians called it Kurzemes katls, the Kurland kettle; the Germans called it Festung Kurland, Fortress Kurland. For the Nineteenth Division Kurland was truly the last stand. They took part in six major battles between October 12, 1944, and April 3, 1945. Together with the German army units they on the whole held the front line, keeping the Bolsheviks out of Kurland, until May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated. These soldiers remained undefeated until the final moments of the war, im Felde unbesiegt, as the Germans say. In one of the last battles, Captain Miervaldis Adamsons' company in a single 24-hour period repelled seven attacks by the Russians, and after the battle the bodies of 400 fallen Soviet soldiers could be counted in front of the Latvians' unconquered positions. The Soviet High Command asked the commanders of the First and Second Baltic Fronts to take forceful action in Kurland, in order to drive the enemy from the northern sector of the Baltic Sea and free their units for more important positions on the Soviet-German front. The first attempt occurred on October 16, 1944, but was stopped in the area around Tukums. The next Soviet offensive took place on October 27, but met with strong resistance from the outset and did not result in any gains. November 20 saw another offensive, but the Germans and Latvians stabilized their defensive line, utilizing favorable geographic features. Equally unsuccessful were the final attempts of the First and Second Baltic Front Armies to liquidate the German Army Group "Kurland" in December of 1944 and February and April of 1945. Soviet documents show that Stalin threw division after division into the Kurland inferno, disregarding the appallingly high losses. According to German estimates , the Soviet army lost 320,000 soldiers -- including those fallen, wounded, and taken prisoner -- and 2388 tanks, 659 planes, 900 cannons, and 1440 machine-guns.

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INCREDEBLE BATTLEFIELD RELIC ! - Ground Dug Battle Damaged M35/40 SD PANZER SS 17th Regiment HELMET - ( Recovered Saint-Lô, Normandy Campaign )

Here is an addition from the propietors personal collection a Battle Damaged M35/40 SD SS Panzergrenadiers Helmet that was recovered Saintt.Lo, Normandy. Incredible helmet shows visible runes on a metalic field with original fieldgrau paint showing through the ground action.Carentan was defended by two battalions of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 (6th Parachute Regiment), commanded by Oberst Friedrich von der Heydte, and remnants of 91 Air Landing Division's Grenadier-Regiment 1058. Both had escaped from nearby Saint Côme-du-Mont Saint-Lô on 8 June when the village was captured by the 101st Airborne. II./FJR6 and III./FJR6 (2nd and 3rd Battalions, 6th Paraute Regiment) were still intact as fighting formations, but III./GR1058 had been nearly destroyed in three days of combat and was no longer effective as a unit. The German LXXXIV Corps (84.Korps) reinforced the 6th Parachute Regiment (FJR6) with two Ost battalions and a few survivors of Grenadier-Regiment 914 (German 352nd Infantry Division following its 9 June defeat at Isigny. Army Group B commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel ordered von der Heydte to defend the town "to the last man.Otl. von der Heydte positioned the third- and fourth-rate (by German definition) Ost battalions along the Vire-Taute Canal to defend to the east. II./FJR6 he placed across the Carentan end of the causeway, and III./FJR6 dug in to defend against an attack from the north.The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division stationed at Thouars ostensibly a mechanized infantry division of the OKW Mobile Reserve but without tanks or adequate transport, was ordered on 7 June to move to Normandy following the Allied landings. However it was delayed by shortages of trucks and attacks by Allied aircraft that destroyed bridges over the Loire River and interdicted rail movements. Advance elements reached Angers on 9 June and Saint-Lô on 10 June, by which time Rommel's main concern was in preventing an attack westward from Carentan to cut off the Cotentin. The 38th Panzergrenadier Regiment formed a mobile battle group to resist V Corps units south of Isigny, and the 37th PzG-Rgt was sent to Carentan.

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RARE Ground Dug WWII German P08 LUGER with Battle Damage - ( Excavated Falaise Pocket )

Here is an incredible ground dug battle damaged German P08 Luger Pistol that was recovered falaise-trun. The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the pocket around the town of Falaise within which Army Group B, consisting of the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine and opened the way to Paris and the German border.Following Operation Cobra, the American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south and south-east by General George Patton's Third Army. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the U.S. penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge—in overall command of Army Group B on the Western Front—was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead, he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. The remnants of four panzer divisions—which was all that von Kluge could scrape together—were not strong enough to make any impression on the U.S. First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position.

$ 380

RARE Eastern Front BATTLEFIELD Relic DUG WWII German Fallschirmjager HELMET Shell - ( Recovered KIRISHI Stalingrad Campaign )

Here is a fantastic dug relic German Fallschirmjager Helmet with some minor ground action to the crown but otherwise solid condition. An extremely rare helmet in this condition. Recovered Kirishi. The VOLKHOV FRONT, joint USSR armed forces from the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, which operated in the Leningrad and Novgorod regions. The front was formed on 17 December 1941 from left wing Leningrad front forces, and consisted of the 4th, 52nd, 59th, and 2nd shock armies; together, they were ordered to hold the front line along the Volkhov River, from Lake Ilmen to the city of Kirishi, and north-west of the southern side of Lake Ladoga; also executed offensives together with the Leningrad front in the north, aiming to lift the Siege of Leningrad. While trying to lift the Siege, Volkhov Front troops carried out several unsuccessful offensives in 1942, including the Lyuban Offensive in January - April (on account of losses, the Volkhov Front was reorganized into the Volkhov group of forces on 23 May; on 9 June, however, it was reassembled after it was joined by the 8th and 54th shock armies); and the Sinyavino Offensive in August-October. In August 1942, the Volkhov Front was joined by the 14th Air Army, in February 1943 by the 1st Shock Army. In January 1943, Volkhov and Leningrad front troops managed to break the Siege; in July-August 1943, they launched the unsuccessful Mga (a small Russian town towards Kirishi) Offensive; in January - February 1944, they were successful in the Novgorod-Luga Operation, which resulted in the Lifting the Siege. On 15 February 1944, the Volkhov Front was disbanded, its troops passed to the Leningrad and 2nd Baltic fronts. The front was commanded by General of the Army K. A. Meretskov.

