Hey Custer...

You can show as much of ANY of your stuff. No apologies. This is a WWII forum and as long as you have WWII stuff, continue to share ad nauseum...

I love looking at the Italian stuff too Steve! If you're looking for some great Italian items look for the Seller zasa on ebay.

I just got a phone call from an antique dealer offerering me a chance to come out to a huge sale one day early (tomorrow). I know he's got several American Army WWII uniforms and a bunch of insignias that I will have first shot at...YAHOO!!! If the price is right.....

Jim

ps- Here's a book I recently picked up. It's for soldiers of the SS "Wiking" Division and full of pictures and stories about their "Teutonic Heritage", and assorted Nazi racial BS.

Hey Gang,

I picked up a few items at the "sneak preview" flea market this morning, and a few of them have me scratching my head. For instance, I bought a nice WWII Navy? Coast Guard? complete uniform...see what I mean? Aside from the gold buttons the only military insignias are on the sleeves, as shown in the picture. Very nice blue wool double brested blazer and matching trousers...made by Brooks Brothers. Anybody know what rank and/or service that sleeve denotes?

Thanks,

Jim

ps- I also got a nice Summer WWII Army shirt w/sergeant's stripes and 3rd Army insignia, a few caps (seen better days) and nice unit cloth badges for 1st,5th Army and The Big Red One...

Here's the hat my friend brought back from the Gulf war.

Maps. Maps. I love those maps. And they help with research. I have this one hanging on my wall in my office.

A simple Road Map of Italy Scale 1:1,000,000

Marked: "Prepared under the Direction of Chief Engineers, U.S. Army, 1943"

"Italian Touring Club Map No. 17 used as a base for this map"

"Army Map Service, US Army, Washington, D.C. 1943"

Legend in upper RH corner is in Italian.

Map had evidence of scotch tape residue, probably marking positions of units or ships along the coast.

Map is used for roads and mileage. Some simple topography noted in shades of brown.

Steve

Oh I AM jealous now. I have some modern road maps of France, Belgium, etc., but none yet of North Africa or Italy or Germany.

Some of my buddies have been sending them from Europe. Thanks friends!

Where did you get that one? It's a beauty!!!

Here's a map for you map-lovers. It was carried by a member of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk, 1940. It is a map of the Calais area and has many plotted coordinates on it from field use. Made in 1937 by British Ordnance Survey and marked "NOT FOR PUBLICATION".

Where did you get that one? It's a beauty!!!

Marion!! I thought you knew me better than that. eBay of course. That is where I have found most of my maps. This one is basically a civilian map but I'm sure it hung on the wall of some commander, somewhere. In N. Africa, the Army in the field had to resort to civilian Exxon(or such?) maps.

S~

Hey, how often do you speak at the school, etc.?

Not as much as I would like to. I really have not done anything at high school since my daughter graduated from there 2 years ago. I don't go to Parent-Teacher Nite and lost my connecitons.

I mainly put up displays at work and the local library. I have one scheduled for the library in November---Month of Veteran's Day. And I may plan to have a lecture one night on "The Forgotten Front: the Italian Campaign". I'll know more when the time gets nearer. It may be nothing more than a 30-minute talk and show some militaria and then answer questions.

Steve

US Army Maps was/is the job of th corps of Engrs. So when you need maps go to the source.

Jim: The sleeve rank is Navy LT 2 gold stripes and the star should mean supply type. double breasted Blazer was normal wear in Pre- WW2 Navy. DRess uniform.

Thanks Paul. You are absolutely correct. Once again, the engineers are our boys!

So, does that mean that when the soldiers got lost, they could blame the EnGinearz ?? No wife to blame.

Some truly nice pieces! I don't have much WW2 stuff (I can't afford it!!). A couple of plain jane M1 helmets, a luftwaffe M40 and M42, various bits and pieces of web gear, and a couple of medals I picked up at a flea market years ago. The most prized is my great uncle's copy of "We the 48th". I do have a bunch of cold war items, mainly helmets, and the stuff I picked up or kept from Bosnia. For you map folks, I could wallpaper my "war room" with the military map sheets of Bosnia that I have. I also kept my vehicles patrol map with all of the our check points and routes marked. I know it's not WW2, but it is military. One neat thing I got over there was a 1943 US quarter that I got as change in the PX. Would love to hear the tales it could tell.

One neat thing I got over there was a 1943 US quarter that I got as change in the PX. Would love to hear the tales it could tell.

Oh yes indeed! Now if we could only coax it into talking.

I need to photograph all the things the vets have been sending me and place them here. There's no excuse (well ya time, time, time) because I have a new digital. I'll get around to it someday! Now where's my cup of ?

the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk, 1940. It is a map of the Calais area and has many plotted coordinates on it from field use.

Doddaddy,

Your Dunkirk map is quite a find. I have never studied the Dunkirk evacuation in great detail. I was looking at your map and I assume the city to the northern edge is Dunkirk. Oh! Wait. That must be Calais, as that is the name at the top of the map.

It appears from the markings that they disembarked from the beaches along the center of the map, and maybe as far south as that point. Do you know much about the history and where they were picked up??

Wow! By June 1944, that beach would be covered with bunkers for the Atlantic Wall.

Steve