Photographs and Ephemera

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Photographs and Ephemera

A lone WW1 grave marker: Who was the American WWI doughboy’s buried here?

WAVES play Santa WAVES of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts help wrap Christmas presents for Navy and Marine Corps convalescents at the Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland, circa 1944. Admiring a package is Yeoman 2nd Class Ann G. Fee.
Photographs and Ephemera

Not home for Christmas: Military tradition celebrating the holidays

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Photographs and Ephemera

Date your 35mm Kodachrome Slides

American and French photographers U.S. National Archivesred
JAG File: All things History

10 Favorite Historic Soldier Photos

A closer look at the sergeant shows him to have the American Forces in Germany (AFG) unique MP collar emblems, four overseas stripes and four Army service stripes as well as his ever-present NCO whistle.
Photographs and Ephemera

WWI AEF/AFG Portraits

Dennis D. Dop (right) was the driver for Lieutenant Colonel (later, Major General) Pete McVey, commander of the 34d Squadron, 7th Cavalry. Dop selected this M151A2 “Mutt” in July 1974 because of the vehicle’s number: “NBC04P”. His wife was pregnant with their first child and he liked the “4P” (“for Papa”).
Photographs and Ephemera

Snapshots 2020 no. 3

Frontline Feature

MLT SPOT FOR SALECROP
Frontline Feature

UP FRONT AND CENTER!

This Spot Reaches More than 10,000 people a day.

SFC Leanard Guzinski, Sr., circa 1960 when he was a Green Beret in Laos with White Star Mobile Training Team.
Photographs and Ephemera

Snapshots 2020 no. 2

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JAG File: All things History

The Battle Hymn of the Republic is 158 years old

Private James F. Callahan, Co. F, 17th Evacuation Hospital, Siberian Expeditionary Force posed wearing his 1907 pattern cap backwards as was often suggested by photographers.
Photographs and Ephemera

Snapshots 2020 No. 1

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Militaria Collectibles

Spanish Military Pride: Army Uniforms under King Alfonso XIII of Spain

When Germany began to mobilize of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, it had to devise a system to of meticulous record keeping. One method was to issue each conscript a book — a Wehrpass — in which personal information was maintained. After the person was accepted into a branch of service, the Wehrpass was exchanged for a Soldbuch.
Photographs and Ephemera

The Wehrpass

In early 1918, the US War Department created the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) as a way to hasten the training of soldiers for the war. Students in the SATC would simultaneously take college courses and train for the military. The intensive training course at Bliss Electrical School where Maurice Bryant served provided training for electricians. This photo shows SATC drafted men from the Washington, D.C., area installing wires for the electric lights and motors in the wiring laboratory at the school, August 13, 1918. National Archives
Photographs and Ephemera

The SATC: They Also Served

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Photographs and Ephemera

Favorite Find: 5th Nebraska Infantry Soldier's Documents

USS Leviathan
Photographs and Ephemera

German Ships

June 13, 1915-dated photo of a French soldier that he sent to his girlfriend who was then living in Paris.
Photographs and Ephemera

Snapshots: October 2019

Full length photo of Capt. O H Newton in full uniform wearing the sword pictured in this article on a Philippine Constabulary leather belt. Newton, who stood 6’ 4”, must have seemed a giant among the Philippine natives.
Photographs and Ephemera

A Giant of a Soldier

Sgt. Schmalengerger, a friend of Schramm’s, leaning on an M38A1, Korea, 1951.
Photographs and Ephemera

Photo Ops

Eddie Grant, seen here in a New York Giants uniform, was the first, and most prominent, former Major League ballplayer to be killed in action during the war. Grant had already retired from baseball and was working as a lawyer when war was declared. Courtesy Library of Congress
Photographs and Ephemera

October 1918: A bad month for baseball

1863 Discharge of Fredrick Albright with his GAR membership medal. If I hadn’t taken the time to follow up on leads, I would never have been able to reunite this discharge with the photo of my Grandfather Albright.
Photographs and Ephemera

Why do we collect?

