The TWS 2024 SOS Haul

**TWS** · 02-26-2024, 02:14 AM

It's that time of year again. This SOS was fantastic. A lot of good material was to be had (as well as the usual landmines and just plain stinkers of course). Had a great time chatting with everyone. Saw many old friends and made a few new acquaintances. I'm still tired, but I need to live up to my tradition, so I snapped some quick photos and did some even quicker editing. There will be some dedicated threads for individual items eventually, but he's a quick glance at "the haul".

First the smalls. A friend was selling this fantastic PzG officer's side cap and it took me all of 30 seconds to decide to pull the trigger. I made the usual stop by Chris Varrichio's tables because his collection of straps and boards consists of the "if you don't buy it now, you may never see it again" variety. I also chanced upon an Army dagger by A. Schüttelhöfer. I don't know how rare that maker is. I'll let the dagger guys rule on that. However, I never see them so I made a play for it and got it. Thanks a ton to Larry C. and Ger for giving me "remote guidance" from afar so that I could purchase it with confidence.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 02-26-2024 02:14 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**TWS** · 02-26-2024, 02:16 AM

Next is this Dienstrock or service tunic for this highly decorated Panzerjäger Oberstleutnant. I like to only get named examples of tunics like this, but this one is just too cool. Due to the lighting in the show hall, I didn't even catch the patch of material added to the breast right below the eagle until after I got the tunic home. Not sure if it was some sort of modification or repair, but it is of the exact same material of the tunic and the alignment of weave was even lined up when that piece was applied. This guy definitely wore it a lot while in staff positions or back in Germany as the neck and back of the neck show a good bit of wear and the right sleeve has some abrasions on the bottom. I like the stuff that was worn just as much as mint items.

**TWS** · 02-26-2024, 02:18 AM

A highly advanced Luftwaffe collector that I've known for years had this Fliegerbluse in his collection since the 1990's. Lucky for me, he had decided he could bear to part with it and so he brought it to the show. It is to an Aircrew Obergefreiter and the insignia is untouched. The lore behind it is that it was in an Australian museum that closed and sold their collection and it does have some stamps that appear to be of the museum inventory type. When the collector I bought it from got it in from Australia, there was a map folded up in the interior pocket. If it really has always belonged to the tunic, the theory is that it is of their target for the bombing mission that must have ended in them being shot down and this Obergefreiter going into captivity. It is of the English Fort Tilbury near the mouth of the Thames river. The map contains a description of the fort and of course the surrounding anti-aircraft batteries. Anyway, the seller believes that the map is original to the Bluse because it was never mentioned when he bought the Bluse, and thus not an attempt to enhance the sale of it. He only discovered its existence when the Bluse arrived in his hands. Who is to really say, but finding a completely unmolested aircrew Fliegerbluse is really hard these days so I bought it on that merit. I intend to place an air gunner/radio operator badge in the one set of loops when I get it all set up.

**TWS** · 02-26-2024, 02:20 AM

My final purchase of the show was the budget busting item. A fellow collector and also fellow retired army officer that I've known for years always has high end stuff in his collection and fortunately for the rest of us, he rotates some of it in and out. I have a 2nd pattern piped collar panzer wrapper in my collection that I've owned for about 30 years. However, the collar piping was applied post-factory at the discretion of the officer who wore it. That was a very common practice among panzer guys for their "best" wrapper that they kept at home to wear on leave etc. despite the fact that collar piping was ordered removed in 1940. Therefore, we know of a lot of wrappers whose owners took it upon themselves to restore the pre- 1940 order look. I've never owned a 2nd pattern piped collar wrapper with factory applied collar piping, so this example really tugged at my heart and wallet. It is 1939 dated and is in nearly stone mint condition.