Rare Trench Art WWII Bofors 1942 Doodlebug V-1 Rocket Ornament

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Rare Trench Art WWII Bofors 1942 Doodlebug V-1 Rocket Ornament:
$491.12

Here for your consideration is a magnificent and extremely rare piece of trench art, depicting a brass, V-Idoodlebug German rocket, ornament/ paperweight, converted from a de-commissioned 1942 World War II, AB Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft shell cartridge, fully marked.

Please take time look at all 12 photos to fully appreciate theexquisite quality of workmanship, in this magnificent piece of Allied WWII trench art.

Considering this Allied shell casing is 74 yearsold it\'s in very good condition, with no splits, damage or repairs. Itdoes have some beautiful age related brass patination, commensurate with 74 years of age, but nothing unusual.When you consider what this shell has probably been through, over time, we think it just adds to its character. What is nice is the fact that this delightful piece of trench art is totally unspoilt, which over the years has created a beautiful age related patina !!

Doodlebug V-1 Rocket ...

The V-1 German flying bombalso known to the Allies as thebuzz bomb or doodlebug,and in Germany asKirschkern(cherrystone) or Maikafer (maybug) was an earlypulse-jet powered cruise missile, the first production aircraft to use a pulse-jet for power.

The V-1 was developed atPeenemunde Army Research Centreby theGerman Luftwaffeduring theSecond World War. During initial development it was known by thecodename\"Cherry Stone\". The first of the so-calledVergeltungswaffenseries designed forterror bombingof London, the V-1 was fired from launch facilities along the French (Pas-de-Calais) and Dutch coasts. The first V-1 was launched at London on 13 June 1944, one week after (and prompted by) the successfulAllied landings in Europe. At its peak, more than one hundred V-1s a day were fired at south-east England, 9,521 in total, decreasing in number as sites were overrun until October 1944, when the last V-1 site in range of Britain was overrun by Allied forces. After this, the V-1s were directed at the port ofAntwerpand other targets in Belgium, with 2,448 V-1s being launched. The attacks stopped when the last launch site was overrun on 29 March 1945.

The British operated an arrangement ofair defences, includinganti-aircraft gunsand fighter aircraft, to intercept the bombs before they reached their targets as part ofOperation Crossbow, while the launch sites and undergroundV-I storage depotswere targets ofstrategic bombing.

Bofors 40mm Gun ...

The Bofors gunis ananti-aircraft/multi-purpose auto cannondesigned in the 1930s by theSwedisharms manufacturerAB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems duringWorld War II, used by most of the westernAlliesas well as by theAxis powers. A small number of these weapons remain in service to this day, and saw action as late as theGulf War.

Bofors itself has been part ofBAE Systemssince March 2005.

Trench Art ...

Any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.Common articles that this includes are decorated shell and bullet casings and items carved from wood and bone.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term \'trench art\' is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

Category 1 Soldier-made items ...

There is much evidence to prove that some trench art was made in the trenches, by soldiers, during the war.George Coppard in \'Machine Gun to Cambrai\'talks about pressing his regimental buttons into the clay on the floor of the trench, then pouring molten lead from shrapnel balls into this impression to make lead replicas of the crest – trench art personified.

Chalk carvings were also popular, with contemporary postcards showing carvings into the side of rocky outcrops around dug-outs, which again confirm their existence in the battle zone.Alongside items that, by their nature, had to be made in situ,it is fair to say many smaller items such as rings, paper knives, etc. were made by soldiers either in front line or support trenches, especially in quieter parts of the line.In addition, wounded soldiers would be encouraged to do certain craftwork as part of the recuperation process, with embroidery and simple forms of woodwork being quite common.

Category 2 POW and Internee items ...

The second category consists of items made by prisoners of war and internedcivilians.Since Napoleonic times POWs had good reasons to make decorative objects, unending days with little to occupy them and limited food and money. Much POW work was therefore done with the express intention of trading the finished article for food, money or other privileges.

Category 3 Civilian-made items ...

The third category is items made by civilians, which mainly means civilians in and around the conflict zone, but would also include items made by sweethearts at home.In 1914 America set up a Belgian Relief Fund, headed byHerbert Hoover. They shipped over staple foodstuffs, mainly flour sent in the printed cotton flour sacks typical of the period. In thanks the Belgians would embroider and paint in the designs, elaborating them with dates and Flags, etc., and send them back to America. Many of these are now in the Herbert Hoover Museum in Iowa, but some were sold to soldiers in Paris or given as gifts to individuals involved in the shipment process.

Civilians in France, in the zones occupied by troops, were quick to exploit this new market. Embroidered postcards were produced in what quickly became a cottage industry, with civilians buying the surrounds and embroidering the panel of gauze. These postcards often had regimental crests or patriotic Flags and national symbols in abundance, and millions were produced over the course of the war.

When the war ended and civilians began to reclaim their shattered communities, a new market appeared in the form of pilgrims and tourists. Over the ensuing twenty years the mountains of discarded debris, shell casings and equipment were slowly recycled, with mass-produced town crest motifs being stuck onto bullets, shell casings, fuse caps and sold to tourists.

Category 4 Commercially-made items ...

The fourth category is purely commercial production. After the war, tonnes of surplus materials were sold by the government and converted to souvenirs of the conflict.Ship breaking, particularly if the ship had been involved in significant events, such as Jutland, resulted in much of the wood from the ship being turned into miniature barrels, letter racks, boxes, etc.

Dimensions as follows ...

Height: 5.75 inches or 14.6 cm (highest point)

Length: 7.75 inches or 19.7 cm (longest point)

Weight: 1lb 12 oz or 808 grams

This is as good as it gets with regards to interesting pieces of trench art. How manyof these have you seen, an extremely rarefind indeed. I\'ve only got one, once it\'s gone .... it\'s gone, andifthere\'s one thing I\'ve learned about antiques, when items are of quality and extremelyrare he who hesitates, usually loses out.

This rare piece of trench art is sohighly collectable, and would add value to anymilitarycollection. A stylish piece of trench art that has stunning detailed decoration. A real must for any seriousmilitary/trench art collector. Rare, interesting and unusual pieces of trench art, have become extremely collectable and are really appreciating in value.

This would make a superb gift. Idealaccessory for a business desk or maybe simply used as an ornate paperweight. One thing is for sure, it\'ll certainly be a real talking point among workcolleagues or friends !!

The V-1 doodlebug rocket ornament/paperweight willbe sent out recorded, special delivery with insurance.

Please note, all my international postal charges are only estimates andwill be confirmed and altered upor down when I know the destination to where,items arebeing sent. Please also note I only charge actual costs of postage and packaging with insurance, no more.

Please feel free to look at my other items.