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RARE Set of WWII German SS or Whermacht Officers Cloth Bullion COLLAR TABS Uniform INSIGNIA RELICS ! - ( Recovered Demjansk-Kessel Battlefield )

Here is an incredible pair of relics for the insignia collector. A German Officer pair of Bullion Collar Rank Insignia that I suspect were possibly torn off the collar to prevent rank retaliation by the capturing Russians. Rarely are these are ever recovered ground dug. On 8 January 1942, a new offensive called the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation started. This incorporated the previous Front's planning into the Toropets-Kholm Offensive Operation between 9 January 1942 and 6 February 1942 which formed the southern pincer of the attack that, beginning the second phase of the northern pincer Demyansk Offensive Operation between 7 January 1942 and 20 May 1942, which encircled the German 16th Army's (Generaloberst Ernst Busch) IInd, and parts of the Xth Army Corps (General der Artillerie Christian Hansen) during winter 1941/1942. Trapped in the pocket were the 12th, 30th, 32nd, 123rd and 290th infantry divisions, and the SS-Division Totenkopf, as well as RAD, Police, Todt organization and other auxiliary units, for a total of about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries. Their commander was General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, commander of the IInd Army Corps.

$ 180 for both !

NICE ' RELIC CONDITION" US M1 Front Seam HELMET SHELL "POT" that has a red painted stripe visible through ground action around the rim. Possibly a tactical designation such as LST or Medic ? The pot came from a collection in Belgium

Here is a nice relic US M1 helmet swivel bale front seam with red tactical paint showing through the ground action. A fine display helmet. The Normandy invasion took place in the Bay of the Seine, on the south side of the English Channel between the Cotentin Peninsula and the port of Le Havre. Some fifty-five miles broad and twenty deep, its waters were shallow, had a considerable tidal range, and, when the wind blew from the northward, could be very choppy. The planned landing beaches covered about forty-five miles of the Bay's shoreline. Westernmost was "Utah" Area, stretching eight miles southward along the low-lying southeastern coast of the Cotentin Peninsula. Directly to the east was "Omaha" Area, covering twelve miles of generally hilly terrain. United States forces were assigned to take both of those areas, with important assistance from the navies of Great Britain and other Allies. British and Canadian troops would assault the areas code-named "Gold", "Juno", and "Sword", which ran twenty miles eastward from "Omaha". This sector ended at the mouth of the Orne River, some fifteen miles west of Le Havre, where the German Navy based a group of potentially very dangerous torpedo boats.The actual landing beaches occupied a fraction of the width of each area, but were intended to provide sufficient initial footholds to allow rapid reinforcement and expansion inland, with the attacking soldiers joining their flanks to create a continuous beachhead perimeter before the enemy could mount a major counterattack. Each area would be assaulted by approximately one army division, with initial landings being made by much smaller units at 6:30AM in the American areas and about an hour later in the British. Their arrival on the shore was to follow a bombardment by ships' guns and aircraft ordnance, kept relatively brief to maintain as much as possible of the element of surprise. As a result, German shore defenses frequently remained intact, and would prove troublesome to both the landing forces and ships offshore.To protect the invasion zone's western extremity, and to facilitate the "Utah" landing force's movement into the Cotentin Peninsula, the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions descended by parachute and glider in the small hours of "D-Day", 6 June 1944. Though badly scattered and lacking much of their equipment, these brave paratroopers kept the Germans occupied and helped ensure that the "Utah" Beach assault went relatively easily. The British and Canadian attacks, assisted by an air-dropped division on their eastern flank and a longer naval bombardment, generally also went well.Not so in the "Omaha" area, where deep beaches backed by steep hills meant that the U.S. troops landing there were exposed to withering fire from enemy small arms, machine guns and artillery. Casualties were very heavy and the assult only succeeded after a day of brutal fighting, with warships coming in close to provide direct gunfire in support of the hard-pressed soldiers.By nightfall on the sixth of June, the situation was favorable, even on Omaha. Entered the popular culture as THE "D-Day", a name it has retained ever since.
 
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HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT  WWII Relic but solid condition 4th INFANTRY (" IVY DIVISION" )  US M1 HELMET and LINER - Possible ID and a beautiful PAINTED INSIGNIA and NORMANDY landing tactical paint stripe !    ( Collection from Bayeux, France )

