Cool stuff. Even though I’ll be focusing on U.S. use, addressing other users is important as well. I’ll be looking very closely at photos of Belgian and Dutch armor crewmen. Please let me know if you find anything. Thanks very much!

Hi Ken,   thanks for reminding me, I don't believe I have this bracket but I think making one shouldn't be too hard I think.     

A few nice finds this weekend. Somehow I've ended up buying another wooden aircraft model kit of a Mosquito, along with a nice TL122B torch in working condition and one of the nicest wooden scratch built tanks I've seen for a long time.

Yesterday we worked on the jeep again, mainly on the construction of the 'Vintage' battery box. The bottom is now as even as I can get it while leaving as many of the internal strengthening ribs in place as possible, and construction of the lid takes quite some time as we decided to make some small changes in the design to mimic a real 1940's battery a bit more.       The Optima needs to be raised a bit, so we made a foot of a thicker piece of wood. If needed it can be raised a bit higher by shimming with thin pieces of wood. We are lucky with this as it is a lot easier than having to raise the sides of the box a bit if it were the other way around.       We decided to change the design of the lid a bit by having the new wooden top piece of the lid under the edge instead of on top of it. This required some careful cutting on the inside of the edge to remove internal pieces and straightening the inside cuts to get straight lines.       Next time we will drill the holes for the Optima's poles to stick through as I didn't have wood drills in the correct size, and cut 3 pieces of wood to mimic the top of the 3 cells a classic 6V battery would have had. I'm thinking of using some of the lead that came out of the battery to cast the 2 lead connector-strips; I have never done this before so it might be interesting. If that doesn't work out I'll probably make them of wood too. To get a smooth finish and remove any visible trace of wood grain everything will be covered with thinned filler, sanded and painted.   Last week I also received the UNC bolts and nuts I ordered to fix the body onto the chassis. Luckily I have more than enough pal nuts, although I will need to get some more plain washers as I don't have enough of these in the same size and I want all of these to be the same. I can get metric, M10 washers for this though.           I was also cleaning up the garage a bit, and found a heavy crate with parts on the floor under a cabinet. In it were some pieces I had completely forgotten we had, like these GPW exhaust manifold and steering connecting rod. I have no idea how these came to be in our possession, but they seem to be in good condition so they'll go back on the shelf as spares.       Another thing found in the crate was a Willys inlet manifold, the third model that is drilled & tapped for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system introduced in early 1943 from the earlier road-draft tube arrangement. This was on the jeep when we got it, but a few years ago I found the first model without the 2 bosses on the 'elbows' which is correct for my jeep. The 2nd model has the 2 bosses on the elbows, but wasn't yet drilled and tapped. Both the first and second models are scarce, while this third model was also used for the post-war M38 and CJ jeeps.       The manifold is in good condition and would only require some cleaning to make it ready for use (and put the plug in the center connection in the right boss after removing the vacuum connector used for windshield wipers).   The best news was  though that it also had the 2 studs to mount the carburettor that were missing on the manifold that is on the jeep! These seem to be a bit hard to source now, and after applying a copious amount of penetrating oil and some carefully applying of heat both studs came right out. They were in great condition and only needed some cleaning with the wire wheel before I put them on the other manifold with some thread sealer. Another small piece of the puzzle in place 😊           I have other engagements the coming 2 Saturdays, so work on the jeep will continue then.    

Hello,   Hello, Yes, there is some information about this to be found on the web. It appears that, in addition to Belgium, the helmet was also introduced in the Netherlands as the M64. The main difference was the head size in centimeters rather than inches.   https://dutchhelmets.nl/nl/helmen-hoofddeksels/tankhelmen-tank#Tankhelm-m64   https://imgur.com/gallery/usaeuro-tanker-helmet-m1938s-retro-futuristic-west-german-cousin-Rbn3vew    https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/helmets/post-war-m38-tanker-helmet-help-695813/    https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/bundeswehr-forum/west-german-usaeuro-tanker-helmet-619128/    https://www.checkpoint-militaria.com/en_GB/a-92996258/helmets/tank-helmet-m64/?srsltid=AfmBOoqWDzmB8qR_Wttj8MW4kLoIvIC6KPnUwCBgx3vSgxdN8C0Z5Laa#description    Given the head size in centimeters, it is more than likely a Belgian or Dutch M64. These helmets—sized in inches—were primarily used by US troops, as well as in small numbers by the West German BGS and on a trial basis by the West German Bundeswehr.   Regards

Well there you go, looks like I have a long way to go in recognising these things. 🤣

I understand your theory and experience, but in this case, both the initials and number are written one over the other, in the same colour ink, and with the same handwriting.

It looks like it came out of an old collection . Well, the first one is a copy ,but the one posted #3  looks good so it could have been a real patch. Let's see if we can get more opinions. Thanks for your help.

. A day of Veterans 7th June 2026.   A fleet of London Black Cabs ferried a bunch of WWII British veterans and families around Normandy for the week, they visited the Longest Yarn on the morning and then arrived at the Collins museum for a special lunch prepared for them thankfully it was a warm sunny day and all went well.  Whilst posing for a group photo  they alll sang together several wartime songs, one which was a wartime favourite being ' We'll meet again ' by Vera Lynn.  For around an hour there was a constant flow of modern aircraft using the Collins museum as a turning point whilst dropping paratroops locally.  Upon leaving the Collins museum they were taken to the central square in Carentan to watch the parade of a hundred vehicles.                                                Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 13  June  2O26.   ..      

# 1 -  ? # 2 -  27th Inf.Pltn. Pathfinder  90th ARCOM - worn ca. 1977-1984 # 3 -  ? # 4 -  ? # 5 -  looks like the Korean Made 524th Mil.Intelligence Bn. but the colors are reversed ( Blue should be on the left ) # 6 -  ? # 7 -  ? # 8 -  56th Troop Command , Rhode Island ARNG - I think it's Special Forces related # 9  -  ? # 10 - ? # 11 - 5th Special Forces Gp. Lebanon Det. 2 ( I can't tell 100% for sure but I think this flash was made for collectors and was never worn) # 12 -  looks like an error flash of the 421st QM Co. - bendlets are reversed