Oh Hi phantom, I didn't know you were on here. It's Cap.

The helmet, just as a note because I’m personally pretty picky about it. I would look at what unit you plan to portray, because each unit had a different way, size, shape, different amount if panels, etc. plus there are specific ww2 looking panels that you can do. A 2 panel is ally a good all around if you want to do generic. On your it looks kinda funky, the cross looks a bit small for ETO and reminds me of a KW ear med helmet. Here’s one I did with a ww2 style 2 panel for reference. There are tons of different styles so do your due diligence.

Possibly for 11th Airborne Division or 8th Airborne Division jump school in Germany - see this thread. https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/30431-airborne-school-patch/    

. DUKW ( Duck ) rebuild    Local French friend completed his nut and bolt ground-up restoration of his DUKW the week before D-Day week , a couple of shots here of him having an evening on a local river with friends and family   The third shot shows one of our group convoy's when we floated eight DUKW's and two amphibious Jeeps on the Seine in the centre of Paris.  A short story of that event was when some official arrived and prevented the DUKW's being floated on the river without the official paperwork required for ' piloting boats '.   Things became a little tense as obviously all the DUKW's were English owned and didn't have the relevant French ' piloting ' paperwork.   While the official was onboard one of the DUKW's with one of the owners Michael S who was a wealthy ex public-schoolboy capable of translating the French requirements the official realised only when it was too late that Michael S had decided having driven it all the way from London he was intent on sailing it on the Seine.  He then launched it full throttle off the concrete walkway two feet above the water to an almighty splash onto the water at which the official decided that the owners were all mad and abandoned trying to enforce the requirements.          Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 25  2O25.    ….

Would anyone who has a copy of any of these please be willing to share PDF files and photos of your INVADE MECUM booklets? I am hoping to have them reprinted for WWII re-enactors and the Living History community.  They will have a subtle mark to ensure they cannot be passed off as originals. Please visit the MISS DROP 44 website to see the sorts of things currently offered. 

Very neat helmet!

I believe this helmet or one with similar markings was discussed before on the forum, I can't find the thread though.

Eric Was a great genuine class act person who always had time for me. His knowledge in WWI USMC was second to none. Very sad loss for the militaria community. R.I.P you will be sorely missed. 

. Ste Mere Eglise Then & Now . .  . . . .    During D-Day week walking into Ste Mere Eglise for a drink one evening I passed a building that has a railway water tower around the rear of it and noticed that it had been decorated with the image of a US soldier on it, note there's also a rough wooden representation of a B-17 in front of the water tower.   Moving on I have since found a Ste Mere Eglise postcard which features this water tower and the building on the left is the tram terminus building.  I haven't been able to decide the date of the post card but I believe the date to be 1914.   The station on the left and the water-tower are still in situation, however behind the water tower in the 1970's / 1990's the N13 motorway was built on elevated earthworks and the large school, the town centre and the church are now obscured in regards to taking a comparison photo, the church tower can be seen over on the righthand side of the postcard.   Now that I have the postcard I will make an effort to make a comparison photo of the tram station and the water tower side by side.    https://www.wikimanche.fr/Ligne_ferroviaire_Pont-l'Abbé_-_Sainte-Mère         Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 25  2O25.    ….

We are starting to do more airshows and just got back from Reading, Pa,  WW2 week.   Thanks for all the amazing pictures and information!