Having blown a fair bit more than I was supposed to on militaria this month, I’m a bit short of money. As I often do when this happens, I’ve trawled fleaBay for cheap tidbits and have come up with a few small relics. They’re nothing special in the grand scheme of things, but they are still history.

Presenting: A collection of American and German shell casings dug up in the Ardennes forest, likely artifacts from the Battle of the Bulge. The German casings have a wide variety of dates, from 1934 to 1944. The one 1944-dated case appears to be made of steel, going on the levels of corrosion. The others are brass. The American casings, of .30-06 caliber, are all dated 1942. They bear the headstamp ‘R.A’, which I believe to be for Remington Arms. All the American casings have been fired. A couple of the German ones have unstruck primers, but are otherwise inert.

Also of interest, included for free as part of the deal, is what appears to be the bottom arm of an Iron Cross. The ‘1939′ is hard to see in the photos, but is definitely there. It appears to be some form of trench art, made crudely of lead, but otherwise identical in size when compared to a regular EK II. There are two holes on the back, presumably for whatever attachment hardware was once affixed to it. An interesting little item, but one that will forever remain a mystery.

A nice little collection of relics. Nothing special, but history all the same.

Regards, B.B.