Militaria for sale
Lenny Warren trawls the internet to find bargains, rare, interesting or bizarre items of militaria
Lenny Warren takes a trip around the internet in search of rare, interesting and desirable collectables.
It’s turned a bit chilly where I am at the moment, with a deep layer of snow, so it’s about time we turned our attention to militaria associated with war in the winter. Military operations affected by snow, ice, thawing conditions or cold, both on land and sea offer a unique set of challenges. At times, cold or its aftermath, thaw, has been a decisive factor in the failure of a campaign, as with French invasion of Russia in 1812, the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939 and the German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.
Camouflage is of course very important and is obviously needed during winter conditions. Here we have a winter snow camouflaged German M35 helmet. This helmet was found near Leningrad, not far away from the village of Chudovo. I’m always suspicious of snow camouflaged items as it seems that many fakers see it as an easy way to increase profits. An experienced eye can usually tell the fakes, but it is always worth exercising a bit of care with any camouflage item. If done by an individual soldier, as a lot of items were, then each item could be unique in certain aspects. The more items you handle the better, which unfortunately due to Covid-19 and cancellation of militaria fairs isn’t always possible. Dug up artefacts like this are generally easier to authenticate, it’s also preferable to buy from a dealer, like this one, who stands by the authenticity of their stock. Another issue, which always arises with ground dug items, is whether they were found with remains. Like many collectors I’m not comfortable with that, however many items found were discarded on the battlefields and I try to ensure that any dug items I consider are found this way. Unlike the so-called Black Diggers, this dealer acts ethically and always reports any remains found to the proper authorities. Priced at $180 from www.stalingradfront.com.
When I was writing this, I considered a pair of snowshoes, I’ve seen a few pairs over the years, but then I stumbled over these. German WWII snowshoes for a MG34 bipod. I’ve never seen these before but it makes sense. Designed to stop the machine gun bipod slipping in the snow. In good condition with original leather straps. Priced at £250 from www.dandbmilitaria.com.
An army may march on its stomach, but in winter they need proper footwear. Here we have an iconic pair of WWII German felt and leather winter boots, Winterstiefel. Originally produced after the first devastating winter in Russia, as the standard leather marching boots didn’t provide the warmth required in the extreme cold. In overall good condition with light age and usage toning and some small moth damage. Not maker-marked or dated, but a nice, original pair in good, used condition. Priced at €120 from www. militariaplaza.nl.