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WW2 US Paratrooper militaira

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Unmarked zinc-aluminum TL-122 flashlight

Paratrooper.be Posted on February 15, 2021 by Wouter HasFebruary 15, 2021

Dion Ruppert from Germany sent me these photos of a very special variation of the TL-122 flashlight that I had never seen before. At first sight, it looks like a TL-122-B or C, but it is not made of plastic. The whole body is made from a zinc-aluminum alloy (zamac) that looks like it was green anodized.

There are no markings anywhere. It has a spare bulb in the battery cover. It also looks like the actual switch has had the rivets removed and replaced with screws.

Read the complete article on TL-122 flashlights here

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German made TL-122 type flashlight

Paratrooper.be Posted on January 11, 2021 by Wouter HasJanuary 11, 2021

The pictures below were sent to me by Paul Reijnders some 10 years ago, and only now do we discover it’s true origin.

The flashlight has the crookneck shape, it’s green and looks old enough, but otherwise can’t be identified as a military issue flashlight. But then again, it may be. Given the all-metal construction, I would have pre-dated it to the TL-122-B and C. The lense cap is identical to the TL-122-A. The switch is of yet a different design. The clip is different in that it doesn’t have a simple round hole, but a shaped hole to easily hang it on a nail (I guess). Finally, there’s the manufacturer’s monogram on the battery cap. I am not entirely sure what letters it’s made up of. It looks like B S, so would that make that a ‘Bright Star’as well? Seems logical, but why is the logo on this one different from the other one?

Then Bastian Stieler from Germany sent me a comment, saying the marking on the batter cap is actually PS, and it’s a German made one. These a post war contracts made by the Metallwarenfabrik Peter Schlesinger located in Offenbach am Main (near Frankfurt am Main). Under the brand Hassia they already produced flashlights for the Wehrmacht.

I think it’s wonderful how new information on these flashlights and other items like compasses keeps turning up after all those years.

Go to the full article about TL-122 type flashlights

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Update: US Army 1943 pink whistle

Paratrooper.be Posted on December 29, 2020 by Wouter HasDecember 29, 2020
Pink whistle, marked U.S. ARMY 1943

Laurent Gardiau, who also sent me photos of an orange transparent whistle (see below), sent me a picture of a pink whistle, also US Army 1943 marked. It is otherwise identical to the green ones. While we could think of the practicality of an orange whistle, pink seems an odd choice of color for the Army. I have never seen one like this before.

Read the complete article about WWII US Army whistles

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Gold jump wings

Paratrooper.be Posted on December 12, 2020 by Wouter HasFebruary 10, 2021

Philip Hoyle sent me this clipping of a wartime Fort Benning Bayonet newspaper. It mentions gold jump wings that were not officially authorized to wear but were given to Sgt. Karl N. Best, 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment and 501st PIB to commemorate his 50th Jump.

It’s worth noting here that the 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (later Battalion) had a rocky start and it’s prospects of ever seeing combat almost vanished. The 542nd was disbanded in July 1945. You can read a short history here.

The Fort Benning Bayonet has many Airborne related articles & photos. They cover 1943-1945 and beyond: https://www.benning.army.mil/Library/Bayonet/index.html. I will surely be mining them for further interesting articles!

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fort benning, jump wings | 2 Replies

Update: US Army issue transparent wistle

Paratrooper.be Posted on November 21, 2020 by Wouter HasNovember 21, 2020

Laurent Gadreau alerted me about this orange-transparent 1943 dated US Army whistle sold at Lux Militaria.

It looks identical to other OD green whistles in my article about US Army issue whistles. Not sure why they would have made them in orange for the army. Presumably for training or survival equipment.

Interestingly, it allows us to see the interior structure of the whistle.

  • Overal view with oringal black cord
  • Detail view of markings and inside

Read the complete article about WWII US Army whistles

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Unmarked smooth bodied TL-type flashlight

Paratrooper.be Posted on November 6, 2020 by Wouter HasNovember 4, 2020

Photos of this smooth-bodied unmarked TL-122 shaped flashlight were sent to me by Éric Lagache. He bought it at a flee market in the Norh of France. The body is made of brass and the neck of aluminum. He has annotated the parts for us (in French):

Keep sending me photos of other variants if you find one that’s not in the article yet. I’m amazed how new variants keep turning up after all these years.

Read the full article about TL-122 type flashlights

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Italian theater made jump wing?

Paratrooper.be Posted on November 5, 2020 by Wouter HasNovember 4, 2020

This jump wing is unmarked and seems to have been made from a sand cast mold. The pin is peculiar too.

These pictures were sent to me by Beau Harper. Some people told me this could be an Italian theater made jump wing, but I never heard about that. I do know of bullion embroidered jump wings made in Italy, but not metal badges.

Go to the jump wings article

Unknown type of theatre made jump wing?
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GITS and Bright Star TL-122-B flashlights

Paratrooper.be Posted on November 4, 2020 by Wouter HasNovember 3, 2020

I just added these photos of TL-122-B flashlight with different manufacturer markings.

The one with GITS on the battery cover was sent to me by Joseph Deak. The one with the Bright Star brand comes from Greg Quays. His father was in the Australian Army in New Guinea ’43-45. The Australian troops got a bottle of beer in their rations. His father swapped his beer for this flashlight with a GI he met. A fun story!

  • TL-122-B GITS brand
    TL-122-B by GITS
  • TL-122-B Bright Star
    TL-122-B by Bright Star

Read the complete article about TL-122 flashlights

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Date at inside of Taylor wrist compass

Paratrooper.be Posted on November 3, 2020 by Wouter HasNovember 3, 2020

Daniel Woditsch sent me these photos of a Taylor wrist compass he found by metal detecting at Gossersweiler by Dahn, Germany. This would have been on the way to the Rhein river for the Americans, although I don’t know about any particular combat having taken place there.

