Table of contents for March 2021 in Military Trader

Military Trader|March 2021

HOMEFRONT NEWS

FREE ISSUE OF MILITARY VEHICLES MAGAZINE Have you ever considered your own Jeep, deuce, or even a tank? Active Interest Media wants to give you a free digital copy of our sister magazine, Military Vehicles Magazine. To grab your copy, log onto www.MilitaryTrader.com. In the upper right of the page, you will see a box with FREE ISSUE written on it. Click that. You will see a screen to enter your email address to receive our free, weekly Militar-E-News. After you enter, the next screen will provide you the access for the free digital download — easy as that! 12-YEAR-OLD KILLED BY WWII-STYLE GRENADE BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C January 10 2021 Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) say a Virginia child was killed by…

7 min

Military Trader|March 2021

IDENTIFIED

28-1-1. Adam Gonzales wrote, “FDN on this patch is for the Nicaraguan Democratic Force ( Fuerza Democrática Nicaragüense), and COE is for Comandos Operacionales Especiales. [The NDF] was one of the earliest Contra groups, formed on August 11, 1981, in Guatemala City. It was formed to oppose Nicaragua’s revolutionary Sandinista government following the 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle.” “WHATIZIT?” is a place where collectors can share their collective knowledge with each other. If you have an item you want identified, or you can share information about one of the items pictured here, write to WHATIZIT, c/o Military Trader, 5225 Joerns Dr., Suite 2, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or email: JAdams-Graf@aimmedia.com. If replying to a “Whatizit?” be sure to include the item number in your response. Only send duplicate photos. All…

1 min

Military Trader|March 2021

THE LIZARD SKIN CAMO QUICO CAP

While much has been written about the history of the British Empire and how it once covered nearly a quarter of the globe, much less has attention has been given to the Portuguese Empire. This has happened despite the fact that Portugal was among the first of the European powers to have a presence in the Americas, Africa, and the Far East. In fact, it was the last power to maintain true colonies in Africa. Unlike other European nations, the Portuguese Estado Novo (the Second Republic) did not withdraw from its African colonies. Yet, despite the best efforts to maintain a hold on its small African empire, by the mid-1970s the Guerra do Ultramar (Overseas War) proved so unpopular that it led to the Carnation Revolution military coup of April…

5 min

Military Trader|March 2021

THE BATTLE PLAN

Look for more information in the advertisements in this issue of any show listings in bold and italics. Support our advertisers, they support the hobby! Confirm all information with show promoter before traveling. The time, dates, and/or location may have changed! SHOWS Feb 18-20, KY, Louisville. — RESCHEDULED TO JULY 22-24 — Annual Shows of Shows. Kentucky Fair Expo Center (South Wing C), I-264: Exit 11, I-65: Exit 131-B. Info: Ohio Valley Military Society. The Ohio Valley Military Society, Inc, PO Box 30436, Cincinnati, OH, 45230-0436. 513.245.9540; ovms@fuse.net or www.sosovms.com Feb 21, IL, Loves Park. —Rescheduled to April 25 — Military Collectibles Show, Forrest Hills Lodge. Info: Jeffrey Bries, jeffrey.bries@rps205.com Feb 27, NJ, Jackson, Jersey Shore Antique Arms Collectors, AmVets, Post #2. Info: Stephen J. Cassidy, Jr. (723) 849-0478 Feb 28,…

5 min

Military Trader|March 2021

THE JAG FILE

THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC A VETERAN OF 159 YEARS. “Glory, glory, Hallelujah!” I sang out as loud as my six-year old lungs would allow. I circled the interior of my family’s old Victorian home, belting out the refrain of what I knew to be a “Civil War song.” Through the kitchen, into the dining room, across the living room, and down the hall back to the kitchen where my grandmother was busy baking cookies. “His truth goes marching on” did not end my song, but simply signaled the repetition of the chorus, accompanied by another march around the “loop.” FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1862 I was only six, but at that tender age, the refrain had a powerful impact, being a mixture of spirituality, patriotism, and Civil War lore.…

