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You should do a clip about my great great uncle Col. Lucien Phillip Greathouse. He was a civil war hero who who would have been the youngest brigadier general in the USA on record, except he died in the Battle of Atlanta 3 days before Lincoln promoted him.
Didn't Hugo Boss design alot of Thier items? The had the coolest uniforms. Super stylish.especually the SS stuff. . no wonder they were collectable, it would have taken all I could... although I would probably been called a sympathizer. Bullshit. It's just cool history.
I had a friend, long since passed, that fought in the Pacific theater during WWII. He told me his story, when he returned from the war and was making his way home. He was asked if he had anything to declare, “Yes I have a bazooka in my duffel” the guy looked at Red and said yeah sure and let him go. Now I was a little kid but I called BS, now when he got home he thought that was a little much to be hanging around the house. He took it to the local PD for safe keeping. I was actually allowed to see his bazooka😮
My dad was in the pacific in wwii. If he brought anything back his sister kept it as he wasn't married yet. I do remember my mom had a tent. My father passed when I was 6 years old so I never got to talk to him about it. I have his army jacket and some of his medals.
One of the best war souvenir stories I've ever read is: I read the memoir of a woman who served as a US Army nurse in Europe during WW2 and like a lot of vets brought home a German helmet as a souvenir. She married post-war (her husband was a Pacific Theater vet) and had a son. Eventually she gave him the helmet to play with. One day their nex-door neighbor saw the boy and said "Wow! That's a good-looking Nazi helmet! Did your dad get it in the war?" And her son answered: "No, my MOM did!" She said the look on the neighbor's face was priceless! "Whaaaaaattt...."
This channel is one of my most favorite . I always look for the notification when you post a new one. I'm 70 years old and thanks for reminding me of our history and things that I never knew. Can't wait to go back to Gettysburg to tour the Museum. Thanks!
My father spoke several languages. As a result, as a member of the CIC a German officer surrendered to him. The tradition was to hand over his pistol. I have the mauser.
Mauser made several varieties of handguns, including Lugers. There were also many others that were used by German officers, the HSc, M1914 and others. What you have could be very valuable. Of course, if it is like the guns my father brought back...they aren't for sale.
My father captured two Germans and brought home their pistols. One was covered in scroll work. It was stolen by their landlord in Chicago after my father refused to sell it to him. The other gun he loaned to his nephew and never got it back. My father was a highly decorated machine gunner but after the war he became very passive and drank a lot. He refused to call the police and said if the landlord could live with what he did then he (my father) could live without the gun.
My dad (RAF) traded his cig and candy rations for a German officer’s dress sword. It was very elaborate and had the eagle/swastika on the hilt. We used to play with it (not smart, but kids do dumb stuff).
My grandma and her siblings did the same! Their dad, my great grandpa, brought back a German officers dress sword. And when they were kids, she said they played with it outside a lot. It was a good laugh reminiscing for sure. She was showing the sword to me last year. She was trying to pull it out of the scabbard, and it was a tight fit. I said, " Be careful, grandma, that's a sword! Don't cut yourself. " She began to laugh very hard and then told me how her brother used to throw it, and they'd try to stab it in the ground. And sometimes throw it towards each other. And of course she followed up with " that was not smart, don't suggest it, but we survived"
My Dad bought a German sword back too. And guns...an Italian sniper rifle ("only used once") and a German machine gun. A ceremonial dagger...and a Japanese sword. One thing I have is a bust, seems to be some sort of service award. This item is a complete mystery, as I have not seen anything that it resembles....
Keep up the good work on this channel, I really enjoy WW2 German relics. My Grandpa served in the 2nd Armor division the entire war and sent home a Party Flag, armband and a Luger. We have also found a Polizei cap emblem and all the letters he sent to my Grandma she kept! Lots of history there.
Love the video! My dad was in Japan and China after the war. He was in the clean up crew from 1945-1947. He said it was still dangerous because there were many people who didn't want the war to be over and would still shoot at them. He brought back a lot of Yen, which I still have. And bought a beautiful blue silk and a smoking jacket. He didn't get war trophies.
I have been a serious history student since I was in elementary school (early 1970's)....The History Underground is the most fascinating and literary keeps me on the edge of my seat. EXCELLENT, just plain EXCELLENT work at History Underground. Your channel and Dr. Mark Felton's channels are simply the best out there...and during the Ukrainian war, any polish news network that brings us daily news from that conflict as well. This is just simply history TODAY. Thank you from Anaheim, California.
I have collected Military items, ( mainly German ww2) for the last 20yrs and only found your channel a few days ago, Gotta say i'm utterly hooked and its refreshing that a fellow relic collector is so passionate about these item's.. keep up the good work and we MUST remember these pivotal moments in history and NEVER forget.. Good show mate .
Its just a shame that there are so many well made reproductions out there now. A friend who is a long-time dealer got burned with a well made U Boat badge.
“It was like the Boys Scouts, but a bit more problematic”. That’s why I watch EVERY single episode that JD puts out. He has such an amazing perspective and conveys them in such a unique way. I love that about JD! Aloha 🤙🏼
Another GREAT video!!! If I was alive then, I would have gathered a boatload of anything I could find to bring back home! I love your videos and have learned so much about history through your channel! Keep up the FANTASTIC work!
I love the video. I've been collecting german and American militaria since 1979. I'm 68 and in SC. I've got helmets hats uniforms daggers badges in my collection before Eric was born but I enjoy watching and hearing his explanations
I've collected for about 50 years now, and I greatly appreciate the statement about people who collect TR items, not supporting the ideologies of the Nazi Party. To me, they have always been war prizes, 95% of my collection all came from veterans. I also collect uniforms and equipment as well. It's been about preserving history. I hope you visit the Gettysburg Museum someday. Thank you for these great informative videos.
