German attic-found time capsule - Picture overload!

Brookwood said:
As a former museum Conservation Manager, I agree with this statement. Keep the collection together yourself or make sure it winds up in the hands of a collector who will do the same. I do not recommend donating this collection to a museum. First and foremost, photo document everything. It is very very seldom one finds an 'un-contaminated' collection such as this. Everything is un-questionably authentic and as you put is succinctly, it is a time capsule. Photo documenting it and posting it on forums like this or wehrmacht-awards.com (that are independently hosted) are a sure fire way of allowing the widest audience of interested persons access to the collection. The responses posted here are a good example of that course of action being appreciated. From a museum standpoint, although interesting, it is not historically significant, and that will adversely affect how it is processed. Accessioning (accepting and cataloging) a collection is a labor intensive and costly process that requires the institution to take a critical look at what it accepts. Working against you (from a museum perspective) are the facts that; all the items are common, the soldiers in question are not of note and the collection does not display well in it's entirety. If this collection were offered to a museum, the unfortunate truth is that it would be separated, the choice items would be accessioned to replace those in the collection of lesser quality, the remaining items would be de-accessioned (disposed of) and ultimately, stored away from public view. A private collector has a different appreciation and motives altogether, is not bound by organizational standards or bureaucracy, and will care for the collection accordingly based on personal interests and passion.

Thank you very much for sharing. Please think carefully about what you are going to do with this collection, you have quite the find there my friend.

Brookwood
Click to expand...

OP, that is a great little snap shot of a time in history and many thanks for posting. Brookwood comments are right on the fact in regards to the collections future should it end up in a museum.
 
MD said:
A relative of my wife's in Germany went over to the former East Berlin when the wall came down and went to his old family home and asked if he could look in the attic for some some things his family had left there in the 1940s.

One of the items was a mint 98k rifle.

I've seen it. He's deceased, but his wife has it now.
Click to expand...

That is ultra cool
 
The father of a friend of mine survived the war, and fled to the West in the 50s. Years later he got a quiet word to his lawyer to recover personal items exactly like these. The East Germans found out and killed the lawyer as a lesson to anyone trying to communicate with the West. As has been mentioned, how many of these personal archives sets were ditched into the woods in 1945?
 
Well, someone has to be "that guy" so might as well be me.

What do you think the collection would be worth? I'm imagining an episode of Pawnstars and everyone losing their collective siht over your soda cracker can.
 
So what you're saying, and I agree with completely, is that private, amateur collectors do a better job than museums.

Brookwood said:
As a former museum Conservation Manager, I agree with this statement. Keep the collection together yourself or make sure it winds up in the hands of a collector who will do the same. I do not recommend donating this collection to a museum. First and foremost, photo document everything. It is very very seldom one finds an 'un-contaminated' collection such as this. Everything is un-questionably authentic and as you put is succinctly, it is a time capsule. Photo documenting it and posting it on forums like this or wehrmacht-awards.com (that are independently hosted) are a sure fire way of allowing the widest audience of interested persons access to the collection. The responses posted here are a good example of that course of action being appreciated. From a museum standpoint, although interesting, it is not historically significant, and that will adversely affect how it is processed. Accessioning (accepting and cataloging) a collection is a labor intensive and costly process that requires the institution to take a critical look at what it accepts. Working against you (from a museum perspective) are the facts that; all the items are common, the soldiers in question are not of note and the collection does not display well in it's entirety. If this collection were offered to a museum, the unfortunate truth is that it would be separated, the choice items would be accessioned to replace those in the collection of lesser quality, the remaining items would be de-accessioned (disposed of) and ultimately, stored away from public view. A private collector has a different appreciation and motives altogether, is not bound by organizational standards or bureaucracy, and will care for the collection accordingly based on personal interests and passion.

Thank you very much for sharing. Please think carefully about what you are going to do with this collection, you have quite the find there my friend.

Brookwood
Click to expand...
 
Very nice collection. It's too bed the history revisionists would erase things rather than let us learn from it.

My aunt had a rather nice collection of memoribila. I havent been to her house for years now but she had pics of her relatives on the deck of the bismark. Several hand thrown items which i hope were deactivated! Either her father or a close relative was an ss officer but when a scottish airman went down nearby they hid him till he could be snuck out.
 
XRCD011 said:
The Germans certainly made good at scooping up aircraft in occupied countries and no doubt gathered more from forced landings, Russian front, etc once the allied started air operations against them.

http://histaviation.com/Douglas_DC_3.html
118098d1277829062-german-dakota-6.jpg
Click to expand...

I had read a book about the use of captured and downed aircraft used by the luftwaffe during ww2. If I recall correctly they had a big program to bring in downed allied aircraft. I'm pretty sure they had a lot of serviceable examples. I will try and see if I can come up with the title of the book
 
I had read a book about the use of captured and downed aircraft used by the luftwaffe during ww2. If I recall correctly they had a big program to bring in downed allied aircraft. I'm pretty sure they had a lot of serviceable examples. I will try and see if I can come up with the title of the book
Click to expand...

That sounds like a great reference. Let us know if you recall. Fascinating stuff!

I am not sure if the DC 3s in particular were used in any insertion or other types of deception missions.

My understanding was that the Germans preferred inserting agents by parachute from faster normal military aircraft that would appear to the allies
as routine intrusion or recce missions rather than ghosting captured allied transport aircraft for the job.

Looking at the service histories of the DC 3s I recall at least one did not have any details about its loss but that may have been due to record
destruction and chaos during the end of the war.
 
I wander, why that Nazi Wilhelm Rehfus had not destroyed that Nazi crap before he came to Canada. He must had been proud of the Nazis atrocities.

More likely proud of the friends he left in foreign fields and foxholes.
 
mark k said:
I wander, why that Nazi Wilhelm Rehfus had not destroyed that Nazi crap before he came to Canada. He must had been proud of the Nazis atrocities.

More likely proud of the friends he left in foreign fields and foxholes.
Click to expand...

Regardless of all the bad that happened he was still a soldier for his country and was obviously a big part of his life. If it were you I'm sure you would keep a few reminders, if nothing else to remind of how bad things can get and be great full for what you have.
 
Surplus1 said:
I had read a book about the use of captured and downed aircraft used by the luftwaffe during ww2. If I recall correctly they had a big program to bring in downed allied aircraft. I'm pretty sure they had a lot of serviceable examples. I will try and see if I can come up with the title of the book
Click to expand...

Strangers in a Strange Land

Squadron/Signal Publications; 1st edition (November 1987), 80 pages, ISBN-10: 0897471989

51xTFHIyyL._SX258_BO1204203200__zps2q9nrz7p.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Strange-Land-Vol-Aircraft/dp/0897471989
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom