July 9Jul 9 #30726 On 7/7/2026 at 9:06 PM, General Apathy said: . Hi earlymb, as you requested this is the air-horn that is on top of the carburettor, not necessarily the one attached at the factory during manufacture but it's the one presently on there, I am not certain it will answer any questions you have on the air-horn. You will see that it is a brand new ' possibly reproduction' carburettor that has been fitted on there recently before shipping from the USA. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 07 July 2O26. .. Hi Ken, thanks for posting that photo but as you say it may not have been the one originally fitted. This is about the air horn with the washer, but with the hole either never punched in or filled back in again, and when these were used. Air horns with a hole and a washer fixed around it were used together with the AC 'Pancake' air cleaner, as a long wing screw went through the air horn to a bolt at the bottom of the air cleaner, which consists of two parts: the housing and the filter element. The filter element (compressed horsehair in an oil bath) was fixed to the housing by this long wing screw, while the housing was fixed to the jeep by 4 short wing screws. There are however a number of these early air horns with washer known, that have the hole either plugged or never punched, and the question is when these were used. Some people think these were used on the carburettor side for those jeeps with a Pancake air cleaner, but I think this is incorrect. The Pancake air cleaner was superseded by the first model of the standard Oakes air cleaner around MB 124,309 (March 1942). The Oakes was used by the last slat grilles and all MB's after those. My theory is that when this change was made and after the supply of Pancake filters was used up in assembly, there was still a certain amount of the Pancake-type air horns left. Waste not, want not, so these were plugged if needed and then used for the carburettors on MB's that were fitted with the early Oakes air cleaners. Photo's show that slat grilles with Pancake air cleaners had a standard air horn above the carburettor, without the washer or (plugged) hole. This MB is a few days older than mine and certainly has a Pancake air cleaner (as most slat grilles had). I'll have to see if I can find photo's of the plugged early air horn in used with a 1st type Oakes air cleaner, but I will stop boring the audience with this issue 😂
July 9Jul 9 #30727 42 minutes ago, earlymb said: Hi Ken, thanks for posting that photo but as you say it may not have been the one originally fitted. This is about the air horn with the washer, but with the hole either never punched in or filled back in again, and when these were used. There are however a number of these early air horns with washer known, that have the hole either plugged or never punched, and the question is when these were used. Some people think these were used on the carburettor side for those jeeps with a Pancake air cleaner, but I think this is incorrect… I'll have to see if I can find photo's of the plugged early air horn in used with a 1st type Oakes air cleaner, but I will stop boring the audience with this issue 😂 I have no idea what any of this is about, but I’m happy to hear all about it. Go ahead and post away. Just be sure to post more puppies in Jeep pictures 😁. My boys love to see them. mikie
July 10Jul 10 #30728 22 hours ago, mikie said: I have no idea what any of this is about, but I’m happy to hear all about it. Go ahead and post away. Just be sure to post more puppies in Jeep pictures 😁. My boys love to see them. mikie . Hi mikie, sorry no dogs with Jeeps, but I do have new puppy at the Collins museum . . . . . Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. ..
July 10Jul 10 #30729 . Carentan 10 July 2026, meal with Johan, Freddie Jones and myself. Freddie is the son of a wartime British soldier who met and married a Belgian lady, Freddie runs the ' For Freedom Museum ', in Belgium ' . https://www.forfreedommuseum.be/en/about-us Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. ..
July 10Jul 10 #30730 . When you know too much for your own good. . . . . . . . . . So Wednesday I stripped down and cleaned the internal jets of a friends Jeep carburettor, Today I demounted a friends Jeep petrol pump to find out why it's wasn't pumping satisfactorily, he has ordered a rebuild kit and now waiting for that, If the kit arrives Monday then it will be rebuilding and refitting it, Next week I will be visiting my old Slat Grille I owned and sold twenty years ago, current owner has asked for help as it's not starting currently, having no idea why it's not starting I will be taking a spare starter motor, a carburettor, points, plugs and condenser along with me just in case it's any of these that's impeding the starting procedure, obviously I will learn more when I see it. An old phrase from years gone by comes to mind, ' I wish I had a friend like me ' !!!!!! Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. ..