I had planned to visit the museum last summer but I had to unexpectedly deal with some things at the house and I could not do so. But this year it is definitely on the list. I have been to the battlefield before so this trip would primarily be for the museum.
Funny, between 2003 and now I found with my detektor nearly every badge, which you can see here, in the former "Ruhrkessel" (with the exception of the wounded badge and the badge from the eastfront) in the woods. Because I dug them directly from the battlefield, I can be quite sure, that they are authentic.
I just found your channel and want to thank you so much for these videos. It's so important for us to learn our history and remember those events that put us where we are today. I look forward to binge watching what you have shared. Thanks again!
I know a Class 3 dealer who bought a collection of firearms from a widow for $30K that included a fully registered new in box unissued FG-42, which was a GI bring back. It could be worth as much as $300K at auction. Unfortunately, the widow had no idea how rare the gun her husband brought home was.
My Dad brought back all kids of German weapons. Officers swords that I played with Civil War growing up. One item was a German Officers danger with Irovy handles that my cousins and my sisters used cut our wedding cakes. The one item is brand new German Luger because all the serial numbers on the parts match along holster and German belt that I inherited will will passed down to my son and grandson. Thanks JD and Eric that great videos
My dad was in WWll. He brought home two things. The first being a 8mm Mauser rifle and the second being a 3 month old Shepard puppy. Zeda lived until 1956. The rifle is in the caring hands of his Grandson.
My uncle fought in the Pacific throughout the island hopping campaigns, including Saipan and Tinian. He had an extensive collection of Japanese war souvenirs. He had the ceremonial battle sword and pistol he took from a dead Japanese officer. He also had a flag that Japanese troops commonly carried on their person that had inscriptions from loved ones. It is amazing to think that returning servicemen could bring back almost anything if it could fit in their service bag. In the military of today, war souvenirs are strictly forbidden. I have spoken with guys who served in Iraq, and they said that even so much as an article of Iraqi military uniform was forbidden, even for high ranking officers. Truly a different day we live in.
Both of my grandfather's served in WW11. But they were on different sides. One was German,the other was American. My German grandfather died during the war in 1944 leaving behind 9 children that my grandmother had to raise on her own.
My maternal grandfather was in the Army core of engineers and stationed in the Phillipines. He brought back a blood-stained Japanese mini flag, a sword from a Japanese officer, and a fuel log book from a downed Japanese pilot. My family is all in Pennsylvania, and I have been considering donating some of these items to museums eventually. He is long gone, but he shared some stories of his service with my uncle. I want to record them and find a place to share them so they aren't lost. His unit came under fire from a Japanese sniper. He ran to a bulldozer and used the blade to shield himself from enemy fire before using it to bury the sniper alive.
It is interesting to note that once Japan rebuilt itself and prosperity returned to the country and its people, there were lots of Japanese families who would offer to buy back the lost family swords from the Americans who took them home as trophies. These "family swords" where centuries old.
My uncle who served in the 504PIR 82nd airborne brought back 7 German Lugers. I remember him showing me a few of them when I was about 10 years old. One had the eagle holding the swastika engraved in the handle and the leather holster. Years later I asked him if he would give me one of them and he informed me he had given them all away. I was really bummed.
Don't feel offended but your uncle is a ducking asshole why would he give them away!!!!! At the very least keep it in the family I mean come on LUGERS p38 walthers maybe but LUGERS and 7 wow
My father (101st Airborne) had a foot locker full of stuff. Mostly German military garb... hats, belt buckles, etc. But he also brought back a luger (including rounds). My mother made him get rid of it (go figure). The best part, though, he was an avid photographer and he has some great in-air shots from inside a C-47 and a glider of them preparing to drop. I've never seen photos like this... you can see C-47's as far as the eye can see in the photo. He didn't need to bring any German medals. He had plenty of his own (bronze star from Ardennes).
Remarkable commemts posted here. Your materials present a clinical perspective not found elsewhere. Gratefully never dismissive of the horrors put on humans of any stripe, the evil of which unknown. We in the “live and let live“ world are alway astonished and outraged that some new monster appears slashing through docile regions. Somewhere lies the answer.
Cool stories! "Fun fact": I served with 2/75 Rangers in the 1970s, upon returning from Germany training with their special operations forces, ALL of our paratrooper knives that we received as gratitude were confiscated ...
My grandfather had a pristine Mauser K98 rifle and 2 arisaka bolt action rifles one in fair condition the other was burned but still very functional and both furnished with a folding wire mono pod and a somewhat complicated rear sight I’m told could be used for shooting at aircraft.
My dad brought back many german knives,daggers and bayonets, but he real prize was a beautiful .22 cal. match target LUNA pistol. I have never seen another like it. I lost the rear sight while shooting it, SIGH!!!!. His uncle brought back his cherry 03 Springfield. He was an artillery Capt during WW1 and the rifle had only been shot a couple of times, I remember buying surplus AP ammo back in the 60's, and boy could that ammo make some big holes shooting through multiple layers of steel.
What would be an interesting story would be to see what the people of Europe kept after the war, particularly the American weaponry. I could imagine some farmer keeping some tank in the barn for 60 years before the family finally turns it in. Or stories of people keeping a Thompson machine gun or Colt 45's. I know it was illegal for them to keep but there's got to be some who hid that stuff.
Bill Maudin told a story of what he witnessed in Italy in the American occupation zones. Once those areas were secured partisan activity was told to stop and the partisans were ordered to surrender any weapons they had. And so they did, beat-up old shotguns and muzzleloaders. No captured German rifles, machine guns, pistols, or any other modern weapons they had. Now the American authorities weren't stupid, they knew the stuff was still out there but they didn't have the time or personnel to do house-to-house searches so they let it go. So certainly there was a LOT of unaccounted for stuff in Europe after the war. How much of it is stll there is anyone's guess.
