Flyindutchman Militaria

08/03/2026

Textbook Zeltbahn with vibrant colours and all the buttons still present. The green and orange shades are typical late-war production features. Marked with RBNr 0/0156/0019 (Bautzen). Perfect condition.

05/03/2026

It’s not uncommon to come across remnants of ammunition, such as shells, shrapnel, bullets, and other wartime debris on former battlefields of the First World War. However, when and I visited the Meuse-Argonne region, we made a particularly fascinating discovery.
While bushwhacking through the mountains, still marked by trench systems, bomb craters, and other remnants of combat, spotted several remarkably well-preserved Ma**er 7.92×57mm shell casings in a brook. Typically, these are heavily rusted and fragile after more than a century of exposure to the elements. These, however, had been sealed in water and mud, shielded from oxygen and therefore protected against corrosion.

What initially appeared to be just a few turned out to be around one hundred perfectly preserved shell casings, along with dozens of stripper clips in excellent condition. Since all the casings had been fired and dozens of them were loaded onto stripper clips, we assume they were likely used for practicing rapid loading; placing rounds onto stripper clips and then loading them into rifles as quickly as possible. Once they were no longer needed, they seem to have been discarded at this spot.

Days like these remind you just how close events from a century ago can still feel. This way, history truly becomes tangible.
Now that they’ve been cleaned, they look as if they were only discarded yesterday. Ideal for display!

02/03/2026

19/10/2025

On october 18th me and brought a US 48 star recognition brassard back to the town where it was found, Eerde.

Eerde is one of the towns where the paratroopers of the famous 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division had landed on september 17th, 1944 during Operation Market Garden. They had to fight hard for the town and the region. It was here in Eerde, at "Hell's Highway" where the decisive battle was fought that resulted in the failure of Operation Market Garden, not in Arnhem as many people think.

Next to the now restored windmill, where sergeant Jacob H. Wingard was killed by a sniper while directing fire from the second floor of the mill on september 18th, there is a monument dedicated to the 501st. To us it seemed like a symbolic location to bring back this relic. A famous picture was taken here, where US paratroopers can be seen wearing these kind of recognition brassards on their right arm.

We were given a very detailed tour in the excellent Geronimo museum underneath the windmill, by the passionate Erwin Janssen, who had known some of the veterans for over 40 years.

The veterans of the 501st had a special bond with Eerde and the windmill. To them, it felt like being a bit closer to the friends they had lost in combat. A lot of them kept returning for the commemorations in september every year. Even when they were in their late 90's.

#1944

25/08/2025

17/08/2025

Some close-ups

16/08/2025

Another very nice German field telephone or Feldfernsprecher 33, the details on the inside of this old device are very interesting and in great condition too. This one was produced by K.u.S - Telefon- und Telegraphenfabriks AG, Kapsch & Söhne, Vienna in 1939.

13/08/2025

The beginning of a display depicting a German soldier during the Ardennes offensive, december 1944. Not yet finished but it's a good start imo.

08/08/2025

Crafted from high-quality leather, these early-war mapcases weren’t just stylish, they were functional lifelines on the battlefield. Tucked inside were folded maps, pencils, rulers, and orders that guided campaigns across Europe.
This brown version marked a time when supply lines were strong, materials were plenty, and the war was still young. As the conflict dragged on, the leather turned black and materials got cheaper.

The condition of the leather is still very supple, and there are even some interesting contents inside the map protector case; a German army map of the Oldenburg region, with parts of interesting battlefield areas in the Netherlands like Delfzijl and Groningen. And an interesting map of the Maginot line and the Siegfried line in Dutch language. The production markings on the mapcase are hard to read because of heavy use, but the date 1938 is still visible.