. Hi Graham,   You are certainly gathering some stuff together for your project,   Tell me more please about the mirror heads in the orange boxes over on the left.   Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 01  2O25.    ….    

Spent the weekend at another 80th Anniversary of the Liberation event. It involved 2 days servicing a couple of vintage cameras.   In this case an USAAC A-3 bomb spotting camera I picked up last year. The spring motor was running a little slow.  

I meant to say I'm going to offload the six on the right, not left.  I miss my brain more and more.

2nd is mid section of an m20 3.5 inch bazooka round. 3rd looks like 40mm bofor

Here is one I found in my AAF collection. Appears to be a garrison cap size patch. About the size of an Eisenhower Dollar Coin.   Leigh 

Wow, Humbled by the truth of these.  Strange to have a discussion by myself, but I get it that most don't want to get into this.  This is the last post I make, to set myself straight on these, on the record. I kept looking into this subject.  How wrong can a guy be?   There was indeed a second mold made after the war, besides the first mold made in Australia.  The first mold supposedly made 100 in the first run, and a second order for 400 more was placed with the Australian company to satisfy demand. There is a surviving first type certificate in the high 300s. The story repeated throughout history is that the 1st mold broke at some point, so we don't know how many first types were made. 50 is the usual number given - but again, there is a real certificate for a first type in the high 300s.   There was for sure a second mold made, now existing at the USMC museum, donated to them around 1978, by the son of Brig. General James J. Keating.    Keating was commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines - on 'Catus Island.'   He had a second mold commissioned post-war to award this special medal to those 1st Marine Division soldiers who had fought at Guadalcanal and never received one. These were handed out at vet reunions, and other such gatherings of 1st Division Marines. (See USMC.Edu - Marine Corps University Press - Always Faithful, Chapter 11.)   So these 2nd types are of course different - a little larger - and in their own way, they are every bit as legitimate as the first type, and just as special.  They had/have a huge meaning to the vets who received them.     So - like the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal that wasn't available until 1948 - and had to be requested by Marines who earned them - the 2nd type Georgius medal was handed out post-war among the Guadalcanal band of brothers.  Where and when each was bestowed is hard to determine.  One thing is certain - these post-war awards were something approaching sacred, that really is not up for much discussion. You had to be there, in other words. What these men suffered, endured, and achieved, is legendary, and deserves the respect of every American.   If a Marine vet's family has one from the vet, I have zero problem with it. It's up to each collector to decide for himself.  All of this just IMO. 'Nuff said.   John  

Goggles are 1065 and the kit with goggles is designated 1068    

Great looking patch and how apropo your 1st patch is from the 1st Infantry Division!

The early B8 goggles were known as the Polaroid Model 1065 and came in a brown box with a snap front   here is an old post done by Paul as its easier then retyping all the info.