Accouterments

If a soldier carried it on his belt or back and depended on it for day-to-day living, you will find articles about collecting, preserving, displaying, buying, and selling military accouterments here!

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Knives / Swords / Bayonets

The US M8 / M8A1 Scabbard

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Preservation and Conservation

Caring for Your Leather Military Relics

Major Van Veen, of the Royal Netherlands Army Defence Centre of Expertise for Soldier and Equipment, explained: “Modern soldiers have access to incredible, hi-tech navigation systems, but these all require soldiers to keep checking their screens constantly. This makes an already dangerous job even more dangerous because it reduces situational awareness.”
Accouterments

Forget GPS, Try a Mission Navigation Belt

A detail view of a group photograph of the Gastadores section of the 2nd Havana Volunteer Infantry Regiment taken about 1895. The Modelo 1843 Infantry machete of the soldier in the center is clearly visible. Note also the crossed tools sleeve insignia and the thick aiguillette, all symbols identifying these elite Spanish Pioneer Infantrymen.
Knives / Swords / Bayonets

Spanish Gladius: A Story of Military Short Swords

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Militaria Collectibles

Favorite Finds: Luminous Disc

The author’s own Enlisted Model 1917 Medical Belt with complete contents out of pockets. This belt is dated July of 1918.
Accouterments

Ten decades later, 1917 medic’s belt is a worthy challenge for patient collectors

Frontline Feature

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Frontline Feature

Steve Dance Auctions

ESTATE AUCTION - PROLIFIC COLLECTION OF 25 CLASS III FIREARMS.

A new generation of Soldier Protection System equipment is displayed during a media roundtable by Program Executive Office Soldier during the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, 2019. (Photo Credit: Gary Sheftick)
Accouterments

New protective gear saves Soldier's life

Police formations march past dignitaries in Krakow, including Heinrich Himmler and Hans Frank. When dressed for such occasions, some German NCOs and enlisted soldiers would wear brass or wood handled “dress” bayonets decorated with colored tassels that designated their individual units.
Knives / Swords / Bayonets

German Dress Bayonets

After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, enterprising weavers produced rugs with a variety of military themes. There are tales that the prayer rugs often featured some images – including armored vehicles — as a way to help Mujahideen fighters identify enemy convoys and vehicles, though this has not be substantiated.
Accouterments

War Rugs

Amy Bellars with her vast collection of Imperial Pickelhauben German WWI steel helmets, and WWII-era Japanese helmets.
Auction News

Bidding Wars!

In a scene familiar to all American servicemen of the 20th century, the dipping line was required to clean the mess kits before and after use.
Accouterments

More Than a Plate

The well-used aluminum cigarette case is engraved on the lower left corner, “Otto Skorzeny / SS Panzer Division / Das Reich.”
Accouterments

Favorite Find: Skorzeny's Cigarette Case

The Philippine Constabulary was a gendarmerie-type police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991. It was created by the American colonial government to replace the Spanish colonial Guardia Civil. Its purpose was to maintain peace, law, and order in the various provinces of the Philippine Islands. By the end of 1901, a total of 180 officers had been commissioned. The Constabulary assisted the United States military in combating the remaining irreconcilable revolutionaries following the capture of General Emilio Aguinaldo and his pledge of allegiance to the United States. This phase of the Philippine–American War ended in 1906 in Luzon, with the surrender and execution of one of its last remaining generals, Macario Sakay.
Firearms and Ordnance

Always Outnumbered, Never Outfought

When future U.S. President William Taft established the Philippine Constabulary in 1901, he set forth an organization that would be regarded as an elite prestigious organization to maintain law and order in the Philippine Islands. From its onset, the Constabulary members wore a variety of unique uniforms and accouterments, some of which are visible in this photo of Owen A. Tomlinson and members of the 4th Mountain (Ifugao) Company, Philippine Constabulary. Owen A. Tomlinson papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Accouterments

Maintaining Order: Belts of the Philippines Constabulary

Glenn L. Niccum — a “Polar Bear” from Detroit who served in North Russia during WWI.
Militaria Collecting 101

Favorite Find: Sgt. Glenn Lee Niccum - A Polar Bear

Stephen Rogers (right) has been actively dealing in 19th Century militaria and Americana for the past 25 years. He is seen here with another icon of the collecting world, Dan Griffin.
Who's Who

10 Questions with Stephen Rogers

The 2nd Armor Division took part in the VII Corps Tennessee maneuvers in June 1941. Taken during those exercises, this photo shows General George Patton with an industrial-style dust respirator around his neck.
Accouterments

WWII Dust Respirators

The baseball team of the 8th Coast Artillery Regiment of the New York National Guard.
Accouterments

Soldiers & Sports

Prior to WWII, pigeons had delivered messages for military forces for centuries. These Canadian soldiers are training with a homing pigeon prior to taking part in the Normandy invasion. Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria
Accouterments

Silent Winged Warriors

Strikeface armor
Accouterments

Soldier reunited with armor that saved his life

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Accouterments

Favorite find turned up in Wyoming

Here is a 718U-2 (AN/VRC-80) in a different M151 jeep. The 718U-2 is also a 400W HF radio, again built using URG-2 slices. The -2 version uses a separate 671U-1 receiver/exciter, which is shown next to the radio case and in front of the jeep’s rear seat. Note that, with the separate 671U-1 receiver/exciter rather than an internal 671U-4A receiver/exciter, the 718U-2 main radio case is narrower than case on the 718U-2A pictured above. All the 718U-2 variants use the same power amplifier module & power supply module & antenna coupler case.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Collins Cold War Jeep Radios

The RT-524 is the most common type of radio in the VRC-12 series radios. It is capable of transmitting and receiving on frequencies from 30- 76 MHz and can be used on the six-meter radio band.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Tuning in: Which radio it correct for your MV?

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Museums, Clubs, Organizations

WWI Museum partners to showcase WWI-inspired timepieces

One of the few WWII items I received after my grandfather’s death was this bracelet. I hadn’t realized that it was something other than a piece of wartime jewelry that he had liberated.
Accouterments

Favorite Find: Grandfather's souvenir bracelet

Wall hangings featuring finely detailed, snarling tigers were popular souvenirs during the Vietnam War. Entirely hand-sewn, these almost always had the word “Viet-Nam” on the obverse.
Flags, Banners

Vietnam wall hangings become snarling souvenirs

The monument to Virginia at Gettysburg reminds all Americans of the decisive battle that was fought in the Pennsylvania countryside 150 years ago.
Militaria Collecting 101

A Long Legacy: Collecting relics from the Battle of Gettysburg

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Militaria Collecting 101

Lost WWII D-Day bell resurfaces after 70 years

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Accouterments

COLLECTING SPANISH CIVIL WAR BELT PLATES

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Accouterments

The Sam Browne Belt

Accouterments

Dissecting the Model 1917 Officer's Medical Belt

Book Reviews-Militaria Collecting

KUNSTOFFE: A Collector's Guide to German World War II Plastics and Their Markings, by W. Darrin Weaver

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Accouterments

Soldier Gear Is 100 Times More Expensive than in WWII