World’s only complete, fully restored German WWII half-track leads mighty lineup at Milestone’s Oct. 11 Premier Military Auction

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – With each year that passes, the number of living World War II veterans dwindles. As of 2024, it was estimated that only 66,000 brave Americans who took part in that war were still alive. The stories they’ve shared and the wartime relics that have survived from that era paint a vivid picture of the horrors of the European war theater and the daunting enemies the Allies faced, human and otherwise. One of the most formidable examples of World War II field artillery was the German Wehrmacht Sd Kfz 251/9 Kanonenwagen “Stummel” half-track, originally designed to transport troops but later modified for battle with mounted cannons made for Panzer IIIs and IVs. The Wehrmacht “Stummel’s” job was to support the infantry and break-up installations and bunkers at the front lines before German troops were sent in.

The most accurate, fully restored, historically complete 1944 World War II German Wehrmacht Sd Kfz 251 half-track in existence, with authenticity to detail unmatched anywhere in the world, is the featured attraction of Milestone’s October 11 Premier Military Auction. It is one of only two known half-tracks of its type in private hands and is the only one that has been torn down and fully restored from the ground up. The painstaking, eight-year-long restoration process involved a rebuild of the chassis, engine, transmission, differential and drive train, right down to the last bolt. Every aspect of the vehicle was addressed, using original blueprints and guided by wartime documentation and period photographs. In addition, extensive private study uncovered interior specifications and fittings that were not published or otherwise available to the public.

It is important to note that the half-track to be auctioned is not a postwar Czech OT-810 conversion like those seen in some museums, but rather an original 1944 wartime-built half-track. Its recent history can be traced back to the 1990s, when an American private collector acquired it from a seller in Europe. Then, in 2017, a military historian and WWII aircraft restorer from Thousand Oaks, California, learned of its existence and decided to look into it as a potential project. “The owner still had the half-track in a shipping container, just taking up space. We came to a financial agreement and I immediately had it shipped to a restorer in the Midwest. I knew it was going to be a very costly undertaking but wanted to have the satisfaction of a completed restoration under my belt.”

The only other half-track of its type is in the US Army, Armor & Cavalry Collection (Ft. Benning, Georgia), whose World War II holdings include artifacts captured and transported to the United States under the orders of General George S Patton (1885-1945). Although the museum’s half-track is original and underwent an excellent cosmetic restoration, it is not complete internally.

Unrivaled anywhere in the world, the half-track offered by Milestone has been permanently deactivated to both US BATF and German BAFA standards and is fully legal to own in any state.

Many significant awards and honors will cross the auction block on October 11. An extraordinary World War I Imperial German Pour Le Merite award winner’s archive pertains to Major Max von Mertens. It consists of an ornate blue enamel and gilt Blue Max award from Aug. 8-9, 1918; a Nazi NSKOV document awarded in 1936 in recognition of distinguished service during the World War; 28 calling cards from various officers, including several generals; three artillery shoulder straps, including one with rank of captain; flag remnants appearing to have come from funeral sashes; and a large assortment of family ephemera including a German Reich identity card.

An extremely high honor, a World War II Nazi German Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves is constructed of iron and silver, and is cased. On its obverse is a Cross Pattée with a blackened magnetic iron core within a ribbed silver frame. The obverse displays a central mobile swastika, the six o’clock arm bearing a reinstitution date of “1939.” Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III established the Iron Cross in 1813 as a gallantry award for bestowal during times of war. In 1940, a higher echelon of the Knight’s Cross was established with the introduction of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

A World War II Nazi German Luftwaffe honor goblet, second pattern (circa 1941/1942-1944), is a die-struck, three-piece, silver-plated, nickel-silver piece consisting of a cup, stem and base. With an all-over “hammered” surface, the cup is decorated with two embossed eagles engaged in aerial combat to the obverse and a 1939 Iron Cross to the reverse. It is engraved with the recipient’s name, rank and date of award: UNTEROFFIZIER HEINRICH THOLEN AM 4. 8. 42. The base is embossed in script Für Besondere Leistung im Luft krieg (For exceptional achievement in the air war).

The auction also presents a rare opportunity to acquire a signed copy of the World War II Instrument of Surrender of all German armed forces in Holland, in North West Germany including all Islands and in Denmark. It is hand-signed by British Field Marshal Montgomery and five Generals of the German High Command: Hans Georg von Friedberg, (Eberhard) Kinzel, G. (Gustav) Wagner, (Fritz) Poleck and (Hans Jochen) Friedel. It is also stamped at lower left OFFICIAL DOCUMENT / COPY No / DATE 4 May 1945. Eight copies of this document are known to exist, perhaps more.

Together with its coveted “bring back” paper, a World War II Nazi German Waffen SS M35 double-decal helmet has an SS runic and party shield decal with 95% paint retention, intact rivets, serial number, and original M31 tan leather liner and chinstrap. The lot also includes German bayonets, a canteen and insignia, all of which were brought back by Paul E Saurena.

An inert World War II US M2 backpack flamethrower comes with tanks and a wand. Man-portable and of a type that saw combat use in the Pacific theater, this type of flamethrower was deployed to combat strongly fortified and entrenched Japanese positions. The M2 was an outgrowth of the successful M1 flamethrower and was put into combat use in 1943. Over time, most M2s were scrapped, making this an especially desirable collector’s item.

A World War II Nazi German uniform group that belonged to Wehrmacht General Hans Tröger (1896-1982) consists of a high-quality service tunic and trousers. The tunic’s right breast displays a general/officer’s-quality hand-embroidered national eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in its talons. Bright gilt wire threads with bright gilt bullion and golden accent threads were used for the detail work. The right breast has loops to accommodate a German Cross. A pair of excellent-condition officer’s boots is also included. This collection was formerly at the AAF Tank Museum in Danville, Virginia (now permanently closed).

A rare survivor of the American Revolutionary War, a British grenadier’s fur mitre cap has a front plate adorned by beautiful scrollwork and a royal crest flanked by G R and the Latin motto NEC ASPERA TERRENT (Difficulties be damned). Its interior cloth liner shows staining and wear consistent with its age, but it does not detract from the cap’s otherwise excellent condition.

Milestone’s Saturday, October 11, 2025 Premier Military Auction will be held at Milestone’s gallery located at 38198 Willoughby Parkway, Willoughby (suburban Cleveland), OH 44094, and will be webcast live through Milestone’s website. Start time: 10 a.m. ET. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through Milestone’s own bidding platform, LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. For additional information on any item in the auction or to reserve a phone line for auction-day bidding, call 440-527-8060 or email info@milestoneauctions.com. Online: www.milestoneauctions.com