As a kid, I remember my uncle showing me some of the things he had picked up while fighting in Europe. Perhaps it's because I was a young boy that the things which really stick out in my mind where the weapons and like you said he had what I now know was a German P-38 and Luger pistols. But something you didn't mention was that he had a couple of defused American 'Pineapple' hand grenades and at least one German 'Potato Masher' that really held my attention. Another item that my mother told me he brought back was a German black leather tool bag and my uncle said, "The owner doesn't need it anymore." Wonder whatever happened to that stuff?
The German army also issued peaked caps to NCOs. They were basically identical to the officer's item in pattern, but they weren't as high quality and they had a black chinstrap. They didn't last long at the front and they were generally a more formal rear echelon item. You see a lot of formal portraits of NCOs wearing the cap. I've seen a small handful of bringbacks, and they're rarer than officer's caps. They're frequently also misidentified as officer's caps.
Always interesting to see what Erik has laying around. That wound badge looks to be an earlier version where they added the swastika to the WWI badge. The earlier badges have the M16 WWI helmet with the visor lug and two rivets. They are also smaller and more rounded than the later WWII badges. Harder to see by themselves but obvious side by side.
Never knew of the Mothers Cross. Fascinating and frightening to use a religious symbol to award Mothers. JD your choice of the phrase ….cranking out kids…made me laugh out loud at break at work! Thoroughly enjoy these videos! Thank you for all you do.
My great-grandfather was a German soldier in WW1 and my grandfather in WW2. Unfortunately I have nearly no artifacts from them. They both had an iron cross as I have seen on photos. The only thing I have is a sketchbook of my great-grandfather that he had with him in the trenches in France. There are drawings of his comrades and also of the landscape in it. I love your channel. Subscribed it. I watched nearly every video. So interesting!👍 Greetings from Germany!
Truly interesting stuff, as usual! Cool to see the more common stuff here. There goes a bit of knowledge to recognize all this different stuff and variations of them all.
Grandad brought back a pistol, a metal detector (mine sweeper) and a backpack radio... that I know of. Think my cousin has all 3. My friends Grandfather brought back a very interesting pistol.
My family had a thick white ceramic soap dish with the "cartwheel man" (that is how my family explained it to me when I was little) symbol stamped on the bottom in blue.
I have a WWII Mauser HSc in crazy good condition, these were issued to U-Boat Captains, SS Officers and National Police Officers. These were made by Mauser up to 1977 in fact. Mine has a serial number that puts it at 1941 and issued to the SS. It is a numbers matching pistol with all the various proof marks, eagles, '"other markings" (you know what I mean- dang TH-cam) and such. I also have a Mauser 98 rifles that someone put a new stock on and welded new sights on it. It's kinda sketchy, I'm scared to shoot it lol.
I met a gun in Phoenix who when he was a kid his dad was stationed in Germany. He spent his time rummaging through old German bunkers. The number of medals, iron crosses and paper items he has blew me away. I asked him “ What are you going to do with this stuff ?” He said give it to my grandkids to take to school .” I REPLIED “ NOOOOOO PLEASE NOOOOOOOO.
Found a German winter ( rabbit fur) hat dated 1943 in a second hand shop. Bought it for $2.00 Cdn. Gave it to my nephew, he collects military items. According to his research, it was only issued to soldiers on the Eastern Front. I wonder how it made its way to East coast Canada?
My friends dad, as did my mine, fought in WWII. My friends dad was one of those that brought back German Military items. He had a K98k, a Belgium Browning 16ga shotgun (Semi-Auto, if my memory serves me correct), Walter P38, a PPK, and the Luger.
My father was first born here. 🇩🇪🇺🇸. 1926. Was seventeen inlisted speaking fluent German. I am the second born here. He made it. 🙏🙏🙏. Thank you Father's Of Father's....... 🇩🇪🇺🇸
Picked up a Panzer belt buckle (de-nazified) when I was stationed in Budegen, West Germany, in the '70's. Gave it to a good friend, who always beat me at tabletop war games.
My uncle Red fought in Patton's 3rd Army. Participated in the Battle of the Bulge and also was there when Buchenwald was liberated. He had the usual trove of medals, guns. etc. He also took a handle off one of the crematorium doors. I understand he also had some mementos from the dead. Old broken pair of eyeglasses, an old photo someone carried all through the years. He wasn't macabre. Just understood the gravity of it all. He died when I was in my 30's. Wasn't too close to him but did see him 4 or 5x's through the year. Part of that generation that didn't brag or boast. I didn't learn about the above until 20 years after his death.
In 0:57 third on the left is the Greek-American Eddie Lambros .The photograph of Eddie and his brothers-in-arms brandishing a captured Nazi flag was published on the front page of the New York Times the following day. Tragically, Lambros did not survive to see this photograph, as he was killed in action in France the day after D-Day. The Greek-American served as a private in the 505th Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Lambros received a Purple Heart and the medal of valor for his service posthumously. He is buried and memorialized at Plot D, Row 2,3 Grave 28 in the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, France, one of the enormous American armed forces cemeteries in Europe. However, he was only one of the hundreds of Greeks who fought that day, and the nation of Greece lent its aid on D-Day in every way it possibly could despite having been occupied by Germany for more than three years by that point in the war.
My Mother's Uncle was in Eorope , he mailesd back to her a German Bayonet in the scabbord while he was still there. Sadly he didn't make it back & our ended up selling it awhile back without checking with us first.
As a boy, my fishing buddy was a ball turret gunner. One of his stories was about the poker games on deck as they came home. "Everything you can possibly imagine."
one of the most interesting things in our family, is the proximity fuse my uncle brought back to the farm. He taught at MIT after serving in ww2 up in Alaska in the air corp.