July 10Jul 10 #30731 35 minutes ago, General Apathy said: . When you know too much for your own good. . . . . . . . . . So Wednesday I stripped down and cleaned the internal jets of a friends Jeep carburettor, Today I demounted a friends Jeep petrol pump to find out why it's wasn't pumping satisfactorily, he has ordered a rebuild kit and now waiting for that, If the kit arrives Monday then it will be rebuilding and refitting it, Next week I will be visiting my old Slat Grille I owned and sold twenty years ago, current owner has asked for help as it's not starting currently, having no idea why it's not starting I will be taking a spare starter motor, a carburettor, points, plugs and condenser along with me just in case it's any of these that's impeding the starting procedure, obviously I will learn more when I see it. An old phrase from years gone by comes to mind, ' I wish I had a friend like me ' !!!!!! Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. .. Ken's Jeep Service is operating at full strength! 🤭
July 10Jul 10 #30732 2 hours ago, General Apathy said: . Hi mikie, sorry no dogs with Jeeps, but I do have new puppy at the Collins museum . . . . . Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. .. great looking dog!
July 11Jul 11 #30733 7 hours ago, General Apathy said: . Hi mikie, sorry no dogs with Jeeps, but I do have new puppy at the Collins museum . . . . . Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. .. Awwww… sweet puppy!
July 11Jul 11 #30734 13 hours ago, General Apathy said: . Carentan 10 July 2026, meal with Johan, Freddie Jones and myself. Freddie is the son of a wartime British soldier who met and married a Belgian lady, Freddie runs the ' For Freedom Museum ', in Belgium ' . https://www.forfreedommuseum.be/en/about-us Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 10 July 2O26. .. . Heading home from supper with Johan and Freddie last night the sun was a massive orb of orange ahead of me on the motorway. visually it was a perfect glowing circle, unfortunately the camera has captured haze around it, it really was stunning to see. An enjoyable meal with Johan and Freddie and Johan very kindly paid the bill. so my turn next time. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 11 July 2O26. ..
July 12Jul 12 #30735 . Damned if you don't and damned if you do . . . I photographed this copy of a patch pocket ' tankers Jacket ' in a restaurant a few weeks ago, initially I didn't intend to make comment here, but finally I couldn't let it pass by without sharing with forum readers. It had NOTHING in common with a genuine wartime jacket, the entire thing was the wrong material, wrong shade and made of nylon with nylon cuffs and stripes. I feel sorry for people spending perfectly good money to buy fashion items like this and possibly feeling that they have bought something of a WWII connection. I am lost for words really to convey my sadness that this is what it has come down to now, cheap factories making a quick buck with copies of historical items with stuff like this, It probably had the same grade of thickness as toilet paper, hopefully for the purchaser it might last a little longer than toilet paper. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 11 July 2O26. ..
July 13Jul 13 #30736 It's a bit like those small "WW2"-style "US" tool bags/toiletry bags you see at militaria fairs/shops. Or those US Army rucksacks sold by Chinese sellers on Ebay. At least the copies of the Jungle packs look a bit like the USMC packs. Somebody's making money of those things. And I don't like it!
July 14Jul 14 #30737 On 7/12/2026 at 9:28 AM, General Apathy said: . Damned if you don't and damned if you do . . . I photographed this copy of a patch pocket ' tankers Jacket ' in a restaurant a few weeks ago, initially I didn't intend to make comment here, but finally I couldn't let it pass by without sharing with forum readers. It had NOTHING in common with a genuine wartime jacket, the entire thing was the wrong material, wrong shade and made of nylon with nylon cuffs and stripes. I feel sorry for people spending perfectly good money to buy fashion items like this and possibly feeling that they have bought something of a WWII connection. I am lost for words really to convey my sadness that this is what it has come down to now, cheap factories making a quick buck with copies of historical items with stuff like this, It probably had the same grade of thickness as toilet paper, hopefully for the purchaser it might last a little longer than toilet paper. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 11 July 2O26. .. Fake stuff purchased by hopeful folks thinking they acquired a WWII uniform item is sad. But companies importing what is clearly fake WWII Nazi stuff and selling it as original is probably a crime and should be treated as such.