Here is an incredible original US M1 helmet from a collection out of bayeux, france and has a faint but visible 4th Infantry Division "Ivy" insignia painted on the front. The helmet also has writing visible on the leather sweatband liner and a three letter etching visible on the inner liner. The helmet crown appears to have some battle impact dents as well. If this helmet could only talk... A nice display helmet from a storied and decorated division. The 4th Infantry Division was reactivated on June 1, 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia as part of the U.S. Army buildup prior to the country's entry into World War II. From June of 1940 until late in 1943, the 4th Infantry Division served as an experimental division for the Army, testing new equipment and tactics. Finally, after years of training, the Ivy Division moved to England in January of 1944 to prepare for Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings in Normandy. The amphibious invasion of Europe began on June 6, 1944. The Division's 8th Infantry Regiment was the first Allied ground unit to assault German forces on the Normandy Beaches. The remainder of the Division quickly followed, landing on Utah Beach. For 26 days the Division pushed inland, reaching the Port of Cherbourg and sustaining over 5,000 casualties. Breaking out of the Beachhead and expanding operations well into France, the Division was given the honor of being the first Allied unit to participate in the liberation of Paris. The Ivy Division quickly moved on through northern France reaching Belgium and the border of Germany by September 1944. In November, the 4th Infantry Division moved into the Hurtgen Forest and fought what was to be its fiercest battle. The 4th Infantry Division held its ground during the Battle of the Bulge; crossed the Rhine, then the Danube, and finally ceased its advance at the Isar River in southern Germany. When the 4th Infantry Division's WWII combat operations ended on May 2, 1945, 4,097 soldiers had been killed in action, 17,371 were wound, and 757 would later die from their wounds. The Division returned toace

the United States in July 1945 and was stationed at Camp Butner, North Carolina, preparing for deployment to the Pacific. However, the Japanese surrendered before the 4th ID was deployed. After the war ended the 4ID was inactivated on March 5, 1946. The Division was reactivated as a training division at Fort Ord, California on July 15, 1947.

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INCREDIBLE HISTORIC WWII RELIC LOT !  " Battlefield DUG Relic GERMAN INSIGNIA and BUCKLE Lot Priced Individually. These relics were dug over the years from the 1980's to Present - the BATTLE OF THE BULGE and Bastogne area occupied by the German 12th Volksgrenadier Infantry Division specifically the 48th Regiment with a few items being dug near Rocherath where the 12th SS fought the US 99th Division troops.

Here is a lot of relics that include an extremely rare Edelweiss Insignia German HJ Buckle, Luftwaffe Buckle, Luftwaffe hat insignia, Drivers badges, Wound Badge, hat eagle insignia portion and more all prices individual with specific details of area where these were dug if available will be provided. Incredible historic western front relics dont let them get away !

German 12th Infantry Division, later known as the 12th Volksgrenadier Division, was a German military unit that fought during World War II The division was formed in 1934 under the cover name of Infanterieführer II, and did not assume its bona-fide designation until the creation of the  Wehrmacht was announced in October 1935. Initially, the division included Infantry Regiment 27, formed in Rostock and Infantry Regiment 48, created from the 5th (East Prussian) Regiment of the former  The Battle of the Bulge (also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Von Rundstedt Offensive) (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive (die Ardennenoffensive), launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name (Bataille des Ardennes), and France and Luxembourg on the Western Front. The Wehrmacht's code name for the offensive was Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine"), after the German patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein. This German offensive was officially named the Ardennes-Alsace campaign by the U.S. Army but it is known to the English-speaking general public simply as the Battle of the Bulge, the "bulge" being the initial incursion the Germans put into the Allies' line of advance, as seen in maps presented in contemporary newspapers.The German offensive was supported by several subordinate operations known as Unternehmen Bodenplatte, Greif, and Währung. Germany's goal for these operations was to split the British and American Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and then proceed to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Powers' favour. Once accomplished, Hitler could fully concentrate on the eastern theatre of war.The offensive was planned with the utmost secrecy, minimizing radio traffic and moving troops and equipment under cover of darkness. Although Ultra suggested a possible attack and the Third U.S. Army's intelligence staff predicted a major German offensive, the Allies were still caught by surprise. This was achieved by a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with their own offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance Near-complete surprise against a weakly defended section of the Allied line was achieved during heavy overcast weather, which grounded the Allies' overwhelmingly superior air forces. Fierce resistance, particularly around the key town of Bastogne, and terrain favouring the defenders threw the German timetable behind schedule. Allied reinforcements, including General George S. Pattons Third Army, and improving weather conditions, which permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines, sealed the failure of the offensive.In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment as survivors retreated to the defenses of the Siegfried Line. For the Americans, with about 840,000 men committed and some 89,000 casualties, including 19,000 killed, the Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle that they fought in World War II. BATTLE OF BULGE RELICS Priced Individually Below:

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INCREDIBLE Lot of Ground Dug Relic WHERMACHT Buckles EASTERN FRONT - Recovered near KURLAND !
Here is a neat lot of German Whermacht Buckles in relic condition that were Battlefield excavated near Kurland. In the middle of October 1944, about 500,000 soldiers -- 32 German divisions and the 20,000 men of the Latvian Nineteenth Division of the Waffen–SS -- were cut off from the rest of the German army and encircled. To the east and the south was the Soviet army, to the north and the west -- the Baltic Sea. The Latvians called it Kurzemes katls, the Kurland kettle; the Germans called it Festung Kurland, Fortress Kurland. For the Nineteenth Division Kurland was truly the last stand. They took part in six major battles between October 12, 1944, and April 3, 1945. Together with the German army units they on the whole held the front line, keeping the Bolsheviks out of Kurland, until May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated. These soldiers remained undefeated until the final moments of the war, im Felde unbesiegt, as the Germans say. In one of the last battles, Captain Miervaldis Adamsons' company in a single 24-hour period repelled seven attacks by the Russians, and after the battle the bodies of 400 fallen Soviet soldiers could be counted in front of the Latvians' unconquered positions. The Soviet High Command asked the commanders of the First and Second Baltic Fronts to take forceful action in Kurland, in order to drive the enemy from the northern sector of the Baltic Sea and free their units for more important positions on the Soviet-German front. The first attempt occurred on October 16, 1944, but was stopped in the area around Tukums. The next Soviet offensive took place on October 27, but met with strong resistance from the outset and did not result in any gains. November 20 saw another offensive, but the Germans and Latvians stabilized their defensive line, utilizing favorable geographic features. Equally unsuccessful were the final attempts of the First and Second Baltic Front Armies to liquidate the German Army Group "Kurland" in December of 1944 and February and April of 1945. Soviet documents show that Stalin threw division after division into the Kurland inferno, disregarding the appallingly high losses. The Soviet army lost 320,000 soldiers -- including those fallen, wounded, and taken prisoner -- and 2388 tanks, 659 planes, 900 cannons, and 1440 machine-guns.