My dad brought back a Japanese bolt action rifle complete with a bayonet. It was a training rifle, nothing special I suppose but as a kid would play with it, the bayonet would affix to the rifle with absolutely no play. It was solid. Dad eventually donated it to the NRA museum just outside Washington DC - a great visit btw - don't know if the guy was being polite but identified it immediately and seemed very pleased to get it. Oh yeah, he also got some sort of short sword, again, seriously functional (but was pretty dull, I wouldn't cut myself) Kinda wish I had the sword, but not sure what I'd really do with it now.
I'd have loved captions on those amazing photos shown in the first minute, as well as some anectdotal info on how exactly some of the bring-backs were obtained. Maybe enough for a whole episode?
I was a kid in the fifties , and just about every man in my neighborhood was a veteran . I've seen so much of this junk , they all had garages full of it , some Nazi and some Japanese . When I was a young man I rode Harleys . One of my buddies used wear a Nazi cross on his cut . He told me it was a Mother's Cross , but what it really was - a Knight's Cross . Tried to trade him out of it , but he held on to till he was killed . I wonder if he knew what he had and was just b.s.ing me about the Mother's Cross . I repeat , there were boat loads of this junk around in the years after the war . Bet much ended up in landfills .
My dad was a WW2 Pacific veteran and he said at the end of the war they piled up everything in a warehouse and told the soldiers to take whatever would fit in their duffle bags. He brought home several swords and bayonets and a Nambu pistol. I guess now days those swords would be worth a fortune except he caught me and a buddy sword fighting with them in the attic and he got rid of them.
Probably so but if I remember correctly the one sword had some kind of stones in the handle and a different scabbard than the regular swords he had. But that was 50 years ago.
@@TheHistoryUnderground When Hitler's application was rejected at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy one of the board suggested to him he take up commercial architectural art professionally as he was very good at it and could make a decent living doing so but Hitler wouldn't take the suggestion. Makes you wonder "What if?"
Many American soldiers traded items. My dad brought back a Nazi armband but he was a Marine in the South Pacific. He also brought back a Japanese Arisaka sniper rifle and some other cool stuff.
I remember growing up my father was in WW2 and I remember a Natzi arm band with a sword threw it I've never seen another one like it he brought back all kinds of stuff he liberated a concentration camp
At the time, Americans were said to be "Souvenir hounds" by other allies. A few guys came back with bales of now worthless paper money, and rarely Crown Jewels of countries conquered by Germans.
I was working a booth at a flea market, when a man brought in a ww2 German helmet that a family member had mailed back from the war. What made this so different was the fact that it wasn't in a box or wrapped up, The guy had just wrote the address on the side and put stamps on it!! I've never seen anything like it before or since.
I remember the culture of the WWII Vets. My father and uncles. They rarely talked about the War. It was considered "off color". After several beers, a little different. I had one uncle, 82nd Airborne, I think. He never talked to me about it until I was 50 and he was 80. Nasty stuff, D-Day and Battle of the Bulge. Young will never know it.
My Father, who served in the Pacific, brought back a number of small statues he made from shell casings (mostly ash trays), including small model planes flattened and welded together. He also had several scrape books I found in our crawlspace, with mostly photos of dead Japanese bodies and native girls (topless) in grass skirts while serving in the Philippines … my first exposure to nudity as a child. 😏
The German Mountain troop badge is called the Edelweiss and is still worn by the Bundeswehr mountain troops today. My brother was a US Army Ranger and trained with them for several weeks in 1962 and was awarded the Edelweiss patch.
My father was a Sgt. in the US Armys 160th Combat Engineer Battalion in the ETO in WW2. He had a Luger, but another GI stole it from him. He did bring back a silver panzer assault badge. which he gave to me, and I still have it. After that I started collecting these items, this was around 1968 and plenty of vets were selling their bring backs.The first dagger I bought was an SS enlisted for which I paid $75.00 for Now these are fetching $3,000.00+ I stopped collecting years ago because the fakes were getting really well made.
One of my grandfathers brought back a lot of wrist watches. After a few beers 40 yrs later he admitted to my father they were off German soldiers he "eliminated". He was a sniper in the 95th Inf Div. I still have those wrist watches.
I am a child of the space program .I grew up at Langley Reasearch Center,VA. Huntsville,AL. Cape Canaveral,FL.There were German rocket scientists working/living in these places .I went to school with their children .When they got old and passed away there would be estate sales .I have seen items at these sales with swastikas on them .I have a ceramic coffee pitcher with NAZI markings on the bottom .I have also seen small Walther guns .These German scientists have died off so today there are few(if any) estate sales .
we still use the "army mountain troop cap patch" in the austrian army. it is hard to get when you are serving at the army ;-) . this patch was introduced by the austrian emperor far bevor of the beginning of the first world war. we call it "Gebirgsedelweiss".
