DougB Collection

[Doug B]

...and I remember your M16 with the red stripe very well from other forums.

Indeed Hans, I had that when I was 14 before my uncle wanted to turn it into a flower pot! Here it is with Karel's beside it, mine is the one on the right with the white barn paint. I took these at the museum here in town. Both have the identical stripe, both are camo overtop of camo, something which you almost never see, both have the exact same color palette, even the brush strokes are the same. Inside both have writing from 3 different German soldiers in pencil, mine had the inscription as well from the soldier who captured it in Peronne France 1917.

I still remember Karel calling me and texting me photos of the one he was looking at in the show or flea market, we couldn't believe it. These 2 helmets were painted on the same day and probably by the same soldier. Both are incredible camos, but yet nobody can identify what the red stripe signifies with any certainty. I have heard for rank, for medic, for machine gunner, an Austrian wound badge but I ruled that out. Cannot find any photographic evidence either and too bad neither helmet was ever unit marked.

So it still remains a mystery, however I have now seen it faked on eBay lol!

 

[Westfront]

A magnificent impressive collection , it took me a few hours to study all the helmets

 

[Snaffles]

Wow! What an amazing collection and fantastic display… and there is a “second display area”??? I am looking to seeing the further updates! Thank you very much Doug, for sharing your collection with us all.
All the best
Michael

 

[mike kelso]

Doug, seeing your most impressive collection makes ones heart beat faster. Absolutely stunning! Thank you for the photos.

 

[cptbob]

Wow!!! That is awesome. Displayed immaculately

 

[Grabenmaxx]

My oh my. Several members mentioned the dislocation of their jaw and that says it all.

And to think that besides this fabulous collection (and only built in just 4 years!) there's a paleontology exhibit as well.

 

[Doug B]

A magnificent impressive collection , it took me a few hours to study all the helmets

Thanks very much. I love your avatar! Would love to see more!

Wow! What an amazing collection and fantastic display… and there is a “second display area”??? I am looking to seeing the further updates! Thank you very much Doug, for sharing your collection with us all.
All the best
Michael

Thanks Michael, the second display area is the photo with the 2 Ikea cabinets with the Tschako's, Pelzemütze, and miscellaneous pieces. I have some more going in this space soon and will update the photo as it progresses.

Doug, seeing your most impressive collection makes ones heart beat faster. Absolutely stunning! Thank you for the photos.

Thanks Mike, and just received today the memory stick with the digital version of your amazing book, thank you! I purchased quite a few pairs of shoulder boards from Steve Jr, many from your book, just so as to have a representative collection of them and from an amazing individual before me of course in Steve M Sr. Once I get them sorted out and displayed I will add them to this thread.

My oh my. Several members mentioned the dislocation of their jaw and that says it all.

And to think that besides this fabulous collection (and only built in just 4 years!) there's a paleontology exhibit as well.

Thanks, the lobster is what I look like when I visit the many threads on the forum as well! 6 years actually, 2021 to 2026 inclusive but yeah those who know me know I go hard or go home...no in between if you recall from the GHW forum . But it's been amazing at what has come up for sale and for auction in this time and I have been fortunate in being at the right place and right time.

And it's just a small display of megafauna, which I think is also art, like the Imperial collection. Some like paintings and vases, some like spike helmets and 30 million year old skulls....what can I say? I ran out of room with megafauna skulls which I collected from 2016-2020 and changed to pickelhaubes lol. But one thinks they get nervous with shipping old helmets, shipping these things gets the anxiety to a completely new level...