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EXTREMELY IMPORTANT !  Ground Dug Battle Damaged ( Shrapnel Struck ) German 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment ( Probable ) Farm Field Recovery HELMET !   ( Carentan, Normandy  )

Here is a spectacular dug relic condition ET marked Fallschirmjäger  ( German Paratrooper ) Helmet recovered in a farm field near Carentan occupied by troops and probable those of the 6th Regiment. The ancient community had been built on low ground amid a series of rivers and marshes that wove ribbons around and through it. To improve irrigation in the area, canals had also been built. Napoleon Bonaparte had once flooded the surrounding area in an effort to turn Carentan into a fortified island. In 1944 the Germans did the same thing. Any attacker coming from the north had only a handful of dry approaches. Once there, they would then have to contend with Major Friedrich von der Heydte and his crack 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment. The Bavarian-born paratroop commander had explicit orders from Field Marshal Erwin Rommel himself to defend Carentan to the last man. Seizing this key objective would be the job of the 101st Airborne Division. After destroying or driving off their German counterparts, the "Screaming Eagles" were to link up with the 29th Infantry Division, which was attacking westward over the Vire River. This joining of hands among VII and V corps soldiers would connect the two American beaches, making possible a concerted push for Cherbourg, and eventually St.-Lô. Once St.-Lô was in American hands, the Cotentin Peninsula would be secured and the breakout into the interior of France could begin.

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INCREDIBLE RARE 'Sea Excavated' RELIC WWII US M1 Fixed Bale "5th Engineers Special Brigade" Unit Painted HELMET - ( Recovered Normandy Coast )

This is a fine historic relic that was purchased in a French antique store and the story is that it washed up on the channel shores. The unit paint on the face is faint but very visible through the salt water corrosion. The helmet is in solid condition a part of the rim has come seperated but is in possession. A rare, rare helmet.The Allied command assigned two of the five invasion beaches to American forces and code named the beaches Omaha and Utah. Engineer troops played a critical role in the invasion. Engineers would come ashore in the first and most dangerous waves of the landing, clearing the beach of German obstacles, establishing the first dumps of ammunition and supplies, clearing exits through the bluffs and other military and natural barriers behind the beach, and developing roads to allow American troops and equipment to get off the deadly beach and into the interior. Engineers composed 25 percent of the force the Allies planned to land on Omaha on the first day of the invasion.The landings on Omaha beach were a near disaster. Most American troops landed away from their assigned sections of the beach and encountered withering German resistance. Engineers struggled to remove the beach obstacles that hard-pressed American soldiers had to use as cover. Gradually, in spite of their heavy losses, engineers removed enough obstacles and built enough passable roads to help American troops and equipment land and get off the exposed beach and up the bluff to seize the heavily fortified German bunkers and other positions. To the west at Utah beach, German resistance was less fierce, and the initial wave of engineers quickly cleared beach obstacles and helped troops move ashore. However, much of the engineers’ heavy equipment did not arrive, making it difficult to build roads through the dunes and exposing troops to German artillery fire. Eventually the engineers cleared roads allowing American troops to move inland. Despite the doubts and fears of the early hours on Omaha beach, the invasion was a success. Allied forces around the world also were on the offensive in June 1944. Two days before D-day, American forces entered Rome after the hard-fought breakout from the Anzio beachhead. In the Central Pacific, Army and Marine units were preparing for an assault on Saipan. In the Southwest Pacific, Allied forces had almost completed their difficult campaign to seize the northern New Guinea coast in preparation for an invasion of the Philippines. In Burma, engineers were engaged in the difficult and bloody task of completing the Ledo Road as a supply line to China. Although far from over in June 1944, the war’s tide had definitely shifted.