To the medal 08:27 : *Medal* *Winter* *Battle* *in* *the* *East* *1941/42* At the beginning of December 1941, the German advance came to a standstill in front of Moscow due to the massive counterattacks by the Red Army and a lack of winter equipment. Due to the great losses of man and material suffered, the slow retreat of the German units began in the period that followed. The crisis could only be overcome with the stabilization of the eastern front with the onset of the spring mud period in March 1942. On May 26, 1942, Adolf Hitler donated the Winter Battle in the East 1941/42 medal to give visible expression to the achievements of the German units. It was to be awarded as "recognition of probation in the fight against the Bolshevik enemy and the Russian winter of 1941/1942". *Design:* The medal has a diameter of approx. 36 × 40 mm. It is blackened in the middle and has a silver-plated edge approx. 1.5 to 2 mm wide. The stamped insignia are deep embossed. On the front of the medal is the national insignia of the army, an eagle with folded wings. The usual version with outstretched wings was omitted for reasons of space. In its claws, the eagle holds a swastika standing upright, with a laurel branch in the background. Above the eagle is a stylized German steel helmet (M35), which was sometimes designed "white". The steel helmet rests on a horizontal stick hand grenade. The reverse of the medal is slightly curved outwards and also shows the stylized steel helmet with a horizontal stick hand grenade on its upper edge. In the middle is the inscription: WINTER BATTLE / IM EAST / 1941/42 in capital letters. The middle line ("IM EAST") is shown slightly larger. Below this are a sword and a laurel branch that cross in the middle. *Award* *conditions:* The medal was awarded to soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who were deployed on the Eastern Front between November 15, 1941 and April 15, 1942 - had taken part in combat for at least 14 days (30 missions for members of the Air Force) or - suffered a wound for which a Wound Badge was awarded, or frostbite; or - had proven themselves in use for at least 60 days without interruption. The Eastern Medal could also be awarded to: - killed - Wehrmacht members of allied countries who were under the command of the German Wehrmacht - foreign volunteers sworn to the Fuhrer, fighting within the framework of or in units of the German Wehrmacht (e.g. Dutch or French, cf. Foreign volunteers of the Waffen-SS) - Volunteers from foreign tribes (e.g. Ukrainians, Belarusians) fighting under the command of the German Wehrmacht within the framework of or in units of the German Wehrmacht - Women and - other foreigners. The award period was later extended, so that the award was finally discontinued on October 15, 1944. The award itself could be made by a battalion commander or a senior officer. The medal was worn on the ribbon through the second buttonhole (if available under the Iron Cross II. Class) or on the medal bar above the left breast pocket. *Medal* *Nicknames:* A well-known sarcastic interpretation of the coloring was as follows: "The Red Army left and right, in between the Smolensk-Moscow runway and the snow." In military jargon, the medal was therefore often referred to as the "Runway Order" or, in reference to the extreme Russian winter of 1941/42 with its numerous cases of frostbite, as the "Frozen Meat Medal", "Frozen Meat Order" or "Eisbeinorden". By 1943, the Munich Army Museum, through its employee Lieutenant Colonel Miller, had collected 32 different designations for the Eastern Medal, including the designations Frost Medal, Snowman with Steel Helmet, Northern Lights Commemoration, Tundra Medal, Runway Medal, or Holiday Replacement Medal. The color of the ribbon also included the following rhyme: "Black is the night, white is the snow and on both sides the Red Army."
My grandfather brought back a Japanese rifle he got after they cleared out some holdouts in a cave. He said he shipped two back home but only 1 showed up. He willed it to me when he passed away but a relative took all his guns and gun safe after he passed and ended up selling and pawning them all. He had lied and said someone stole them but eventually came clean. I wish he would have been honest from the start so I could have at least gotten the rifle out of pawn. I would not have even been upset if I had been able to get the gun back.
My father brought back a 6.5 Japanese rifle. I have it. A guy saw it and said he would give me $150 for it. I told him no one has enough money to buy that rife. Battlefield pickup from Saipan.
My Dad brought back a German flag, a German MP helmet, an officer's sabre and scabbard, a Mauser 98 and a .22 cal Mauser rifle in mint condition, and a bayonet that doesn't fit the Mausers. Also a Luger pistol but my Mom insisted that be sold before I was born. We still have all but the flag that disappeared early on. Quite a haul for a lineman Corporal.
My grandfather (whom I never met) brought back a .32 Walther ppk and the evil handmade needle knife ever created. The pistol is gone, still have the assassin knife.
Back when the US was TRULY the "land of the Free"! Now day's, a soldier would be court martialed for bringing back a coconut! My great uncle had an MP-40 from Germany he brought back and had hanging on his basement wall, he use to let us shoot it as kids in the 60's. Then, the UNCONSTITUTIONAL Firearms Act of 1968 destroyed all that!
I had a pistol that was all numbers matching. I think it was made late in the war. It was a very clean example. Sadly unforeseen circumstances led to me having to sell my entire collection. I had 2 US 22’s, one a Winchester model 75 I believe and a Rem. 40X that i really wish I still had out of the rest. I found it fascinating the US used 22’s to train troops in WWII. maybe one day I’ll be able to find them again. That way I can pass them on to my son and maybe spark his interest in shooting, gunsmithing, history and/or military History.
Very nice helmet find. I had seen a lot of the metals and flags at gun shows in Virginia over the years but never a painted helmet like that. I never saw something like it at any of the 29th light national guard units either.
When I was 14-15 years old I got to know Mr. Homer Talent and his wife, Beatrice, at Top-of-the-World in Blount County, Tn. The Talents like to catch catfish while bank fishing in the lake. I was learning how to bass fish so Mr. Talent and I started to fish together. Turns out Mr. Talent had fought in Germany during WWll and he had brought home nine German Luger semi-automatic pistols and several rifles. Mr. Talent offered to let me have one of his 9mm Luger pistols but unfortunately for me my mom was an anti-gun parent so I wasn’t allowed to have the gun. I did get to go shooting with Mr. Talent so my mom couldn’t take those memories away from me. I miss the Talents because they let me fish with them and I got to hear some stories about Europe and Germany.
During WWII, my family members were leaving Europe. So nothing from that war but my Dad 3 tours in Vietnam, we used to lots from there. I still have money.
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Also be sure to check out The Gettysburg Museum of History and their store at gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com.
I have bought more than 200 dollars of things from them.
You should do a clip about my great great uncle Col. Lucien Phillip Greathouse. He was a civil war hero who who would have been the youngest brigadier general in the USA on record, except he died in the Battle of Atlanta 3 days before Lincoln promoted him.
I have an eagle over the swastika that my grandpa brought back maybe you could tell me about it
Didn't Hugo Boss design alot of Thier items? The had the coolest uniforms. Super stylish.especually the SS stuff. . no wonder they were collectable, it would have taken all I could... although I would probably been called a sympathizer. Bullshit. It's just cool history.
