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    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars

    filupe
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    Post by filupe Sat Aug 06, 2011 1:03 am

    Some of my Portuguese insignia, some are newer than the colonial conflicts but a fair majority I think would be from that era ...

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_4698

    I have a fair idea of the ID of most of the badges thanks to the book, 'Portuguese Elite Unit Insignia 1951 - Present' by Harry Pugh & Robert Bragg. The only exception is the 'Mozambique-SAfrique' one - I'd love to know the story behind this one!

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_4700

    Close-up of the mysterious 'South African' badge:

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_4703

    I bought these unidentified magazine pouches off the net some years ago. They were not specifically described as 'Portuguese' but I thought they looked close enough that they .. just .. might .. be .....?

    Can anyone here confirm or deny that assumption??

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars Portuguesepouches

    Postscipt: Since been identified on another forum as being Dutch.

    My Portuguese uniform pieces:

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 100_3517

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 100_3509

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 100_3513

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 100_3504-1
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    Post by Camo_fiend Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:42 am

    Lots of cool stuff here, especially the uniforms! The fading on the one smock is pretty neat.


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    Post by helm40 Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:41 am

    Hello,
    Do you have a source for helmet covers? I am searching for a Portuguese PASGT pattern camo cover in the dpm stlye camo. I need a large size if you can help.
    Thanks,
    Scott
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    Post by filupe Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:50 am

    @ Camo_fiend - Thanks mate! The smock is not so much faded but a lighter colouration to start off with.

    @ Helm40 - There's an eBay seller by the nick of 'portugaltotal' - suggest you try him!
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    Post by koalorka Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:28 pm

    That's a very nice para-quesdistas smock you've got there..
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    Post by helm40 Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:56 am

    Thanks,
    I have talked to Portugaltotal before and he has not been able to help.
    Thanks, Again,
    Scott
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    Post by Gubbio Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:40 am

    I can get you a helmet cover. Unfortunately they're hard to get, even in Portugal, and rather expensive. PM me if interested.
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    Post by filupe Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:42 am

    Just in ... Portuguese airborne beret. During the colonial wars the paratroopers wore a green beret and they went to maroon sometime after.

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_5576

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_5577

    Also, update on the 'Mozambique/Safrique' badge in the first post of this thread - this belonged to a civilian safari company operating in Mozambique prior to the Portuguese pull-out.
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    Post by Gubbio Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:02 pm

    The Portuguese paratroopers never wore a red beret. They always wore green. The native troops trained as paratroopers (The GEP) during the colonial war did wear a red beret, but not with that badge.
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    Post by Gubbio Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:50 pm

    When the Portuguese airborne corps was created in 1955, the first paratroops in fact opted for a red beret. But the Portuguese secretary of defense vetoed the idea, perhaps thinking it suggested comunism, which the regime staunchly opposed, and directed instead that the color be green. And green it has remained until today. Now, the "comandos," on the other hand, did change from a brown beret to the current red one right at the end of the colonial war period, when the dictatorship had been overthrown.

    The first two photos show an airborne beret from the 1961-1966 period, and then another from a little later, probably the early to mid-1970s, with the airborne beret insignia that was current from 1966 to 1993. The second two photos show an early brown beret with the early "comandos" beret insignia and then a "comandos" red beret from 1975, shortly after the change from brown to red. The last photo is of a page from a history of the Portuguese airborne, in Portuguese, showing the green beret with the 1966-1993 insignia. I hope this helps clear up any confusion.


    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Photobucket

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    Post by filupe Wed Aug 31, 2011 1:53 am

    Gubbio wrote:The Portuguese paratroopers never wore a red beret. They always wore green. The native troops trained as paratroopers (The GEP) during the colonial war did wear a red beret, but not with that badge.