July 15Jul 15 #30738 . Two Jeeps spotted yesterday . . . . . . . . . Yesterday was a national day of holiday, Bastille day, lots of people and visitors to the area these two jeeps were parked outside a museum. They both had parents and children squashed into them along with all the family luggage for a camping trip. Both had been through post war rebuild the first one at the French MALT facility and received a new make Hotchkiss body and engine, but the engine compartment was laid out as a wartime six volt system the air filter was a rarer pattern with the instructions on a separate embossed plate attached to the front of the filter rather than the standard one with the instructions embossed directly in the filter body itself. Hotchkiss front grille The second one was also a rebuild but appeared to be all original parts, strangely it was a Willys chassis but the rear crossmember had been replaced at sometime with a Ford crossmember, it was a Willys body, and engine, a Ford engine hood, and proof that all Willys and Ford parts were interchangeable it had one Willys headlamp bracket and one Ford headlamp bracket. This one had the late war exhaust system exiting over the rear axle and out the rear. Willys front grille. There were lots of other details to be gleaned from both of them but too much to memorise and add here, Jeep freaks would have enjoyed looking over them. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. ..
July 15Jul 15 #30739 2 hours ago, General Apathy said: . Two Jeeps spotted yesterday . . . . . . . . . Yesterday was a national day of holiday, Bastille day, lots of people and visitors to the area these two jeeps were parked outside a museum. They both had parents and children squashed into them along with all the family luggage for a camping trip. Both had been through post war rebuild the first one at the French MALT facility and received a new make Hotchkiss body and engine, but the engine compartment was laid out as a wartime six volt system the air filter was a rarer pattern with the instructions on a separate embossed plate attached to the front of the filter rather than the standard one with the instructions embossed directly in the filter body itself. Hotchkiss front grille The second one was also a rebuild but appeared to be all original parts, strangely it was a Willys chassis but the rear crossmember had been replaced at sometime with a Ford crossmember, it was a Willys body, and engine, a Ford engine hood, and proof that all Willys and Ford parts were interchangeable it had one Willys headlamp bracket and one Ford headlamp bracket. This one had the late war exhaust system exiting over the rear axle and out the rear. Willys front grille. There were lots of other details to be gleaned from both of them but too much to memorise and add here, Jeep freaks would have enjoyed looking over them. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. .. Hi Ken, both are fine looking jeeps, obviously loved by their owners and fairly typical specimens of WW2-era jeeps that survive today, as most underwent a rebuild sometime during their post-war military career. I was lucky to have an original, matching set of frame, body, data plates, air cleaner, hood, fenders, windshield and front axle. Most of the rest was either standard MB/GPW, post-war or missing. I've never had that much interest in German militaria other than vehicles, although I did pick up a few pieces here and there over the years as I came across them and they were cheap, as happens with most collectors over time. One exception to this is the original German Jerrycan though, as I've always had a soft spot for this incredible piece of industrial engineering. They are quite big so take up a lot of room, but sometimes when I come across one for a good price I can't leave them behind. So when I came across this example online, I just had to pull the trigger; it's a 1942 dated fuel can made by MNS (Metallindustrie Werk GmbH, Neunkirchen / Saar). It has been repainted in Feldgrau but I'm pretty sure that is wartime as this also seems to have been the original colour. The inside is in excellent condition, clean and no rust so it can even be used for fuel again. The 'Jerrycan' was designed in 1937 by Müller Eisenwerke of Schwelm, who remained one of the major producers during the war (maker code 'fcx' from 1944 onward). The British introduced an almost exact copy of the German design in 1942, even though they'd had captured examples since 1940. The Americans too copied the design, but poorly altered it in a number of ways that resulted in a can of less strength and user-friendliness. Reportedly the Italians also copied the German design during WW2, although I've never seen one myself. The same design was also used for water, but these were stamped with 'WASSER' instead of 'Kraftstoff' and often had a white cross painted on them. The SS also had their own cans, which were stamped with the runes. I still need to find examples of these for my collection though. Some other cans in my collection: I have a few more including some British ones, but no photos at hand.
