. A minor close up of the discussed belt.     Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 09 April  2O26.   ..

Well, welcome aboard and stop out to see us when you can. Many of our volunteers come from out your way.    Scott

Indeed it is.   Wade

Thank you all for your support, I´m getting better after completing the tracks and taking a longer break. 😁   The M109 is extremely well detailed with countless tiny plastic and photo-etched parts.  So building this model is very time-consuming. At the moment I´m working on the details of the turret. Tweezers and superglue are the most important tools.    

Yes, great discussion on that ega, which I botched. Nice pick ups, the ega alone is worth around $100. Not sure I am in full agreement with you on the scarcity of the police patch. I am retired law enforcement, and back in the day, trading patches was like trading challenge coins today. Most trades were between law enforcement personnel, but they leak out of course after retirements, etc. While most agencies try hard to control the sale of police patches for obvious reasons, they still appear quite frequently on ebay and elsewhere. Badges as well which always leaves me scratching my head. Anyway, well worth the early alarm regardless. Thanks for sharing. 

Thanks for the comments.   Upon reading my own thread, I see the 83rd Chemical was made in Innsbruck.   So, Austrian, not German.  

Sharing a remarkable trunk I recently came across; a complete and intact named archive belonging to Sergeant Albert Outzts Kemp, ball turret gunner, 563rd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force.   Killed in action November 25, 1944 over Merseburg, Germany on only his second mission.   The grouping includes his named Purple Heart, continuous personal diary from January through July 1944, crew photograph with full handwritten identifications, presidential memorial certificate, Secretary of War correspondence, and pre-war materials from his time at Clemson University and as a Boy Scout.   Happy to share more photos or answer any questions.

Here is an enlargement of a section of kuzma's photo... Notice the 342 marking on the side of the M7 Priest.   Tom

great scores!

Found this locally in the San Diego area. Very happy with it and excited to add it to the 3rd MarDiv collection. It is named obviously, so hopefully I can find the vet. Really happy with it and excited to display it.