The Armourer April 2022

REGULAR Welcome The cover feature this month is the final battle for Berlin, where the British and American forces held off getting involved in costly street fighting. Stalin, of course, lied to the other western powers and made it his priority, regardless of how many Red Army soldiers had to die to capture it. Our story then starts on the River Oder and the Seelow Heights as the Red Army encircled the capital and cut off the German 9th Army in the forests outside Berlin. The fanatical, desperate and doomed defence is detailed as command and control over Wehrmacht formations disintegrated and Hitler issued orders that were no longer followed. It’s the apocalyptic end to the Third Reich. On a related theme, I’d like to draw your attention to The…

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ARMOURER YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, YOUR WAY Pick the rate that suits you and your budget! With offers starting from as little as £12.99 a quarter, subscribing really is the cheapest and easiest way to receive the paper magazine to your door every month! Save money every issue Quarterly, annual or one-off options available SAVE UP TO 16%* To view our latest subscription offers go to MILITARIA.MA/ARM-SUBS22 or call 01778 392489 and quote ARM/MYSUB22 Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm and Saturdays 9am – 5pm READ ON ANY DEVICE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME! Read about battles and campaigns including features on collecting medals, weapons, uniforms and equipment. All of this one week before it’s on sale in the shops when opting for the digital magazine! pktmags.com/arm-sub22 *Saving…

REGULAR militarianews Duncan Evans reports on what’s happening in the world of military history and collecting MUSEUM Dambuster medal group saved Medal Auctioneers, Dix Noonan Webb has arranged the sale of WWII campaign group of six awarded to Lancaster pilot Squadron Leader LS ‘Benny’ Goodman to the RAF Museum. Goodman, died in July 2021 aged 100, and had a memorial service at St. Clement Danes Church, on 4 February, 2022. He was the last surviving RAF pilot of 617 (Dambuster) Squadron to attack the German battleship Tirpitz. He went on to be one of the few pilots to drop the 22,000lb ‘Grand Slam’ bomb, the heaviest ever dropped by the Royal Air Force, and by the end of the war he had flown on 30 bombing operations. The medals were…

MEDAL Medal for Afghanistan evacuation Military personnel involved in the biggest evacuation in 70 years to get medal and clasp. It’s been announced by the Ministry of Defence that all service personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF involved in the airlift that evacuated thousands of Afghans and British nationals from Afghanistan as the Taliban seized the country, are to receive a medal for their efforts. The medal will be the existing Operation Service Medal Afghanistan but it will come with a clasp titled ‘OPERATION PITTING’. Anyone who already has this medal will also have a clasp titled ‘AFGHANISTAN’ and will simply receive the new clasp to add to the medal’s ribbon. The OSM Afghanistan medal obverse shows the crowned effigy of Elizabeth II with the inscription ‘ELIZABETH II…

EXHIBTIONS Imperial War Museum launches live event Tickets are now available for IWM Live, a new event on Saturday 11 June bringing together IWM’s collection, the expertise of the museum’s curators, book signings from leading historical authors, and the opportunity for visitors to engage with veterans of conflict. Events will take place at IWM Duxford and range from talks about iconic aircraft, such as the Lancaster, Vulcan, Spitfire and Mosquito, to demonstrations and presentations of some of the most compelling objects from the IWM collection. The IWM lineup includes Professor Richard Overy (The Dictators; Blood and Ruins: The Great Imperial War 1931-1945), Clare Mulley (The Women Who Flew For Hitler), Dr Helen Fry (Spymaster; The Walls Have Ears), Katja Hoyer (Blood and Iron), and Damien Lewis, who will be discussing…

Buying and collecting Militaria for sale Lenny Warren trawls the internet to find bargains, rare, interesting or bizarre items of militaria FOR SALE I was watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on the gogglebox the other night, I love the scene when Indiana throws the SS officer out of the Zeppelin and turns to the puzzled passengers and says, “No ticket…” Whilst I’m sure you’ll agree with me it’s funny, it made me think just how much German paperwork we find in militaria collecting. Here we have an interesting selection of Imperial German paperwork to an infantryman including his green edged, wound card. This is a nice research project and a good start to any collection of German paperwork. Priced at £75 from www.bulldogmilitaria.co.uk. When it comes to German…