    I stand corrected - it was the Portuguese Commandoes who changed their beret colour from chestnut brown to red after the colonial conflicts. It remains an enigma as it certainly does look like the badge belongs there .... perhaps a paraquedista attached to the commandoes or vice versa *shrug* Razz From an ex-Spanish NCO that I currently serve with, I understand that soldiers can be 'bartered' off to different units!
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    Post by filupe Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:02 am

    Really nice berets Gubbio - good to see some of your stuff! I have the chestnut brown and yellow (GEP?) one with red and green ties at the rear, unfortunately the 'leather' rim has become sticky and started to perish with both of these. With my red beret above, is the internal tag one you are familiar with? Do ALL Portuguese berets have the red and green ties at the rear?
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    Post by Gubbio Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:37 pm

    Thanks. I suppose anything's possible, but it would strike me as odd that a comando, who are fiercely proud of their berets, would adorn one with the air force insignia. But then again, there was a period when the situation with the airborne and the comandos was in flux, when the former had been transferred to the army and the latter had been disbanded, and both had been combined in a newly created light infantry, quick reaction unit (the BAI, or "Independent Airborne Brigade"). But since this was an army unit, it doesn't explain the air force insignia, unless it was from a soldier who had earned both his comando and his parachute qualifications and decided to create this hybrid head cover. Still, it's quite bizarre, and definitely not regulation. My guess is that it was put together by someone who was just playing around. To answer your question, the yellow beret was for the GE (Grupos Especiais, which translates roughly to "special groups"), which were composed mostly of native troops and used in counterinsurgency operations in Africa. The GEP (Grupos Especiais Páraquedistas, or "special parachute groups") wore the red beret. There was also a camouflage beret, now quite scarce, which was used mostly by the 3rd Comandos Company and by the "Flechas," native counterinsurgency troops operated by the Portuguese secret police of the time, the PIDE/DGS. (There is a well-known photo of Daniel Roxo wearing a camouflage beret, though it's unclear whether it's from one of the aforementioned units or a separate creation.) Confusingly, I have a yellow beret with the red and green ties and a couple others with black ties, both of them with the OGFE (government uniform factory) label inside. One of my yellow berets with black ties was brought back from Africa by someone who was there during that period (it includes the original insignia), so maybe the black ties were more standard. Then again, it's possible both were used interchangeably. All the Portuguese military berets I own (and these include all the berets except the camouflage one, that is, red, green, yellow, white, light blue, dark blue, ranger green and the already-mentioned brown and yellow berets) sport black ties, except for, as noted, the brown beret with red and green ties and a black cavalry beret, which has red and yellow ties (and I already mentioned the one yellow beret with red and green ties). As far as the label inside your beret, it's hard to see, but it appears to indicate a commercial supplier of military goods based in the northern city of Porto (or Oporto, as it's sometimes spelled in English). There aren't that many such suppliers around, so the beret's approximate age might be deduced from a closer reading of the label.
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    Post by Albano Wed Dec 07, 2011 12:59 pm

    filupe wrote:Just in ... Portuguese airborne beret. During the colonial wars the paratroopers wore a green beret and they went to maroon sometime after.

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_5576

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars IMG_5577

    Also, update on the 'Mozambique/Safrique' badge in the first post of this thread - this belonged to a civilian safari company operating in Mozambique prior to the Portuguese pull-out.


    This one is probably a dub.

    It could be a GEP-Grupo Especial Paraquedista (Paratrooper Special Group) as they used "grenat" (pinkish red) berets but the insignia is all wrong!!
    Should be like the one below on the left

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars Imagem2

    The two black straps on the back are status of elite unit opposite to the green/red of the infantry and artillery and the red/yellow of the cavalry.


    So what you have there is a legitime beret and insignia from two different units Wink

    Best regards

    .
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    Post by Gubbio Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:28 pm

    Good observation, Albano.

    Here is a picture of a GE beret badge on the beret.


    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Photobucket


    This is the breast insignia.

    Photobucket


    These are the GEP wings.

    Photobucket


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    Post by drmatz Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:40 pm

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars Bissor10
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars Bissor11
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars Paraqu10
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars O10rg10
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 02_esc10
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 04_rea10Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 04_rea11
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 06_110
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 0610
    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars 11-de-10


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    Post by Gubbio Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:17 pm

    Really good photos, Danilo, both the Brazilian and Portuguese ones. Thanks for sharing. The last one was probably taken during the period immediately after the revolution of 1974, when grooming standards for the military were somewhat lax...
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    Post by Shotgee Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:46 pm

    Absolutely great photos! Those remind me about an insignia I have. Just a question.