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WOW ! JUST ARRIVED THE ULTIMATE WWII WEAPON ! - BATTLEFIELD German PANZERFAUST ANTI-TANK Rocket TUBE RELIC with CONE ! ( Recovered KURLAND ) SIMPLY AWESOME !
Here is rare to find complete German early model Panzerfaust 30 Anti-Tank Rocket launcher over shoulder tube and Cone missing tail but otherwise in nice relic display condition that was found near Kurland Eastern Front.This Panzerfaust 30 early version with pointed tip anti-tank weapon cone. You can truly feel the history when holding this weapon relic. The Panzerfaust was a WWII German short-range antitank weapon designed for infantry use. The Panzerfaust consisted of a rocket-propelled, hollow-charge warhead fired from a disposable tube launcher. The Panzerfaust could penetrate up to 200-mm of armor which was sufficient to defeat all the major Allied tanks. The simple, cheap Panzerfaust was manufactured in large quantities until the end of WWII and gave the infantry a useful anti-tank capability. Faustpatrone: The first model with small pointed warhead. Production continued after the introduction of later Panzerfaust versions. Also known as Faustpatrone 1, Faustpatrone klein, Gretchen, and Panzerfaust 30 klein. In the middle of October 1944, about 500,000 soldiers -- 32 German divisions and the 20,000 men of the Latvian Nineteenth Division of the Waffen–SS -- were cut off from the rest of the German army and encircled. To the east and the south was the Soviet army, to the north and the west -- the Baltic Sea. The Latvians called it Kurzemes katls, the Kurland kettle; the Germans called it Festung Kurland, Fortress Kurland. For the Nineteenth Division Kurland was truly the last stand. They took part in six major battles between October 12, 1944, and April 3, 1945. Together with the German army units they on the whole held the front line, keeping the Bolsheviks out of Kurland, until May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated. These soldiers remained undefeated until the final moments of the war, im Felde unbesiegt, as the Germans say. In one of the last battles, Captain Miervaldis Adamsons' company in a single 24-hour period repelled seven attacks by the Russians, and after the battle the bodies of 400 fallen Soviet soldiers could be counted in front of the Latvians' unconquered positions. The Soviet High Command asked the commanders of the First and Second Baltic Fronts to take forceful action in Kurland, in order to drive the enemy from the northern sector of the Baltic Sea and free their units for more important positions on the Soviet-German front. The first attempt occurred on October 16, 1944, but was stopped in the area around Tukums. The next Soviet offensive took place on October 27, but met with strong resistance from the outset and did not result in any gains. November 20 saw another offensive, but the Germans and Latvians stabilized their defensive line, utilizing favorable geographic features. Equally unsuccessful were the final attempts of the First and Second Baltic Front Armies to liquidate the German Army Group "Kurland" in December of 1944 and February and April of 1945. Soviet documents show that Stalin threw division after division into the Kurland inferno, disregarding the appallingly high losses. According to German estimates , the Soviet army lost 320,000 soldiers -- including those fallen, wounded, and taken prisoner -- and 2388 tanks, 659 planes, 900 cannons, and 1440 machine-guns.

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NICE Ground Dug "BATTLE DAMAGED" German Officers P08 GERMAN LUGER PISTOL Trigger and Handle Section RELIC ! - ( Recovered Eastern Front TANNENBERG LINE )

Here is a nice 'affordable' original relic section of a German Luger recovered Tannenberg Eastern Front. These relics are the most highly sought after and complete examples we have sold in the $1000 range. The Battle of Tannenberg Line (German: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; Estonian: Sinimägede lahing; Russian: Битва за линию «Танненберг») was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July to 10 August 1944. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favourable base for invasions of Finland and East-Prussia. Several Western scholars refer to it as the Battle of the European SS for the 24 volunteer infantry battalions from Denmark, East Prussia, Flanders, Holland, Norway, and Wallonia within the Waffen-SS. Roughly a half of the infantry consisted of the local Estonian conscripts motivated to resist the looming Soviet re-occupation. The German force of 22,250 men held off the Soviet advance of 136,830 troops. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties of the battle were 150,000–200,000 wounded and dead Soviet troops and 157–164 Soviet tanks.

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RARE and HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE Ground Dug Relic WWII US M1 GARAND BAYONET - ( Normandy - Cherbourg Area )

Here is a fine example of a US M1 Bayonet that I was half tempted not to sell as the condition is incredible with a ground dug deep patina. Rare to have a Battlefield condition one of these. On June 18, the US 9th Infantry Division reached the west coast of the peninsula. Within 24 hours, the 4th, 9th and 79th Infantry Divisions  were driving north on a broad front. There was almost no opposition on the western side of the peninsula; on the eastern side, the exhausted defenders around Montebourg collapsed. Several large caches of V-1 flying bombs were discovered by the Americans in addition to a V-2 rocket installation at Brix.In two days, the American divisions were within striking distance of Cherbourg. The garrison commander, Lieutenant General Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben, had 21,000 men but many of these were hastily drafted naval personnel or from labour units. The fighting troops who had retreated to Cherbourg (including the remnants of von Schlieben's own Division, the 709th), were tired and disorganised. Food, fuel and ammunition were short. The Luftwaffe dropped a few supplies, but these were mostly items such as Iron Crosses, intended to bolster the garrison's morale. Nevertheless, von Schlieben rejected a summons to surrender and began carrying out demolitions to deny the port to the Allies.Collins launched a general assault on June 22. Resistance was stiff at first, but the Americans slowly cleared the Germans from their bunkers and concrete pillboxes. Allied Naval ships bombarded fortifications near the city on June 25. On June 26, the 79th Division captured Fort du Roule, which dominated the city and its defenses. This finished any organised defense. Von Schlieben was captured. The harbor fortifications and the Arsenal surrendered a few days later, after token resistance. Some German troops cut off outside the defenses held out until July 1.

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HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE AND RARE ! Battle Damaged German Waffen- SS SD M 35/40 Large Size HELMET Shell ! - ( Recovered Courland Peninsula )

Here is a nice addition with much of fieldgrau paint relic condition large size German SS SD Model 35/40 helmet with runes still visible through scarring. excavated in the 1989 by my digging friends in Riga this helmet with a solid blast hole through on the reverse side that appears to be a clean shrapnel strike. A nice display example. Any and all SS marked items were discarded by soldat to prevent Russian apprisals upon capture making the SS helmet the most available but yet most desired by collectors. In early January 1945, Hitler refused to let the General Staff evacuate Army Group North, which had been corralled in the Courland peninsula, and still had well over 300,000 troops, to strengthen German defences against the impending Soviet Vistula-Oder offensive. He contended there would be no gain because a greater number of Soviet troops would be freed. However, disasters on the approaches to Berlin late in the month compelled him to take out divisions. Stalin gave an ironic validity to Hitler's contention. Determined to destroy Army Group Courland (as it was renamed in January 1945) before the war's fast approaching end arrived, he ordered massive two-week-long attacks in January, February, and March, but none succeeded in more than denting the German line. In April, Hitler told the new army group commander, General Karl Hilpert, who had just relieved Rendulic, that he would have to hold out "until the turn that has occurred in every was has taken place." By then, Stalin was wholly engrossed in what he took to be a race with his western allies for possession of Berlin. Between 1 May, the day after Hitler's suicide, and the afternoon of 8 May, when a surrender to Marshal Govorov took effect, German naval vessels evacuated 18,000 men. Hilpert, 41 other generals, and 189,000 officers and men became Soviet prisoners of war.