July 15Jul 15 #30740 . MVCG tour Holland 1978. I drove my Jeep hundreds of miles to Holland in 1978 for the MVCG Arnhem tour, while there we saw the flower parade of floats in the village of Zundert, several villages all compete to win first place with their village floats. The flower parades started in 1936 and were obviously suspended during the war and continued again afterwards. millions of locally grown flowers are used in the construction of the floats. These are a few of the photographs I could find of the trip and the flower floats. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. ..
July 15Jul 15 #30741 14 minutes ago, General Apathy said: . MVCG tour Holland 1978. I drove my Jeep hundreds of miles to Holland in 1978 for the MVCG Arnhem tour, while there we saw the flower parade of floats in the village of Zundert, several villages all compete to win first place with their village floats. The flower parades started in 1936 and were obviously suspended during the war and continued again afterwards. millions of locally grown flowers are used in the construction of the floats. These are a few of the photographs I could find of the trip and the flower floats. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. .. Love the red mushroom with the white dots. They are a big thing in Europe, we would hang little miniature versions on our Christmas tree .
July 15Jul 15 #30742 1 hour ago, earlymb said: Hi Ken, both are fine looking jeeps, obviously loved by their owners and fairly typical specimens of WW2-era jeeps that survive today, as most underwent a rebuild sometime during their post-war military career. I was lucky to have an original, matching set of frame, body, data plates, air cleaner, hood, fenders, windshield and front axle. Most of the rest was either standard MB/GPW, post-war or missing. I've never had that much interest in German militaria other than vehicles, although I did pick up a few pieces here and there over the years as I came across them and they were cheap, as happens with most collectors over time. One exception to this is the original German Jerrycan though, as I've always had a soft spot for this incredible piece of industrial engineering. They are quite big so take up a lot of room, but sometimes when I come across one for a good price I can't leave them behind. So when I came across this example online, I just had to pull the trigger; it's a 1942 dated fuel can made by MNS (Metallindustrie Werk GmbH, Neunkirchen / Saar). It has been repainted in Feldgrau but I'm pretty sure that is wartime as this also seems to have been the original colour. The inside is in excellent condition, clean and no rust so it can even be used for fuel again. The 'Jerrycan' was designed in 1937 by Müller Eisenwerke of Schwelm, who remained one of the major producers during the war (maker code 'fcx' from 1944 onward). The British introduced an almost exact copy of the German design in 1942, even though they'd had captured examples since 1940. The Americans too copied the design, but poorly altered it in a number of ways that resulted in a can of less strength and user-friendliness. Reportedly the Italians also copied the German design during WW2, although I've never seen one myself. The same design was also used for water, but these were stamped with 'WASSER' instead of 'Kraftstoff' and often had a white cross painted on them. The SS also had their own cans, which were stamped with the runes. I still need to find examples of these for my collection though. Some other cans in my collection: I have a few more including some British ones, but no photos at hand. . Hi earlymb, thank you, nice cans, I have real affection for wartime ' Jerrycans ', German, British, American, currently in need of German 1937 and 1938 examples, often undated. The one chained to my Jeep is a German 1938 example. My German can collection taken in 2021. The first American made cans were copies of the German can, photo in Cuba by LIFE magazine 1941 My example of an American manufactured ' Jerrycan ' My experimental Gas-Can cap found here at the village dump. The Patent application for the experimental cap Post war advert for surplus cans Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. ..
July 15Jul 15 #30743 27 minutes ago, manayunkman said: Love the red mushroom with the white dots. They are a big thing in Europe, we would hang little miniature versions on our Christmas tree . . Hi Peter, Yes they are popular over here, I posted this image of a pair of clay pottery mushrooms before back in 2024 of the ones I gave my grandson for his garden patch Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. ..
