Bill Shea's WWII Memorabilia Blog RSS

(the above photo is just a sampling of the types of porcelain and tableware we will plan on handling)      Most of us collectors think of soldiers out in the field eating from mess kits with simply knives, forks and spoons. However, there is a whole other world out there when the soldiers were in training camps and schools before heading out and just using combat gear. Many of these facilities survived the bombings and attacks and in some cases were used after the war by the victorious occupation forces. The mess halls were still stacked with the same dishes, platters,...

Drinking Sake in Japan has been a tradition for centuries. That tradition extended to all branches of the service and the companies that made these cups were well aware of a new emerging industry. The result was the production of millions of these little drinking cups being hand painted and adorned with every conceivable symbol or branch of the service. Many were specifically made for certain units. Not only would the serviceman carry them with them, when permitted, but also this treat would be reserved for special occasions when there was a time for celebrating.               In addition, the families back home would also...

“Tinnies” is a generic collector term for many different types of small pin-on badges that proliferated during the Third Reich. Small pins with various designs were made for members of various Nazi organizations, and were also made to commemorate events of all kinds, from Nazi Party rallies to sports races and trade conventions. Tinnies were also made to commemorate various special dates and anniversaries, holidays, and political days such as elections. Some tinnies were given to all participants of an event, while others were sold to raise money for a cause or for an organization. The Winterhilfswerk (Winter Help Organization)...

Winding down in Peleliu and the long venture home... Tuesday, March 28 Day Two in Peleliu….The day began with a tour of the temporary museum. The artifacts, ordnance, rifles, maps, mannequins (with mostly reproduction items) and photos are OK but need a home. The original location was a massive blockhouse that US forces did their best to destroy and has lots of ordnance hanging around. We were told day two would be quite strenuous including treacherous steep climbing to cover a significant portion of the Umurbrogol Ridge better known to US Army and Marine troops as "Bloody Nose Ridge."  He was not kidding...

The end is near... Monday, March 27th...We left Guam at 11:45 PM (Ugh) for a two hour flight to Koror (Palau) for our next destination which was the island of Peleliu. To best understand what you are going to read and see in this next lengthy episode, you would be well prepared if you saw the HBO series The Pacific and/or read the book With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge.  Peleliu is approximately six miles long and two miles wide. Its current population is around 500; however, in 1944, that population swelled to over 40,000 between US Marine and Army units and the Japanese...