Badge of the Italian campaign in Greece and Albania

On Saturday I went to Militalia Novegro, as I expected there was a lot of interesting stuff but the prices were really out of the ordinary.
For goodness sake you have a chance to see the goods live and deal with traders, but I think, in these times of crisis, if not slightly lower prices for collecting military will become wealthy few.
Finally I saw that the bulk of the material shown was of German origin, at least 70%, possible that everyone will be looking exclusively Nazi objects?
Anyway I could not come home with nothing, and I found something.
I bought this pin of the Italian expedition in Greece and Albania, and a treatise on the 111th Line Infantry in the service of Napoleon for 30 €.
It was established May 13, 1942 by ministerial N ° 356 and was given to all those who had fought for at least 3 months on the front greek-Albanian-Yugoslav October 28, 1940 April 23, 1941, by regulation was brought above the ribbons on his chest left.
As for the other badges there are several variants,this is produced by Boeri Roma, was also produced by Johnson from Milan to Rome and Fratelli Lorioli from Milan.
There are versions of unmarked and some with no sign Fascist created after the war.
These last two are logically rarest and also the prices may be higher.
The phrase means the obverse: Albania to the victorious soldiers of Rome.

German dog tag of a italian prisoner of war

What today I want to tell you the story of a real stroke of luck.
Last flea market I have not found anything, I was leaving and most of the banquets was withdrawing the goods because there was bad weather.
In fact I had seen something beautiful but the prices were really crazy especially for those periods where the money is always short.
After a while in one of those boxes full of old iron I see a square metal plate with three holes. Immediately I thought of a plate of some mess, I'll take it in hand and surprise.

I notice that is a plate having the military written on the two halves mirrored with respect to the central axis that is perforated to allow the tear in case of need.
The three holes and the bill remind me of the German plates, but those usually are oval instead this is rectangular. Unfortunately I do not know German, but the writing and characters imprinted remind me the style of the second world war, so even without knowing what it is exactly, I'll take it, ask me € 10, taking her away to 5 €.


The inscriptions are engraved:

STALAG IA/EB
Nr. 14756 FZ
JT

When I got home I do a brief search on the internet and find out that the word STALAG indicates the German prison camps of World War II, where they were interned captured enemy soldiers and undisciplined German soldiers.

I find it on this site http://www.pegasusarchive.org/pow/Stalag.htm that the wording IA / EB indicates the stalag of Ebenrode Nesterov in today's Russia.
The figures are to indicate the number and FZ JT probably some internal classification of the prisoner at the camp.

At this point I start to fantasize about that story may have had this plate, maybe an Italian military or partisan captured after September 8, I will not conceal that this hypothesis is the one I like best because my grandfather was captured by the Germans and passed a bad period of imprisonment in Germany so he probably had a small plate like this, other hypothesis than a military internship some foreign army on the way back, after the war, he threw a military or Russian or German, after a period of internment, he was sent to the front line to fight against the partisans. Who knows, only time machine could reveal the history of this object, I'm happy all the same.

Commemorative badge of the WW2 Russian campaign of the Italy troops - ARMIR - CSIR

This was a purchase from the market , those who sometimes do not expect to do.
I agree with you who follow me on stories and photos.
I saw it on the counter and holds much history and suffering I did not have the heart to leave them .
is the badge that was initially awarded to members of the armed 8 ^ ( ARMIR ), then extended (1967) to all participants in the Russian campaign ( CSIR) . It was established on 05.12.1943 .
The first model, coined by Lorioli , has a diameter of 45mm , the second smallest is a brooch 15mm .
Specifically, this is a first type with the pin stuck in one of the mailorder sabers, there is another variant with the pin welded at the two signs , then vertically. Probably the attack was shifted due to the low seal welding .
It is a distinctive very expensive, the price of this type is around 60-70 € , the one with the pin in the vertical being a bit ' oldest and most rare is around 100-120 € .
There are reproductions , as for the other the first rule is distinctive details. The originals have always crisp details and very present , the replicas being obtained to calculate many times are less clear . In this case to prove the originality I also used the nose, in the true sense of the word, obviously smelling smelled of old stuff, you know when you pull something out of an old trunk Well its smell.
Using this trick you sometimes removes doubts about objects of dubious provenance .