Milsurp After Hours

I am not sure if I posted these here in the past or not.... This is a very small display that I did in the last year. I think it was 6 tables or so. Finnish and a bit of Soviet. Just a small display at a local show, not as large that would be seen at the scale of a FinnFest display. This was done more for fun than anything else, as every now and then it is nice to pull out some of the collection.

http://www.estonianarms.com/dp.htm

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What are these two objects,Tuco?

Niner wrote:What are these two objects,Tuco?

I believe those to be torches. I think you would call them "flashlights".

Tuco surely answers but I agree torches. The Finnish Army had nearly similar like those ones. They had colour plates inside. Red and green. one could draw the plates over the light. The colours were used keeping connection in night between troops. I may be wrong too but they look similar.

What I wondered were what for. Thought about aiming stakes for mortars. But could have been like the "official " army flashlight. The US version had the L shape with assorted lenses.. mostly red to make being killed for showing it more .. surprising.

The one with the red is a Finnish made example - I am not sure on the other as I have forgotten which one I used. Might be Soviet - Estonia - Latvia - Germany

The red filter was used for two reasons. When map checks were made at night, or any use of the flashlight was needed the enemy could not see it very well. Also the red filter allows you to maintain your vision purple which aids in keeping your night vision.

Exactly. I have also seen in TV and in few color documentary how US carrier pilots before dim or dark flight and (German?)sub seaman before going up conning tower used red goggles in order to have a better night vision.

In my draftee times in night practices colored lights were used as well between organized formations for connection when moving. So in the way a short flash. The torches were similar type as the ones in the picture. IIRC ours were like the one on the left. With small buttons (the one on the right may well be Finnish production). It had red and green colour plates, of course. The battery was one flat 4,5 volt. That's why the flat shape. In the US one they shold be several 1,5 volt batteries. Germans had similar ones (flat ones) in WW2. Germans replaced a lot of their equipment after war but SA went back to barracks and ,as poor army (no money), carried living as earlier.

For those of us that have served our countries in the military, these things always look familiar but in updated versions. When I served with some foreign troops in Europe during my Ranger hitch one of the groups had one like this.

Some more photos -

Very small display that I did this past weekend at a show. Dealing with Finland in 1944.

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Shot of the tables

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Finn SMG gunner summer M36 tunic Hugarian helmet - a good example of summer 1944 soldier

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Some mines, grenades, Bofors shell, and a Finnish issue Panzerschreck - one of the 1800 or so sent to Finland in 1944

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Satchel charge trainer from the war, detonator, glass mine, and other odds and ends.

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DP28 Finnish 09-21 Maxim - German rangefinder

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So not all that much as this was done sort of last minute and also done as a favor for the show promoter. The local promoter that has been doing shows here for over 20 years has been bought out by RK (big show promoter in the midwest) so this was the end of a long run here. I am sad to see this as now the local shows are run from outside the state. RK also lets in too many vendors with non gun items - such as beef jerky, toys, and the like. Still it was a lot of fun doing this as displays are a nice way to give back to the community.