I had a friend, long since passed, that fought in the Pacific theater during WWII. He told me his story, when he returned from the war and was making his way home. He was asked if he had anything to declare, “Yes I have a bazooka in my duffel” the guy looked at Red and said yeah sure and let him go. Now I was a little kid but I called BS, now when he got home he thought that was a little much to be hanging around the house. He took it to the local PD for safe keeping. I was actually allowed to see his bazooka😮
Not have it back, as a souvenir, then ¿?
Oh hell. I thought this was a family channel 😂
My dad was in the pacific in wwii. If he brought anything back his sister kept it as he wasn't married yet. I do remember my mom had a tent. My father passed when I was 6 years old so I never got to talk to him about it. I have his army jacket and some of his medals.
I hope the cops didn’t keep it.
@@rebeccasciutto2722 I'm sorry for your loss!
One of the best war souvenir stories I've ever read is:
I read the memoir of a woman who served as a US Army nurse in Europe during WW2 and like a lot of vets brought home a German helmet as a souvenir. She married post-war (her husband was a Pacific Theater vet) and had a son. Eventually she gave him the helmet to play with.
One day their nex-door neighbor saw the boy and said "Wow! That's a good-looking Nazi helmet! Did your dad get it in the war?" And her son answered:
"No, my MOM did!"
She said the look on the neighbor's face was priceless! "Whaaaaaattt...."
Ha!
What's the point?
This channel is one of my most favorite . I always look for the notification when you post a new one. I'm 70 years old and thanks for reminding me of our history and things that I never knew. Can't wait to go back to Gettysburg to tour the Museum.
Thanks!
My father spoke several languages. As a result, as a member of the CIC a German officer surrendered to him. The tradition was to hand over his pistol. I have the mauser.
Wow!
Is it like a 1914 ? 32 or 25 acp? or an hsc?
Mauser made several varieties of handguns, including Lugers. There were also many others that were used by German officers, the HSc, M1914 and others. What you have could be very valuable.
Of course, if it is like the guns my father brought back...they aren't for sale.
My father captured two Germans and brought home their pistols. One was covered in scroll work. It was stolen by their landlord in Chicago after my father refused to sell it to him. The other gun he loaned to his nephew and never got it back. My father was a highly decorated machine gunner but after the war he became very passive and drank a lot. He refused to call the police and said if the landlord could live with what he did then he (my father) could live without the gun.
@@dmljones57 I guess after going through ww2 , not wanting to fight anymore makes sense
That helmet with the writing all over it is incredible. What a piece of history
My dad (RAF) traded his cig and candy rations for a German officer’s dress sword. It was very elaborate and had the eagle/swastika on the hilt. We used to play with it (not smart, but kids do dumb stuff).
Wow!
My grandma and her siblings did the same! Their dad, my great grandpa, brought back a German officers dress sword. And when they were kids, she said they played with it outside a lot. It was a good laugh reminiscing for sure.
She was showing the sword to me last year. She was trying to pull it out of the scabbard, and it was a tight fit. I said, " Be careful, grandma, that's a sword! Don't cut yourself. " She began to laugh very hard and then told me how her brother used to throw it, and they'd try to stab it in the ground. And sometimes throw it towards each other. And of course she followed up with " that was not smart, don't suggest it, but we survived"
The officers dress sword and scabbard have matching serial numbers. Best i could research, it came from Berlin and was made for the German Politzei.
Much respect for your father. 🇺🇸
My Dad bought a German sword back too. And guns...an Italian sniper rifle ("only used once") and a German machine gun. A ceremonial dagger...and a Japanese sword.
One thing I have is a bust, seems to be some sort of service award. This item is a complete mystery, as I have not seen anything that it resembles....
"A little like the boy scouts but a bit more problematic" definitely made laugh. Great video! Really enjoy these videos.
Glad you like them!
Hitler Youth was based upon Baden Powells creation.
Rohms SA used same arm band as HY.
They banned the real Boy Scouts when they took over. Too Christian and American, though a British idea.
Keep up the good work on this channel, I really enjoy WW2 German relics. My Grandpa served in the 2nd Armor division the entire war and sent home a Party Flag, armband and a Luger. We have also found a Polizei cap emblem and all the letters he sent to my Grandma she kept! Lots of history there.
Love the video! My dad was in Japan and China after the war. He was in the clean up crew from 1945-1947. He said it was still dangerous because there were many people who didn't want the war to be over and would still shoot at them. He brought back a lot of Yen, which I still have. And bought a beautiful blue silk and a smoking jacket. He didn't get war trophies.
Much respect for your father. 🇺🇸
@@jefferyfowler7860 Thank you!
I have been a serious history student since I was in elementary school (early 1970's)....The History Underground is the most fascinating and literary keeps me on the edge of my seat. EXCELLENT, just plain EXCELLENT work at History Underground. Your channel and Dr. Mark Felton's channels are simply the best out there...and during the Ukrainian war, any polish news network that brings us daily news from that conflict as well.
This is just simply history TODAY.
Thank you from Anaheim, California.
Man I could lose a whole day watching this channel.
I have collected Military items, ( mainly German ww2) for the last 20yrs and only found your channel a few days ago, Gotta say i'm utterly hooked and its refreshing that a fellow relic collector is so passionate about these item's.. keep up the good work and we MUST remember these pivotal moments in history and NEVER forget.. Good show mate .
I think he's more interested in the money. And that's okay. Nothing wrong with that.
Its just a shame that there are so many well made reproductions out there now. A friend who is a long-time dealer got burned with a well made U Boat badge.