A Cleveland,Ohio, delegate wore this badge to the Die Freunde des Neuen Deutschland (FDND)Gau-Tag meeting held at the Palmer House in Chicago on October 20, 1934.
Patches / Insignia

The German American Bund: The Enemy Within

Vietnam veteran, Sp4 David Flinn, 591st Engineers, left us with this photographic record of his unit’s activities in the A Shau Valley. While not professional shots, they provide a unique look into the daily activities of combat engineers. Here, Dave photographed this staging area that shows, right to left, an M123 10-ton tractor attached to M15A1 40-ton trailer, M37 3/4-ton truck, unidentified apparatus on wheels, batch concrete mixer on wheels, and unidentified.
Photographs and Ephemera

Operations into the A Shau Valley, 1968-69

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Dickinson and Miller were flying as part of 18 planes from Squadron 6 off the USS Enterprise.
Medals

They Got Me… But I Got’em Back!

Rolled panoramic photos or folded documents can be frustrating to open. Brittle with age, they tend to crack and tear if any effort is made to open them without first “humidifying” them.
Preservation and Conservation

Curled paper? Flatten those Rolled Historic Documents!

Brown served in the Second Recon. Platoon of the 656th Tank Destroyer Bn.
Photographs and Ephemera

Favorite Find: Remembering 'Pap'

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Photographs and Ephemera

Doctors + Nurses

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Book Reviews-Militaria Collecting

Book Review: WWI Journal

Marked only with the words “That last night in San Antonio,” this group of happy 90th Division Doughboys certainly give the impression that they are well equipped with tobacco and alcohol, and ready to face the Kaiser’s Army. They would get that chance soon enough at St Mihiel and in the Argonne.
Photographs and Ephemera

What Were They Thinking?

In a phrase popularized in movies, “Papers please” ultimately led to the full identity disclosure of thousands of former SS members. But one form didn’t fit all — there were many different documents carried by the various soldiers, members, and workers of the Third Reich.
Photographs and Ephemera

Show Me Your Papers!

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Photographs and Ephemera

Fun in the Reich

In a scene familiar to all American servicemen of the 20th century, the dipping line was required to clean the mess kits before and after use.
Accouterments

More Than a Plate

Some of the miscellaneous albums and photos I removed from the villa during my “midnight requisition.”
Knives / Swords / Bayonets

An Airman Collector in Post-War Germany

At the time, military planners felt it made sense to house Guard units in tents rather than wooden barracks. All Guard units already had tents as part of their standard equipment. The Guardsmen pictured above have written their company and platoon information with small pebbles outside the door of their squad tent.
Photographs and Ephemera

WWI National Guard

Card issued to 20-year old mine-worker (Bergmann) Gebhard Lutz who lived in Hohenpeißenberg in the Schongau District (Kreis). He joined the NSKK on 1 May 1935, as a Mann (Private) and was later promoted to Sturmmann (Private First Class).
Photographs and Ephemera

National-Socialist Motor Corps Identification Card

Wm Gerry Jones sent this photo of an “R2A CRASH, FORCIBLE ENTRY, EMERGENCY RESCUE TRUCK” taken in 1974 while in service with the Wisconsin Air National Guard. He noted, “The R2-A was a Ford 4x4, bodies by Ward LaFrance & Marmon Herrington.”
Photographs and Ephemera

Reader Photos: June Edition

This Totenkopf member wears his complete uniform with death’s head collar tabs.
Headgear

Black Knights of the third Reich: Part II

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Headgear

Lili of the Lamplight

“Miss Joyce,” an M52A1 photographed near Bien Hoa, 1972.
Photographs and Ephemera

Photo Album

I bought this at a gun show many years ago — just another “Reisepass.” Like most German personal identity documents, a Reisepass contained a photo and signature of the holder — in this case, Werner Roell and dated in February 1937
Militaria Collecting 101

Favorite Find: Not 'Just a Reisepass'