The point however, is that Daniel opened the compass and found that the compass module inside of the bakelite housing is actually fully self-contained and it even still has all of its liquid. The bottom of the module is still clearly marked MAR 24 1944. I can only assume that other Taylor wrist compasses are dated likewise, but you can’t see it unless you’d pry open the casing.

His compass looks remarkably well preserved for having been under the ground for 75 years! It’s a great opportunity for us to see the inside for once.

Taylor wrist compass detector find. It looks very good from the outside. The internals reveal at data at the bottom.
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Posted in Collectibles | Tagged wrist compass | 2 Replies

Parachute Battalion film

Paratrooper.be Posted on October 21, 2020 by Wouter HasOctober 18, 2020
The movie poster

This 1941 movie was filmed with members of the 501st Parachute Battalion performing the actual jump scenes. It is a pre-Pearl Harbor propaganda film about young Americans, from various social backgrounds, who undergo parachute training at Fort Benning prior to becoming paratroopers.

The story is about 3 guys who enlist as volunteers in the Parachute Battalion, which was founded a year earlier, as you may have read in the previous post. By then, the Battalion was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia.

From the signing of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 in the United States and American interest of military matters, Hollywood provided a rash of films in 1941 about the various branches of the US Armed Forces, both serious and comic.

Fun fact: he founder of the American parachute troops General William C. Lee doubled for the lead actor Robert Preston in some scenes.

The 1h15m film is in black and white, of course, and it is available as free public domain download, or on YouTube.

In the opening scenes, we see some interesting details such as a Caterpillar Club badge and the early jump boots with a leather strap over the instep.

Some more information on Wikipedia

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Posted in Movies | Tagged 501st PIR, Parachute training | Leave a reply

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About me

Wouter Has

I have been collecting WW2 militaria since I was a boy. About ten years ago, I decided to focus on WWII US Army, specializing in the history and equipment of the US Paratroops.

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Pocket calendar offered to allied soldier customer Pocket calendar offered to allied soldier customers of a Brussels tobacconist and newspaper shop. #ww2collector #wwiihistory #belgiumremembers #militariacollection #usaww2 #militarycollection
1944-1945 overseas editions for the armed forces o 1944-1945 overseas editions for the armed forces of Coronet magazine. Their content is mostly light reading and information, some of it war related. A bit like Reader’s Digest as I remember it. #wwiihistory #ww2collections #wwiicollector #militariacollector #militariacollection #ww2collector
This French 3rd Zouave badge is an actual WWII iss This French 3rd Zouave badge is an actual WWII issue example, made by Chobillon. These were given to members of the 2nd battalion 503 PIR as a souvenir of the defense of Youk les Bains airfield in Algeria In November 1943. Last year I posted another one like this, but it turned out to be from the 1950s. I will be doing an article on my website about the different variations of this badge. #paratrooper #bandofbrothers #airbornecollection #ww2history #wwiicollector #ww2militaria #101stairborne #82ndairborne #dday76
I received this beautiful book as a belated gift f I received this beautiful book as a belated gift for my birthday and I recommend it to everyone. 300 pages with background and the stories of 200 individual soldiers buried at the Margraten American cemetery. Get yours on https://www.degezichtenvanmargraten.nl/boek/book-the-faces-of-margraten/ English version is planned too. #wwiihistory #bandofbrothers #militariacollector #uswwii #ww2collections #freedomisntfree
Post-war souvenir cigarette case with a map of the Post-war souvenir cigarette case with a map of the allied zones of occupation of Germany. #militariacollector #ww2collector #wwiihistory
US WWII crate for anti-tank mines (empty) arrived US WWII crate for anti-tank mines (empty) arrived today. Will look great on display! #wwiicollector #ww2militaria #militariacollector #willysmb #dday76
I recently found this modified Thompson spare maga I recently found this modified Thompson spare magazine bag to hang an a belt rather than over the shoulder. The markings are quite faded but it looks like GF MFG CO., Inc 1943. #paratrooper #wwiicollector #ww2militaria #dday76 #militariacollector #101stairborne #82ndairborne
Today is the 76th anniversary of D-Day. Here’s a Today is the 76th anniversary of D-Day. Here’s a variety of crickets as used by paratroopers to recognize each other in the early morning darkness. #dday76 #paratrooper #101stairborne #bandofbrothers #82ndairborne #freedomisntfree #wwiihistory #militariacollector #ww2collector #airborne
76 years ago today, paratroopers and glider infant 76 years ago today, paratroopers and glider infantry prepared to land in Normandy. This here is a load adjuster for a CG-4A Waco glider. A kind of slide ruler that the pilot and crew used to properly distribute the weight of men and equipment, sometimes even jeeps or canons. #dday76 #wwiihistory #ww2militaria #ww2collections #paratrooper #gliderpilot #101stairborne #82ndairborne
.30 Cal ammo box with white stamp ‘Ballasted for .30 Cal ammo box with white stamp ‘Ballasted for dropping’. Does anyone know what this was for and if it’s a wartime marking? #ww2collections #ww2militaria #wwiicollector #airborne #paratrooper #dday76
Officer’s private purchase grooming kit. I don’t know who it once belonged to, just the foil stamp initials. It was too good-looking not to buy. That was at Wings & Wheels 2018. Sadly, no W&W this summer. #militariacollector #ww2collections #wwiihistory #dday75 #militarycollector #usarmyww2
Glider pilot wing, British made by Firmin London o Glider pilot wing, British made by Firmin London on a Troop Carrier sweetheart pillow cover. #ww2collections #ww2militaria #militariacollector #usww2 #paratrooper #gliderpilot #wwiihistory #wwiicollector #82ndairborne #101stairborne
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