Pieces from WWII (1 Viewer)

[wwiibuff]

My grandfather was a Captain in the US 3rd Army and brought back a few things. I have pictured here some German field glasses and dagger.

 

[JL01]

My grandfather was a Captain in the US 3rd Army and brought back a few things. I have pictured here some German field glasses and dagger.

That would appear to be a Hitler Youth dagger/knife.

Have you researched these pieces?

 

[Horus]

I'm sure everytime you see those things it reminds you of your grandfather and brings back pleasant memories of him retelling the stories from the days of his youth and I'm sure they grab the attention and urge to hear those stories when others see them too !
Family heirlooms for sure :salute::

 

[waynepoo]

Duke, your post reminded me of something my father always had stashed away which in turn became mine. I was never told where he came by it but he saw service in Borneo, It is Japanese of course, I am assuming it is a type of dog tag maybe. Shaped like a Japanese helmet with inscription on the back, which I have yet to translate. At some later time Dad had his name an address engraved on the back.

Wayne.​

 

[wwiibuff]

That would appear to be a Hitler Youth dagger/knife.

Have you researched these pieces?

No I have not researched them but will do so.

I'm sure everytime you see those things it reminds you of your grandfather and brings back pleasant memories of him retelling the stories from the days of his youth and I'm sure they grab the attention and urge to hear those stories when others see them too !
Family heirlooms for sure :salute::

Yes Steve they do remind me of him. He passed away many years ago but I do remember some of the stories he told me when I was a boy.

Duke, your post reminded me of something my father always had stashed away which in turn became mine. I was never told where he came by it but he saw service in Borneo, It is Japanese of course, I am assuming it is a type of dog tag maybe. Shaped like a Japanese helmet with inscription on the back, which I have yet to translate. At some later time Dad had his name an address engraved on the back.

Wayne.​

Thanks for that Wayne and very interesting piece you have there of your father's.

 

[paxtoysoldier]

I won't show it,
but we have several items from a Japanese Officer, long deceased.
Includes Rising Sun Flag with his own blood on it.
Enough said

 

[wwiibuff]

Something else my grandfather brought back, a flag. I remember when I was a boy him telling me stories of towns they took on their push into Germany. I guess he picked this up somewhere along the way. It measures approx: 64" X 40".

 

[OzDigger]

You guys have some terrific momentos collected by relatives during WW2.

My Grandfather collected a number of enemy souveners during his service in Gallipoli during WWI and I'm lucky to have most of those as my Two Brothers don't have much interest in military matters.

As for WW2 items, I don't have any German souveners, mostly because something would have gone terribly wrong if someone from Bomber Command was 'on' enemy territory, rather than flying over it.

My Father served as a RAAF Bomb Aimer/2nd Navigator in 156 Squadron during WW2. At that stage in the war 156 Sqd was a Patherfinder Squadron that used Landcasters equiped with RADAR (H2S) which was housed in a perspex dome underneath the aircraft. Pathfinder aircraft were tasked with finding the target via RADAR etc and droping Flares etc to assist targeting for Bombers from other Squadrons, of course Pathfinder aircraft also carried a bombload to add to the damage. My Father operated the H2S RADAR until close to target when he went down to Lie in the nose of the Lancaster to carry out Bombaimer duties to ensure the Pathfinding Flares and his share of Bombs were dropped on target, or as close as possible in those days. RADAR operators were known as 'Box Bashers' amongst the Crew, which is a typical RAAF description of something that was then very advanced technology and required a good deal of expertise and concentration.

I do have my Fathers RAAF uniform, Log Books etc and he did 'acquire' a number of other interesting items such as several Aerial photos taken at night when the bombs were dropped. However even more interesting to me are several RADAR (H2S) Target Maps which are Three Colour maps of the propossed target. Sadly I don't have a photo hosting service and posting photos is difficult for me atm as they're to big. However the attached website that describes a raid by RAAF 267 Sq pictures an example of an H2S Target Map I'm refering to:

https://onenightindecember.wordpres...sis-part-4-friends-that-go-bump-in-the-night/

 

[JL01]

Something else my grandfather brought back, a flag. I remember when I was a boy him telling me stories of towns they took on their push into Germany. I guess he picked this up somewhere along the way. It measures approx: 64" X 40".

Looks like a Kriegsmarine flag. You have a great collection.

 

[OzDigger]

Looks like a Kriegsmarine flag. You have a great collection.

It's the Reich War/Battle Flag, used by the Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.

 

[lancer]

My father was in US Naval Intelligence in the PTO. He was based in several areas such as Bougainville, Manila, and I have some of his items such as various rank badges as he advanced from Ensign to Lt.Commander. I don't have any uniforms as he purged all his stuff while I was in college and wasn't there to stop him. I do have his Colt 1911A1 and it's holster and web belt that he wore. Also many smallish Browning type photos, mostly taken of natives on Bougainville but there are also many pics of NZ Corsairs that were at the airfield nearby. Really sorry he purged his uniforms but that's just the way he was, never talking much about his war experiences and the uniforms just didn't mean much to him. -- Al