6 min

Military Trader|March 2021

A French Import Musket

Sometimes in collecting, a mundane acquisition takes a new position in your collection’s importance after a little research and a lot of luck. In March 2017, I noticed a 1840 Model French musket with bayonet on an on-line auction. I already had one in my collection, but this one was priced extremely low and I was specifically interested in the markings on the bayonet. I left a bid. No one else bid. I sent my money, and it arrived in the mail. Both pieces were in typical “attic-stored condition,” which is what I like. However, the musket I already had was a little nicer, so I decided to keep the bayonet and sell the musket. I took it to a small local show and found no interest, so it came…

9 min

Military Trader|March 2021

FAVORITE FINDS

MEXICAN WAR “ROCK” by Chuck Carlock I bought this on eBay for a negligible amount. It appears to be a rock with wear in it from being tied with rope. The paper tag accompanying it says, “Brought back from the Mexican War by Nancy Severus’ brother.” I had seen a fishing gill net lead weight that looked just like the rock. I bought it because I didn’t believe anyone would bother to fake the wear pattern on a rock. I thought it had something to do with artillery. Some time later, I described the rock to a buddy. He said that it was a weight from a bolas (bolo). He explained a bolas generally had three weights tied together with equal lengths of cord. The user grabbed one weight and…

2 min

Military Trader|March 2021

Marching to the Music

Germany has a long history of classical music led by innovative masters such as Bach, Beethoven, and many other artists. In addition, German folk music and polkas have delighted generations of Europeans for hundreds of years. Nothing suggests the embodiment of martial music more than that of the German military marching bands with their heavy drum beats and energetic brass sections. When Adolf Hitler and the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP — Nazi Party) came into power, they utilized all of those popular venues to promote their ideals. During this period, nearly all German public organization had its own band, orchestra or small assembly to entertain their members and spectators at meetings and events. Singing was very popular with numerous competitions and other public events held throughout the year. NSDAP groups…

3 min

Military Trader|March 2021

MAIL CALL

ADMIRALS’ GRAVES Enclosed are a couple photos of the graves of two famous WWII Navy admirals (Nimitz, Spruance, and Lockwood. All are buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, Calif. Many stories can be told of their decisions and actions that had decisive effects on the outcome of WWII. —Stephen D. Rohde Sunnyvale, California HOW I DISPLAY MY COLLECTION My dad and all my uncles on both sides served in WW2, Korea or the Cold War. Like wise in my wife’s family and we both had grandfathers serve in WW1 and ancestors in the Civil War. I served with the 4th Marines in RVN 1970. Thus, my interest in military toys and memorabilia. My display shelves are a tribute to all. Semper Fi — Donn Everhard Hi…

3 min

Military Trader|March 2021

Everyone Has a Cross to Bear

Collecting decorations or military awards bears a close resemblance to collecting coins. While coins were collected in the ancient world, it became even more fashionable by the by the end of the eighteenth century. Often, collectors of military decorations were first connected by collecting coins, later migrating to military medals and awards While many military medals have the coin-like circular shape now, many exist in a variety of sizes and shapes. The development of awards and orders came much later than that of collecting numismatic material. In fact, the term “phaleristics” came into use in the early 20th century to describe the collecting of medals or orders that have been presented to anyone as an honor or reward. CLASSIFYING CROSSES Often, collectors want to describe their medals in some sort…

7 min

Military Trader|March 2021

WWI Photo “Archeology”

By the time the Meuse-Argonne Offensive started in late September 1918, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) had more than a million soldiers spread among its combat divisions, aero squadrons, and supporting depot divisions in France. Services of Supply (SoS) (as well as a number of other organizations) provided logistic support for this massive force. The challenge was, however, where to find the manpower without taxing the ranks for the frontline troops. To provide adequate support to the troops in the field, the SoS had to look elsewhere personnel. By late 1918, many men had already been stripped from the SoS quartermaster, transportation, ordnance, and engineer units and sent to the front lines to perform direct support missions as drivers, armorers, etc. African-American and white labor battalions were sent to France…

4 min