Search found 127 matches

by maschinengewehr42
Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:29 am
Forum: Books and Reviews
Topic: Review - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz
Replies: 7
Views: 3691

Re: Review - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

That also sounds an interesting one. It's on my list too now. Thanks.
by maschinengewehr42
Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:29 am
Forum: Books and Reviews
Topic: Review - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz
Replies: 7
Views: 3691

Review - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

First, it should be noted that whilst the events in this memoir all take place during WW2, this is not a book about the war, but rather of escape and survival in some of the harshest places on the planet. It is a tale of an epic journey to freedom from a Soviet gulag. The author was a proud Polish c...
by maschinengewehr42
Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:29 am
Forum: Books and Reviews
Topic: HUGE WANT LIST !!
Replies: 18
Views: 6784

Re: HUGE WANT LIST !!

You should read "The Big Show" by Pierre Clostermann. It would probably change your opinion of aerial memoirs! In my opinion, more readable, informative, and downright exciting, than any other I've read, including Galland's and Steinhoff's.
by maschinengewehr42
Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:11 am
Forum: Weapons and Equipment
Topic: When did the MP40 cease production?
Replies: 2
Views: 2546

Re: When did the MP40 cease production?

Thanks for the information. I posted the same question on AHF and got a date of between August and October 1944 for the last production, according to the Propaganda series of books. But no definitive information as to which factories stopped production when. It's very elusive. Thanks again for the i...
by maschinengewehr42
Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:37 am
Forum: Uniforms and Awards
Topic: Sheepskin Jackets????
Replies: 2
Views: 3042

Re: Sheepskin Jackets????

Without photos it's difficult to identify the jacket with certainty, but sheepskin jackets were on widespread issue to the Heer, Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS, as well as various auxilliary formations (Railway troops and Polizei). Photos of one standard type here: http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer/photo...
by maschinengewehr42
Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:06 am
Forum: Weapons and Equipment
Topic: When did the MP40 cease production?
Replies: 2
Views: 2546

When did the MP40 cease production?

I've often wondered when exactly the MP40 went out of production. All surviving examples I've encountered while collecting have been early to mid-war examples. The latest date I've seen on either a receiver or a magazine has been 1943. Was it really taken out of production at such an early stage? If...
by maschinengewehr42
Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:26 am
Forum: Books and Reviews
Topic: Which one to get?
Replies: 7
Views: 2373

Re: Which one to get?

Twilight of the Gods is an extremely readable, exciting, fast-paced account, with hardly a break in the action. Very intense combat scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The time period covered is exactly the one holding most interest for me. Adventures in my Youth is in a very different mould. More thor...
by maschinengewehr42
Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:52 am
Forum: Weapons and Equipment
Topic: Best Grenades
Replies: 13
Views: 6940

Although fragmentation sleeves existed for both Stielhandgranaten and Eihandgranaten, both were comparatively rare in use. German soldiers' memoirs rarely mention them, even when comparing the merits of different nations' grenades, and they are conspicuously absent from most original wartime photos....
by maschinengewehr42
Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:04 am
Forum: Photographs
Topic: Battle of Berlin
Replies: 23
Views: 16770

Good point Frederick. They are definitely of Lauban after its recapture. A fairly well known series of shots, often miscaptioned. Nice late war pictures anyway.
by maschinengewehr42
Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:51 am
Forum: Translation Requests
Topic: Russian language note regarding German POW
Replies: 8
Views: 4144

Thanks once again, especially for deciphering the handwriting. I'd missed the grenade splinters part. The old German handwriting is very dificult to make out. I hope the guy was able to pick up his life and carry on after he returned home.
by maschinengewehr42
Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:17 pm
Forum: Translation Requests
Topic: Russian language note regarding German POW
Replies: 8
Views: 4144

Thanks a lot. That makes complete sense. He was at Lazarett Funkerkaserne before his release. This further document was also found folded in the back of his Soldbuch, dated the same day as the Russian language note (both sides shown). I can read most of this already, but if you can translate "4...
by maschinengewehr42
Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:00 pm
Forum: Translation Requests
Topic: Russian language note regarding German POW
Replies: 8
Views: 4144

Russian language note regarding German POW

The following note was found in the back of a Wehrmacht Soldbuch I recently acquired which belonged to a Wachtmeister in a supply company. He was apparently in hospital at the end of the war, and must have passed into Soviet captivity. I can't read Russian, and would really like to know what it says...
by maschinengewehr42
Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:44 am
Forum: Uniforms and Awards
Topic: Heer 1st pattern camo smock
Replies: 3
Views: 4151

I could have phrased it better. I meant that, unusually, this particular example didn't have the hem at the bottom, as with other smocks of either pattern.
by maschinengewehr42
Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:55 pm
Forum: Uniforms and Awards
Topic: Heer 1st pattern camo smock
Replies: 3
Views: 4151

At least one example of a splinter pattern smock in smooth cotton fabric is known to exist, illustrated in "Camouflage Uniforms of the German Wehrmacht" by Werner Palinckx. Apparently it is cut exactly as the tan water pattern/ marsh pattern smocks, with hood, and without the reinforced ed...
by maschinengewehr42
Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:34 pm
Forum: Weapons and Equipment
Topic: Never seen ammo pouch - can you help ?
Replies: 3
Views: 2657

I've never seen this particular style of pouch before either, but as Tom said, the materials and hardware look right. You're correct that the webbing appears British. British made webbing, equipment, and uniform items for the US Army are fairly common. British factories produced a large amounts of k...