Heavily decorated WW2 veteran on Victory Day, Moscow, 2010.  Best regards, JR.

Heart's too full of memories ...

Privately-made embroidered versions of the German Cross in Gold - "the Fuhrer's Fried Egg" - are relatively familiar.  Less familiar (to me at any rate) are privately-made embroidered of the Iron Cross, First Class.  In the case of the EK1 at any rate, it was not permitted to wear an embroidered version but, clearly, this rule was ignored in some cases.  This example was recovered from a dead German near Carentan, Normandy, and is now in a private collection in the USA.  Best regards, JR.

Unusual souvenir.

This picture is the worthy conclusion of the Fiat G.55 Centauro’s history, an history began in first half of 40s: the I-MRSV, a Fiat G.59-4B of Italian Air Force, former military registration MM.53774, restored in flying condition by a Parma’s pilot, Pino Valenti. The cockpit is different (two bubble canopies), the engine is the RR Merlin, but the plane is the same: the Centauro. And after all for rebuilding the G.55 Centauro for his Museum, the Italian Air Force has used one G.59’s airframe. Victor Sierra