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RELIC Battlefield Condition WWII German ID Tag - ( Recovered HALBE Battle Area )

The Battle of Halbe (German Kessel von Halbe, Russian: Хальбский "котел", Halbe cauldron) lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945 was a battle in which the German Ninth Army, under the command of Colonel General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the Red Army during the Battle for Berlin.The Ninth Army, trapped in a large pocket in the Spree Forest region south-east of Berlin, attempted to break out of the pocket westwards through the village of Halbe and the pine forests south of Berlin to link up with the German Twelfth Army commanded by General Walther Wenck with the intention of heading west and surrendering to the Western Allies. To do this the Ninth Army had to fight their way through three lines of Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev, while at the same time units of the 1st Belorussian Front, under the command of Marshal Georgy Zhukov, attacked the German rearguard from the north east.After very heavy fighting about 30,000 German soldiers—one third of those trapped in the pocket—managed to reach the comparative safety of the Twelfth Army's front lines. The rest were either killed or captured by the Soviets.

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WOW ! Nice Lot of Ground Dug WWII RELICS Including a M42 German HELMET with liner, a German ID tag, a German POLEZEI Buckle - ( Recovered HALBE Battlefield Area )

This digger lot just arrived and was exacated 10 years ago in the area of the Halbe Battlefield. The lot includes a helmet that still retains portion of the liner, a German ID tag and a rugged condition but rare RAD buckle. An affordable grouping that I was able to get a good price so passing those savings along. Dont miss out !The Battle of Halbe (German: Kessel von Halbe, Russian: Хальбский "котел", Halbe cauldron) lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945] was a battle in which the German Ninth Army, under the command of Colonel General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the Red Army during the Battle for Berlin.The Ninth Army, trapped in a large pocket in the Spree Forest region south-east of Berlin, attempted to break out of the pocket westwards through the village of Halbe and the pine forests south of Berlin to link up with the German Twelfth Army commanded by General Walther Wenck with the intention of heading west and surrendering to the Western Allies. To do this the Ninth Army had to fight their way through three lines of Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev, while at the same time units of the 1st Belorussian Front, under the command of Marshal Georgy Zhukov, attacked the German rearguard from the north east. After very heavy fighting about 30,000 German soldiers—one third of those trapped in the pocket—managed to reach the comparative safety of the Twelfth Army's front lines. The rest were either killed or captured by the Soviets.

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RARE Ground Dug WWII RELIC "Battle Damaged" Nazi SS German BROWNING HIGH-POWER PISTOL with tangent sight !
(Recovered Ardennes Forest )
Here is an Incredible relic battle damaged pistol that was favored by nazi german SS troops The WWII relic browning high powered pistol with tangent sight was recovered in the ardennes. Some markings still visible German 12th Infantry Division, later known as the 12th Volksgrenadier Division, was a German military unit that fought during World War II The division was formed in 1934 under the cover name of Infanterieführer II, and did not assume its bona-fide designation until the creation of the Wehrmacht was announced in October 1935. Initially, the division included Infantry Regiment 27, formed in Rostock and Infantry Regiment 48, created from the 5th (East Prussian) Regiment of the former The Battle of the Bulge (also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Von Rundstedt Offensive) (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive (die Ardennenoffensive), launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name (Bataille des Ardennes), and France and Luxembourg on the Western Front. The Wehrmacht's code name for the offensive was Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine"), after the German patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein. This German offensive was officially named the Ardennes-Alsace campaign by the U.S. Army but it is known to the English-speaking general public simply as the Battle of the Bulge, the "bulge" being the initial incursion the Germans put into the Allies' line of advance, as seen in maps presented in contemporary newspapers.The German offensive was supported by several subordinate operations known as Unternehmen Bodenplatte, Greif, and Währung. Germany's goal for these operations was to split the British and American Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and then proceed to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Powers' favour. Once accomplished, Hitler could fully concentrate on the eastern theatre of war.The offensive was planned with the utmost secrecy, minimizing radio traffic and moving troops and equipment under cover of darkness. Although Ultra suggested a possible attack and the Third U.S. Army's intelligence staff predicted a major German offensive, the Allies were still caught by surprise. This was achieved by a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with their own offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance Near-complete surprise against a weakly defended section of the Allied line was achieved during heavy overcast weather, which grounded the Allies' overwhelmingly superior air forces. Fierce resistance, particularly around the key town of Bastogne, and terrain favouring the defenders threw the German timetable behind schedule. Allied reinforcements, including General George S. Pattons Third Army, and improving weather conditions, which permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines, sealed the failure of the offensive.In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment as survivors retreated to the defenses of the Siegfried Line. For the Americans, with about 840,000 men committed and some 89,000 casualties, including 19,000 killed, the Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle that they fought in World War II.