“It was like the Boys Scouts, but a bit more problematic”. That’s why I watch EVERY single episode that JD puts out. He has such an amazing perspective and conveys them in such a unique way. I love that about JD! Aloha 🤙🏼
Another GREAT video!!!
If I was alive then, I would have gathered a boatload of anything I could find to bring back home!
I love your videos and have learned so much about history through your channel! Keep up the FANTASTIC work!
They would have needed a shipping container to bring all of my stuff back.
@@TheHistoryUnderground just one JD?
Many DID, why dya think there's so much about, in 🇺🇸 today.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Old Scrooge Capt Sobel would have gigged you for misappropriating US property. Lol
I love the video. I've been collecting german and American militaria since 1979. I'm 68 and in SC. I've got helmets hats uniforms daggers badges in my collection before Eric was born but I enjoy watching and hearing his explanations
I've collected for about 50 years now, and I greatly appreciate the statement about people who collect TR items, not supporting the ideologies of the Nazi Party. To me, they have always been war prizes, 95% of my collection all came from veterans. I also collect uniforms and equipment as well. It's been about preserving history. I hope you visit the Gettysburg Museum someday. Thank you for these great informative videos.
I had planned to visit the museum last summer but I had to unexpectedly deal with some things at the house and I could not do so. But this year it is definitely on the list. I have been to the battlefield before so this trip would primarily be for the museum.
You won’t be disappointed. Been there many times and I am always blown away with the items on display. One of the best
Funny, between 2003 and now I found with my detektor nearly every badge, which you can see here, in the former "Ruhrkessel" (with the exception of the wounded badge and the badge from the eastfront) in the woods. Because I dug them directly from the battlefield, I can be quite sure, that they are authentic.
To the victors goes the spoils. I think any woman that has 8 to 12 children deserves an award from the government. That's dedication above and beyond.
Definitely a lot that came home after that war.
A fantastic episode, thanks for the info. I have several of the items you discussed today.
I just found your channel and want to thank you so much for these videos. It's so important for us to learn our history and remember those events that put us where we are today. I look forward to binge watching what you have shared. Thanks again!
I know a Class 3 dealer who bought a collection of firearms from a widow for $30K that included a fully registered new in box unissued FG-42, which was a GI bring back. It could be worth as much as $300K at auction. Unfortunately, the widow had no idea how rare the gun her husband brought home was.
My Dad brought back all kids of German weapons. Officers swords that I played with Civil War growing up. One item was a German Officers danger with Irovy handles that my cousins and my sisters used cut our wedding cakes. The one item is brand new German Luger because all the serial numbers on the parts match along holster and German belt that I inherited will will passed down to my son and grandson. Thanks JD and Eric that great videos
Keep that luger oiled .👍
My dad was in WWll. He brought home two things. The first being a 8mm Mauser rifle and the second being a 3 month old Shepard puppy. Zeda lived until 1956. The rifle is in the caring hands of his Grandson.
Wow!
Awe that poor puppy it probably had seen some of the horrors of war but at least it was taken care of and lived for a while
My uncle fought in the Pacific throughout the island hopping campaigns, including Saipan and Tinian. He had an extensive collection of Japanese war souvenirs. He had the ceremonial battle sword and pistol he took from a dead Japanese officer. He also had a flag that Japanese troops commonly carried on their person that had inscriptions from loved ones.
It is amazing to think that returning servicemen could bring back almost anything if it could fit in their service bag. In the military of today, war souvenirs are strictly forbidden. I have spoken with guys who served in Iraq, and they said that even so much as an article of Iraqi military uniform was forbidden, even for high ranking officers. Truly a different day we live in.
Both of my grandfather's served in WW11. But they were on different sides. One was German,the other was American. My German grandfather died during the war in 1944 leaving behind 9 children that my grandmother had to raise on her own.
This is great! I have seen many of these but didn’t know what they were all called and meant! Great to learn about
Pretty interesting stuff.
Mutters X is particularly attractive.
Great video the relic series videos are some of my favorite thank you JD and Eric for the showing and the history
A good friend of mine's grandfather was one of the soldiers that mailed a Jeep home. He passed it down, and my buddy still has it.
My maternal grandfather was in the Army core of engineers and stationed in the Phillipines. He brought back a blood-stained Japanese mini flag, a sword from a Japanese officer, and a fuel log book from a downed Japanese pilot. My family is all in Pennsylvania, and I have been considering donating some of these items to museums eventually.
He is long gone, but he shared some stories of his service with my uncle. I want to record them and find a place to share them so they aren't lost. His unit came under fire from a Japanese sniper. He ran to a bulldozer and used the blade to shield himself from enemy fire before using it to bury the sniper alive.
It is interesting to note that once Japan rebuilt itself and prosperity returned to the country and its people, there were lots of Japanese families who would offer to buy back the lost family swords from the Americans who took them home as trophies. These "family swords" where centuries old.
My uncle who served in the 504PIR 82nd airborne brought back 7 German Lugers. I remember him showing me a few of them when I was about 10 years old. One had the eagle holding the swastika engraved in the handle and the leather holster. Years later I asked him if he would give me one of them and he informed me he had given them all away. I was really bummed.
Don't feel offended but your uncle is a ducking asshole why would he give them away!!!!! At the very least keep it in the family I mean come on LUGERS p38 walthers maybe but LUGERS and 7 wow
My father (101st Airborne) had a foot locker full of stuff. Mostly German military garb... hats, belt buckles, etc. But he also brought back a luger (including rounds). My mother made him get rid of it (go figure). The best part, though, he was an avid photographer and he has some great in-air shots from inside a C-47 and a glider of them preparing to drop. I've never seen photos like this... you can see C-47's as far as the eye can see in the photo. He didn't need to bring any German medals. He had plenty of his own (bronze star from Ardennes).