    This insignia/badge is supposed to be Para's Companhia de Pessoal. Seems to be old and the quality is slightly clumsy. Big item (5,1 cm of height). I think not a fake or repro etc. It just looks quite old. What bothers me, is that the chute is not as it is in other Companhia de Pessoal- badges I've seen. In my badge the chute is in "straight up" -position. Maybe a variation? Then, the Portuguese language is a bit hard to me. What really means Companhia de Pessoal in english? Pessoal = personnel, but that does not tell much to me.


    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars PRTGCPPara
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    Post by Albano Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:20 am

    Companhia de Pessoal is the logistic company of the Regimento de Paraquedistas (Parachute Regiment) created in 1961.

    This insignia:
    The parachute - refers to the type of troop
    The gladio - refers to a special unit
    The grenade and crossed quils - refers to administration and supply service

    Best regards

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    Post by Shotgee Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:05 pm

    Muito Obrigado, Albano,

    Thanks for an exhaustive reply-info. Logistics is easier to translate/understand in Finnish language.

    I like the badge's design. Heavy old style item made of bronze & hot enamel.

    Thanks,

    Shotgee


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    Post by Albano Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:01 am

    You're welcome. Glad to be of service Smile

    You have there a very fine and almost rare piece of militaria if regarding that unit's "crachá" (how we call does insignias here in Portugal) was issued in low quantities (a logistic company have always few personnel being company in name sometimes it's only a platton sized)

    A bit of trivia:
    That unit changed to another designation since paratroopers were attached to army out from the air force (i believe it was earlier than this cant be sure) and is now called CCS - Companhia de Comando e Serviços and theres one for each paratrooper battalion and all battalion wear the battallion insignia)

    Shotgee wrote:
    ...
    I like the badge's design. Heavy old style item made of bronze & hot enamel.
    ...

    As they are still today. Hard, thick and durable. It's a piety that PT military don't make other things like that anymore Evil or Very Mad

    Best regards

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    Post by Shotgee Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:53 am

    Albano,

    Thanks a lot for the additional info. Yes, too many badges & insignia's nowadays are very simple and almost dull. Besides, too easy to make repro's of those.

    Best...

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    Post by Shotgee Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:53 pm

    Albano,

    I'm boiling in a deep confusion-soup again ( as usually ). This time with my Mocidade para-brevets.
    I don't find any info why six different types of qualification brevets?

    What are brevets 1 - 2 - 3 qualifications? ( how many jumps, or some other levels )

    Descriptions in Portuguese on the other three brevets A, B and C goes as below:

    A = Abertura Automatica ( automatic opening? )

    B = Abertura Manual ( manual opening / free fall? )

    C = Mestre de Salto ( master / instructor? )

    Attached enlargened photos of the whole serie ( wing spans are 75 mm and heights 43 mm ).

    One photo is of reverse. All are same: safety pin & numbers-letters attached with brass nut.

    I thank in advance for your help, sir.

    Shotgee


    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars MocidadeSeriebig

    Portuguese militaria from the African Colonial Wars Mocidadereversebig
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    Post by Albano Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:56 am

    Hi Shotgee

    Unfortunatly this time i can't be of any help. It's first time i saw any of those brevet's. Didn't even know they existed either. As the Mocidade Portuguesa is some sort of tabu here people don't show often those kind of stuff. But i can see what i can find about it. I'll take the matter on hands after vacations period.

    Best regards

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    Post by Shotgee Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:23 am

    Hi Albano,

    Thank You, sir. I know the topic is difficult. Before I managed to get a full serie, I had seen only single brevets for sale-trade every now and then.

    Notice that the photo is taken by me and of my serie. Not stolen from the net.

    Sorry for a radio-silence. I've been lately quite often on the road & out of town.

    All The Best...

    Shotgee

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