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AWESOME PIECE OF HISTORY !  Battlefield Recovered German PANZER IV TANK Lower Side Skirt Panel or Face ARMOUR Plate with original paint INSIGNIA !  ( Recovered Tower Hill Defenses, TANNENBERG LINE )

Here is an artifact that I have owned for years and is very hard to part with. The relic German PANZER IV Tank Armour Plate Panel was recovered with other tank parts and tracks by my friend Val. An original armor panel plate with original paint showing through the ground action and the clear insignia GERMAN CROSS paint intact. The relic is extremely heavy. This incredible panel measures 22 by 39.5 inches ! Price includes shipping to make it easy. When considering the price I know you will realize the rarity of having an eastern front panzer IV tank side panel plate with the original insignia intact ! You will definitely not find another.

After defending the Narva bridgehead for six months, the German forces fell back to the Tannenberg Line at the hills of Sinimäed (Russian: Синие горы) on 26 July 1944. The three hills are running east to west. The eastern hill was known to Estonians as the Lastekodumägi, Kinderheimhöhe in German (Orphanage Hill), the central hill was the Grenaderimägi or Grenadierhöhe (Grenadier Hill) and the westernmost as the Tornimägi or 69.9 Höhe (Love Hill, also known in German as Liebhöhe). The hills are less than imposing and resemble gently sloping mounds rather than defensible heights. On the hills, the formations of Gruppenführer Felix Steiner's III SS (Germanic) Panzer Corps halted their withdrawal and fell into defensive positions. The 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland started digging in on the left (north) flank of the Tannenberg Line, units of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) in the centre, and the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland on the right (south) flank. Another front section manned by the East Prussians of the 11th Infantry Division was situated a few kilometres further south, against the 8th Army in the Krivasoo bridgehead. Measurements and weight provided upon request. US Shipping only.

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RARE Relic Condition German WHERMACHT SD M38/40 " BATTLEFIELD and BULLET STRUCK " Relic HELMET - ( Recovered KURLAND-KESSEL )

Here is an incredible rare battlefield relic german whermacht helmet that is riddled with MG fire. The fighting around Courland Kessel was viscious. This helmet displays beautifully. The Courland Pocket  referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II Its commander was General Bagramyan (later Marshal Bagramyan) The pocket was created during the Red Army's Baltic Strategic Offensive Operation, when forces of the 1st Baltic Front reached the Baltic Sea near Memel during its lesser Memel Offensive Operation phases. This action isolated the German Army Group North (German: Heeresgruppe Nord) from the rest of the German forces between Tukums and Liepāja in Latvia. Renamed Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) on 25 January, the Army Group remained isolated until the end of the war. When they were ordered to surrender to the Soviet command on 8 May, they were in "blackout" and did not get the official order before 10 May, two days after the capitulation of Germany. It was one of the last German groups to surrender in Europe. On 9 October 1944, the Soviets reached the Baltic Sea near Memel after over-running headquarters of the 3rd Panzer Army. As a result, Army Group North was cut off from a route to East Prussia. Hitler's military advisors—notably Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff—urged evacuation and utilisation of the troops to stabilise the front in central Europe. However, Hitler refused, and ordered the German forces in Courland and the (Estonian) islands Hiiumaa and Saaremaa to hold out, believing them necessary to protect German submarine bases along the Baltic coast. Hitler still believed the war could be won, and hoped that Dönitz's new Type XXI U-boat technology could bring victory to Germany in the Battle of the Atlantic, forcing the Allies out of Western Europe. This would allow German forces to focus on the Eastern Front, using the Courland Pocket as a springboard for a new offensive.Hitler's refusal to evacuate the Army Group resulted in the entrenchment of more than 200,000 German troops largely of the 16th Army and 18th Army, in what was to become known to the Germans as the "Courland Bridgehead". Thirty-three divisions of the Army Group Centre—commanded by Ferdinand Schörner—were cut off from Prussia and spread out along a front reaching from Riga to Liepāja, retreating to the more defensible Courland position, abandoning Riga. Soviet forces launched six major offensives against the German and Latvian forces entrenched in the Courland Pocket between 15 October 1944, and 4 April 1945:|} The German two-phase withdrawals during the execution of the second stage of the Soviet Baltic Offensive (14 September-24 November 1944), subsequent to the pocket being formed in the Baltic Offensive's first stage, the Memel Offensive Operation.

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INCREDIBLE ! WWII Hedgerow Dug RELIC German WALTHER P038 Officers PISTOL - ( Battlefield recovered near Villers-Bocage )

Here is a very cool relic German P38 Pistol that was recovered in the Vilers Bocage area. The pistol is inert and displays very nice missing the handle frame the clip which was dug nearby fits and makes the pistol appear complete. A fine display relic of a rare to find and nontheless to find a Battlefield example. Dont miss this chance ! BAt around 13:00 tanks of the Panzer Lehr Division advanced into Villers-Bocage, but unsupported by infantry found the going difficult. A group of four Panzer IV's attempted to push into the town's southern edge where they found a previously disabled Panzer IV, but as they moved further two tanks were knocked out by British anti-tank gunfire. Some of the Waffen-SS Tiger tanks were brought up and in an exchange of fire they silenced the anti-tank position. SS-Hauptsturmführer Möbius ordered the main counterattack to be launched in two thrusts; the first would advance down the main highway through Villers-Bocage while the second would cut through the southern section of the town parallel to the main road. The objective was to secure the town centre.The Tigers moving along the main road advanced slowly, their commanders confident that they could intimidate the British into withdrawing. However, as they reached the town square they ran into Cotton's ambush. The Firefly, commanded by Sergeant Bramall,opened fire on the lead tank and missed, but the anti-tank gun supporting the position knocked it out.Now alerted to the ambush, a following group of three Tigers split up. Picking their way through the back streets in an attempt to flank the British, one was engaged by an anti-tank gun and destroyed. The other two were tackled by infantry using PIAT anti-tank weapons; one was knocked out and the other immobilisedoth the Panzer Lehr and 2nd Panzer Divisions were in action across the entire sector on 13 June and did not count the casualties sustained at Villers-Bocage separately from all losses incurred that day. However, the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion was only engaged at Villers-Bocage, so this unit's losses are available. Taylor gives nine men killed and 10 wounded in the 1st Company and one killed and three wounded in the 2nd. Sources differ widely on the number of German tanks lost during 13 June—in part because elements of the Panzer Lehr Division were committed piecemeal making it impossible to be certain of the number of Panzer IVs knocked out. German tank losses are generally placed at between eight and fifteen tanks, including six Tiger Is. Chester Wilmot notes what a costly loss this was, as there were only 36 Tiger tanks in Normandy at that time. However, Taylor concedes that the numbers claimed by the British probably include tanks that were immobilised but subsequently recovered.