The cover in deep blue velour
Photographs and Ephemera

Favorite Find: Roster Book of the Officer Corps of the 6th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 55

Patton even censored his own letter — providing a “collector windfall” of not just one autograph, but two!
Photographs and Ephemera

Favorite Finds: Letter from Patton

WWII Canadian Halifax Bomber crew from 431 Bomber Squadron, RCAF.
Photographs and Ephemera

Snapshots March 2019

One of the more colorful, but harder to find in good condition, souvenirs purchased by the soldiers are the felt and cotton pennants made for units or training camps. This camp Devens example gives some hint of the original colors but has suffered a lot of damage over the years.
Photographs and Ephemera

Collecting the WWI Training Camps

Famous Bougainville photo isn't what it seems.
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

WW2 Sherman Photo Unraveled – 754th Tank Bn in Action

Barksdale Field, LA, summer 1941. Private (later Sergeant) Louis Sigrist with his newly arrived ride, a 1941 Dodge Army Air Corps Ambulance.
Photographs and Ephemera

Dad’s WWII recollections

During the years of the Third Reich, many of Europe’s young men found themselves in the ranks of the Waffen-SS, whether by enlistment or conscription. Günther Wiese was one German who chose to join. The decision would cost him his life.
Photographs and Ephemera

Günther Wiese

Following her launching on May 17, 1942, Strong was moved to Bath Iron Works’ fitting-out basin for completion. Seen here tied up inboard of her sister ship Chevalier (DD-451). The two ships would find themselves even closer in a fateful Battle for Kula Gulf on July4-5, 1943. (National Archives, Courtesy of Mr. Stephen Harding)
Photographs and Ephemera

Lt. “Rose Bowl” Miller Graduates from Gridiron Glory to WWII Legend

After the rise of the Nazi power, the the Völkischer Beobachter became the Party’s official newspaper. Here, Adolf Hitler smiles as he reads the news in the Beobachter — his favorite newspaper.
Photographs and Ephemera

Völkischer Beobachter Beziehersbuch

This annual fishing license for a German citizen is printed on blue, medium card stock, measuring about 15cm x 10cm. The document has a postcard-style format. This particular license was issued on 15 November 1941 by the district administrative office to 42-year old Josef Hessler, a factory worker in the town of Berndorf in the district of Baden near Vienna (Kreis Baden bei Wien) in the Reich Province of Lower Danube (Reichsgau Niederdonau). There was a 3 Reichsmark fee for the license.
Photographs and Ephemera

Gone Fishing

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Photographs and Ephemera

Cover With a Story

Robert F. Goron had been a Technician Fifth Grade with the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion 357th Infantry Regiment of the 90th Division during WWII. Much of his military career is reflected in the collection of patches, insignia, and medals that I acquired more than 40 years after having first met Mr. Goron.
Photographs and Ephemera

Favorite Find: Robert Goren 90th Divison Collection

“British and German Commander from WWI,” by Asher Richter, age 11
Photographs and Ephemera

Our Young Remember Part II

1943 Dodge WC56 posing for 2009 Christmas Card following the MVPA Lincoln Highway Convoy during which she traveled 5300 miles. Mark, Sundi, and Gunnar Sigrist – Gunnar is currently on active duty with the USMC.
Photographs and Ephemera

‘Olive Drab’ Christmas

Originally founded in 1919 as a voluntary organization of engineers, technicians, and skilled specialist, the Technical Emergency Service (TeNo) evolved under Nazi leadership into a paramilitary labor organization for disaster relief, civil defense, air raid rescue, and relief work.
Photographs and Ephemera

TeNo Service Card

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Photographs and Ephemera

Third Army Celebration

Helen Ann Mangold of Racine, Wisconsin, volunteered for service in early 1943. By the end of the war, she had treated hundreds of wounded and sick patients throughout the Pacific Theater.
Photographs and Ephemera

Lt. Helen Mangold: U.S. Army Nurse

Convoy during a rest break some place in the western sector of Germany.
Photographs and Ephemera

Original Service