I always thought that the Taylor wrist compasses were never dated, but Henry Behrendt send me pictures of two Taylor wrist compasses which he opened up. He found out that the spiral inside is marked at the bottom. One is clearly dated JUN 15 1944.
Full article…
Surfing on a snowy Sunday, I stumbled upon the nice web site of Para Research Team by Donald Van Den Bogert. A guy who knows a lot about paratroopers and has put a lot of time (much more than me!) in research. Some very interesting uniform and equipment pictures can also be found on this site.
Also check out my updated Links page. Some sites have disappeared, but I added some new ones too.
I just bought some items from Rigger Made Unit in France. In the picture below you see the rigger made paratrooper medic bag as pictured on page 73 of Michel De Trez’s book “At the Point of No Return”. The folks at Rigger Made Unit really know their stuff. The replica is absolutely amazing. Stuffed with original medical supplies, this bag really looks the part. Just note that most items are made to order, where possible with period fabric and hardware, so you have to be patient while rigger Fredo works his craft.
I still had some airborne books to review. This is now the complete list of my reference books. Read them to see which books are worthwhile for you.
Read the new reviews
I found two more WWII magazine covers with paratroopers on them: Illustrated and Facts magazine. Both from March 1944.
Check out the updated article…
This month, these new comic strips were released in Dutch. I looked forward to it because it combines my two great passions: paratroopers and comic books. These aren’t the first comics with paratroopers in them, nor about the Ardennes offensive, but certainly the best so far. The artist, Philippe Jarbinet, has really gone out of his way to make his drawings as realistic as possible. His eye for detail certainly adds to the enjoyment. The foreword says he was assisted by Philippe Gillain, the curator of the Historical Museum ‘December 1944’. The story follows a trooper of the 505th PIR through the woods in the snowy Ardennes. It’s a war and love drama, but I won’t tell you the plot. I hope that we will soon see another album in this series. Here’s an article (in French) where you can find more information.
These are pictures from our visit to Eben-Emael on 25 October. We had great weather for the visit of the ‘roof’ outside, which was opened to the public last year (free admittance!). I do recommend you also visit the interior of the Fort. Our guide Bart was very knowledgeable. The tour inside takes about 1,5 hours and costs 6 EUR. Note that the fort is only open one weekend per month. After that you have all the time you need to visit the displays with mannequins (which have been much improved since my last visit!). Enjoy the photos and spread the word about this important piece of military history.
For more information about the Fort, click here
I just found these WWII era toy jump wings. They are marked G.I. Jr. Paratrooper and measure about 1 5/8″ across. They are made of thin stamped brass sheathing. These probably were a premium gift with cereals or a Cracker Jack candy prize. Cracker Jack gave away all kinds of little metal WW II toys during the war.
Full article…
Michel Perrier from Canada sent me this picture of an RCAF pilot with two escape compasses that came with it. They look genuine to me even though I have never seen this type before. Maybe someone can identify them as Canadian or other?
Updated Escape Compasses article
I have been wanting to write this review for a long time, but never got around to taking the pictures for it. Today I had a day off, so here you go. This replica came on the market about two years ago and by now a lot of people have bought it. My angle is here to compare it to the real steel Garand.