July 15Jul 15 #30744 Hi Ken, You brought up a long forgotten memory with your report on the flower parade. When my dad was based out in Germany in the early 60's we went to one of those parades, had completely forgotten about it. We also used to go to a theme park where there was a witches house and if you went near the gate the witch would appear at her door. There was also a couple of towers with a magic carpet that ran between the two if I recall correctly. The thing that really stuck in my memory were the rubbish bins, if you put something in them the bin talked to you, no idea what it said though. Park was in Netherlands and called Efteling at least that's where I think it was. I would only have been 6 or 7 back then. Kevin
July 15Jul 15 #30745 6 minutes ago, Escht said: Hi Ken, You brought up a long forgotten memory with your report on the flower parade. When my dad was based out in Germany in the early 60's we went to one of those parades, had completely forgotten about it. We also used to go to a theme park where there was a witches house and if you went near the gate the witch would appear at her door. There was also a couple of towers with a magic carpet that ran between the two if I recall correctly. The thing that really stuck in my memory were the rubbish bins, if you put something in them the bin talked to you, no idea what it said though. Park was in Netherlands and called Efteling at least that's where I think it was. I would only have been 6 or 7 back then. Kevin Yes, the Efteling in Kaatsheuvel the bin said: Papier Hier wich translates in Paper? Here!
July 15Jul 15 #30746 1 hour ago, General Apathy said: . Hi Peter, Yes they are popular over here, I posted this image of a pair of clay pottery mushrooms before back in 2024 of the ones I gave my grandson for his garden patch Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. .. Ken, I think those two guys were at our Christmas dinner . 🤩
July 15Jul 15 #30747 18 minutes ago, manayunkman said: Ken, I think those two guys were at our Christmas dinner . 🤩 . . Hi Peter, I had run out of ' likes ' but a laughing face would be more relevant !! 😂 Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. ..
July 15Jul 15 #30748 About 10 years ago I went to a nearby town to check out a new bookstore. In one corner of the store sat a young lady behind a table wearing a ridiculous mushroom hat. I had a good natured laugh and had a pleasant chat with her about mushrooms and photography. Her name is Anna and her passion is hunting and photographing mushrooms and fungi. Her photos were quite beautiful and I bought a small stack of them. Here is her website, but it looks as if she hasn’t updated it recently. Anyway, give it a look and remember that there are people out there with as much love and passion for all kinds of subjects as we have for history and militaria. https://www.thefriendlyfungus.com/ mikie
July 15Jul 15 #30749 3 hours ago, General Apathy said: . Hi earlymb, thank you, nice cans, I have real affection for wartime ' Jerrycans ', German, British, American, currently in need of German 1937 and 1938 examples, often undated. The one chained to my Jeep is a German 1938 example. My German can collection taken in 2021. The first American made cans were copies of the German can, photo in Cuba by LIFE magazine 1941 My example of an American manufactured ' Jerrycan ' My experimental Gas-Can cap found here at the village dump. The Patent application for the experimental cap Post war advert for surplus cans Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. .. My favorite jerry can from my collection... Used as a roadsign for the Command Post of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade off Omaha beach in June 1944 One of two known, the other one is a Water can in the Omaha Beach museum
July 15Jul 15 #30750 37 minutes ago, mikie said: About 10 years ago I went to a nearby town to check out a new bookstore. In one corner of the store sat a young lady behind a table wearing a ridiculous mushroom hat. I had a good natured laugh and had a pleasant chat with her about mushrooms and photography. Her name is Anna and her passion is hunting and photographing mushrooms and fungi. Her photos were quite beautiful and I bought a small stack of them. Here is her website, but it looks as if she hasn’t updated it recently. Anyway, give it a look and remember that there are people out there with as much love and passion for all kinds of subjects as we have for history and militaria. https://www.thefriendlyfungus.com/ mikie . Mikie, I normally hate anything to do with mushrooms, but you're a Funghi and they are really growing on me. . . . . . . . . . . Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 15 July 2O26. ..
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