Types of identification scarf (marker panel)

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I am looking for photos of these scarves in your collections. The one in these pictures is my own. It has a brown hem and bright yellow silk panel. There are no markings, other than a handwritten ‘4b’. As I did with the gas detection brassards, I thought it would be interesting to get photos from as many collectors as possible in order to learn about different variations. I know of 2 basic versions: both have a yellow silk panel. One has a brown hessian hem, the other has a white hem.

  • identification scarf brown edge
    The scarf in full view
  • Remnants of black marking?
  • Handwritten marking ‘4b’

It was issued to paratroopers at a limited scale and intended for aerial forces to recognize friendly ground forces. With paratroopers often far ahead of regular allied forces, or even behind enemy lines, this was a very useful, even life-saving piece of equipment. In period photographs they are most seen worn around the neck as scarves.

The scarves were British made, but markings aren’t always present or legible. So I would like to make an inventory. Bill Rentz’ Gernonimo! U.S. Airborne Uniforms, Insignia & Equipment in World War II shows an identical panel which is marked ‘COURTAULDS LTD. 1942’ in a square with a broad arrow, and another one, also with a brown hem, marked ‘COURTAULDS LIMITED 1943, also with a broad arrow but no square.

Even though these are early dates, I have only found photos of the scarves being worn by US paratroopers for Operation Market Garden in Holland and Operation Varsity in Germany. It would be interesting to be able to determine more accurately which units wore these scarves and when and where, and whether they were issued the scarves with the brown or the white hem.

Replicas of these scarves do exist and can also be interesting to add to the overview. A replica I oncee had was well made, but the fabric wasn’t silk. The material of the panel was too coarse and a kind of modern-day signal yellow.

I am looking forward to receiving your photos, including any markings that may still be legible.

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Airborne 44, volume 9 – Black Boys

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Airborne 44 – Black Boys

This latest volume came out in April and in my opinion, it’s one of the best in the series so far. You know from earlier posts that the other volumes are also excellent though.

Philippe Jarbinet had a bit of a late start as an author, but you wouldn’t know from reading the albums. They are stunning in graphic detail and the story line is more than just telling the history. There’s human emotion, especially in this latest album.

We are first taken to Nice and the liberation of Southern France in August 1944. A black soldier called Virgil who is attached to a field artillery unit gets into a scuff with a white airborne soldier and is transferred to Bretagne and then on to Belgium, where he ends up in the Battle of the Bulge.

In Belgium, he will again run into the white officer and they come to rely on each other to escape the hell of the firefight at the ‘Skyline Drive’.

I already look forward to the next volume, completing this story.

Here’s a link to an interview with Philippe Jarbinet.

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How to make plexiglass sweetheart grips for your Colt

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How to make plexiglass sweetheart grips

I made a step-by-step guide showing how to make plexiglass sweetheart grips for your own Colt M1911A1 replica.

Doesn’t this look amazing? So much better than the often terrible fake grips on Denix and airsoft replicas, and it’s pretty easy to do.

When I got my hands on a piece of scrap plexiglass, I got the idea to make a pair of custom grips for a replica Colt 45. My earliest memory of one like this is an example on display at the Imperial War Museum in London. They can also be found in reference books and many examples (original or not) can be found online. Pistols or revolvers with plexiglass grips were more common towards the end of the war, as I gather from photos in the many reference books I have.

Click here to read the article showing you all the steps

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BC-611 Handie Talkie reproductions from WPG

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BC-611 Talkie Walkie reproduction from WPG

I bought this set second hand, and I’m really happy with them. These radios look just like the original handie talkies, even down to the simulated crinkle paint finish. They have an actual PMR radio built in, so you can talk on any channel you like, and this on just 3 AA batteries. This as opposed to the original ones that could only communicate on one channel, and only with radios fitted with the same crystals for the same frequency as yours, and using a 90 Volt (!) battery. So for re-enactment these are just perfect. I already had my working EE-8 field phone set, but they are not so quickly set up, and of course they require a cable to connect them. With these BC-611s, you can also communicate with other PMR radios, which is great for historic vehicle tours and events. I look forward to taking them along on our next event! (when they are allowed again)

This reproduction has been around since 2014, but I never wanted to order them from the US. It would have been expensive, with shipping and customs duties. Now I just a chance to buy a used pair.

If you want to use them for display on a mannequin or in a showcase, there are some details you need to correct first, mainly to replace all philips head screws with regular screws. Orginals may still be found, but I think it’s not worth it for re-enactment and actual field use, which is what these were made for. However, I do plan to darken the paint to make it look older, and to add some white paint markings of my own. In books about Market Garden, for example you see these radios with large numbers hand-painted on them (usually at the bottom), so I might do that. Then there’s the antenna. The antenna cover and chain are like the orginal, but the actual aerial is a bit different from the original, which wasn’t as shiny and was slimmer, longer and had a small metal ball at its tip.

If you want to know more details and see a side-by-side comparison of an original BC-611 and the What Price Glory replica, I recommend this article: http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Reviews/WPGBC611/index.html

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Unmarked zinc-aluminum TL-122 flashlight

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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

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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

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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

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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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Update: US Army issue transparent wistle

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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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