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STUNNING BATTLEFIELD FIND !  Ground Dug WWII US COLT Small Calibre Officers Side Arm PISTOL  ( Extremely Rare American WWII Relic !  )
Here is a solid condition US WWII Ground Dug COLT PISTOL that I believe is a .38 but welcome any other suggestions. American ground dug sidearms are incredibly rare due to collectibility overseas. The battle of the Falaise Pocket ( The Corridor of Death ), fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border.Following Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south, the south-east, and into Brittany. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the US penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, in overall command of German armed forces on the Western Front, was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. However, the remnants of four panzer divisions, which was all that von Kluge could scrape together, were not strong enough to make any impression on the United States First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position.

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HISTORIC FIND ! Ground Dug Relic RUSSIAN WWII MEDAL awarded for the LIBERATION OF WARSAW !  ( Recovered POW camp Stalag 308 Poland )

Here is a very cool relic medal that was recovered in a German POW camp Poland. The medal still retains a small thread portion of the ribbon remarkably.Soviet WWII medal, awarded for soldiers who participated in liberation of Warsaw, Poland in 1945. Original WWII. Made of brass. Great and unique Red Army relic. Item had been found in area of Stalag 308 Neuhammer POW camp, now in Swietoszow, Poland, where Soviet prisoners of war were held. Item had been found with many other personal items, left by POWs after liberation in 1945.

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RARE Ground Dug WWII German RELIC Condition WAFFEN SS Waist Buckle ( Recovered - Kurland Pocket Area )

Here is a highly collectible German relic SS Buckle with crossbar and tongue loop intact. This is the hard to find metal type.The Courland Pocket  referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II.  Its commander was General Bagramyan (later Marshal Bagramyan).The pocket was created during the Red Army's Baltic Strategic Offensive Operation, when forces of the 1st Baltic Front reached the Baltic Sea near Memel during its lesser Memel Offensive Operation phases. This action isolated the German Army Group North (German: Heeresgruppe Nord) from the rest of the German forces between Tukums and Liepāja in Latvia. Renamed Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) on January 25, the Army Group remained isolated until the end of the war. When they were ordered to surrender to the Soviet command on May 8, they were in "blackout" and did not get the official order before May 10, two days after the capitulation of Germany. It was one of the last German groups to surrender in Europe

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EXTREMELY Historic Find !!  RARE WWII Ground Dug German PANZER OFFICER Walther P.38 PISTOL ( Recovered Falaise Pocket "The Corridor of Death" NORMANDY CAMPAIGN )

Here is a hard to find artifact that I am only selling due to having a another example already in my collection. The German P.38 is a rarity to find in Battlefield excavated condition, let alone a Western Front location with so much history. Don't let this one get away ! The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the area around the town of Falaise within which the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine, and opened the way to Paris and the German border. Following Operation Cobra, the successful American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south, the south-east, and into Brittany. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the US penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, in overall command of German armed forces on the Western Front, was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. However, the remnants of four panzer divisions, which was all that von Kluge could scrape together, were not strong enough to make any impression on the United States First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position. By the evening of 21 August the pocket was closed for the last time, with around 50,000 Germans still trapped inside. Although it is estimated that significant numbers managed to escape, German losses in both men and materiel were huge, and the Allies had achieved a decisive victory. Two days later Paris was liberated, and by 30 August the last German remnants had retreated across the Seine, effectively ending Operation Overlord.
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RARE Ground Dug WWII German P08 LUGER with Battle Damage - ( Excavated Falaise Pocket )

Here is an incredible ground dug battle damaged German P08 Luger Pistol that was recovered falaise-trun. The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy. Taking its name from the pocket around the town of Falaise within which Army Group B, consisting of the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies became encircled by the advancing Western Allies, the battle is also referred to as the Falaise Gap after the corridor which the Germans sought to maintain to allow their escape. The battle resulted in the destruction of the bulk of Germany's forces west of the River Seine and opened the way to Paris and the German border.Following Operation Cobra, the American breakout from the Normandy beachhead, rapid advances were made to the south and south-east by General George Patton's Third Army. Despite lacking the resources to cope with both the U.S. penetration and simultaneous British and Canadian offensives around Caen, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge—in overall command of Army Group B on the Western Front—was not permitted by Adolf Hitler to withdraw; instead, he was ordered to counterattack the Americans around Mortain. The remnants of four panzer divisions—which was all that von Kluge could scrape together—were not strong enough to make any impression on the U.S. First Army, and Operation Lüttich was a disaster that merely served to drive the Germans deeper into the Allied lines, leaving them in a highly dangerous position.

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