Remarkable commemts posted here. Your materials present a clinical perspective not found elsewhere. Gratefully never dismissive of the horrors put on humans of any stripe, the evil of which unknown. We in the “live and let live“ world are alway astonished and outraged that some new monster appears slashing through docile regions. Somewhere lies the answer.
Cool stories!
"Fun fact": I served with 2/75 Rangers in the 1970s, upon returning from Germany training with their special operations forces, ALL of our paratrooper knives that we received as gratitude were confiscated ...
My grandfather had a pristine Mauser K98 rifle and 2 arisaka bolt action rifles one in fair condition the other was burned but still very functional and both furnished with a folding wire mono pod and a somewhat complicated rear sight I’m told could be used for shooting at aircraft.
im gonna visit his museum one day and spend the entire day there. amazing
My dad brought back many german knives,daggers and bayonets, but he real prize was a beautiful .22 cal. match target LUNA pistol. I have never seen another like it. I lost the rear sight while shooting it, SIGH!!!!. His uncle brought back his cherry 03 Springfield. He was an artillery Capt during WW1 and the rifle had only been shot a couple of times, I remember buying surplus AP ammo back in the 60's, and boy could that ammo make some big holes shooting through multiple layers of steel.
What would be an interesting story would be to see what the people of Europe kept after the war, particularly the American weaponry. I could imagine some farmer keeping some tank in the barn for 60 years before the family finally turns it in. Or stories of people keeping a Thompson machine gun or Colt 45's. I know it was illegal for them to keep but there's got to be some who hid that stuff.
Bill Maudin told a story of what he witnessed in Italy in the American occupation zones. Once those areas were secured partisan activity was told to stop and the partisans were ordered to surrender any weapons they had. And so they did, beat-up old shotguns and muzzleloaders. No captured German rifles, machine guns, pistols, or any other modern weapons they had. Now the American authorities weren't stupid, they knew the stuff was still out there but they didn't have the time or personnel to do house-to-house searches so they let it go.
So certainly there was a LOT of unaccounted for stuff in Europe after the war. How much of it is stll there is anyone's guess.
As a kid, I remember my uncle showing me some of the things he had picked up while fighting in Europe. Perhaps it's because I was a young boy that the things which really stick out in my mind where the weapons and like you said he had what I now know was a German P-38 and Luger pistols. But something you didn't mention was that he had a couple of defused American 'Pineapple' hand grenades and at least one German 'Potato Masher' that really held my attention. Another item that my mother told me he brought back was a German black leather tool bag and my uncle said, "The owner doesn't need it anymore."
Wonder whatever happened to that stuff?
The German army also issued peaked caps to NCOs. They were basically identical to the officer's item in pattern, but they weren't as high quality and they had a black chinstrap. They didn't last long at the front and they were generally a more formal rear echelon item. You see a lot of formal portraits of NCOs wearing the cap. I've seen a small handful of bringbacks, and they're rarer than officer's caps. They're frequently also misidentified as officer's caps.
Always interesting to see what Erik has laying around. That wound badge looks to be an earlier version where they added the swastika to the WWI badge. The earlier badges have the M16 WWI helmet with the visor lug and two rivets. They are also smaller and more rounded than the later WWII badges. Harder to see by themselves but obvious side by side.
As I work in a museum, a lot of things are brought back from buttons, helmets, guns, hats,flags and so much stuff
Crazy to think of what all is out there.
Never knew of the Mothers Cross. Fascinating and frightening to use a religious symbol to award Mothers. JD your choice of the phrase ….cranking out kids…made me laugh out loud at break at work! Thoroughly enjoy these videos! Thank you for all you do.
😅
The Breeders Medal...... Makes you wonder at the many levels of Fascist mind set; even to this day....
My great-grandfather was a German soldier in WW1 and my grandfather in WW2. Unfortunately I have nearly no artifacts from them. They both had an iron cross as I have seen on photos. The only thing I have is a sketchbook of my great-grandfather that he had with him in the trenches in France. There are drawings of his comrades and also of the landscape in it.
I love your channel. Subscribed it. I watched nearly every video. So interesting!👍
Greetings from Germany!
Truly interesting stuff, as usual! Cool to see the more common stuff here. There goes a bit of knowledge to recognize all this different stuff and variations of them all.
Grandad brought back a pistol, a metal detector (mine sweeper) and a backpack radio... that I know of. Think my cousin has all 3. My friends Grandfather brought back a very interesting pistol.
Thank you for another great video! My father brought back a German dagger, a German soldier's pistol and a small nazi flag.
Do they still exist today?
@@thEannoyingE unfortunately they were stolen from my parents house many decades ago.
I have a Nazi Polizei bayonet and .22 cal revolver my grandpa brought back in my safe. Very nice artifacts. Thanks for the video.
My family had a thick white ceramic soap dish with the "cartwheel man" (that is how my family explained it to me when I was little) symbol stamped on the bottom in blue.
Thanks for sharing these items. I totally enjoyed this.❤️
I have a WWII Mauser HSc in crazy good condition, these were issued to U-Boat Captains, SS Officers and National Police Officers. These were made by Mauser up to 1977 in fact. Mine has a serial number that puts it at 1941 and issued to the SS. It is a numbers matching pistol with all the various proof marks, eagles, '"other markings" (you know what I mean- dang TH-cam) and such. I also have a Mauser 98 rifles that someone put a new stock on and welded new sights on it. It's kinda sketchy, I'm scared to shoot it lol.
I met a gun in Phoenix who when he was a kid his dad was stationed in Germany. He spent his time rummaging through old German bunkers. The number of medals, iron crosses and paper items he has blew me away. I asked him “ What are you going to do with this stuff ?” He said give it to my grandkids to take to school .” I REPLIED “ NOOOOOO PLEASE NOOOOOOOO.
Found a German winter ( rabbit fur) hat dated 1943 in a second hand shop. Bought it for $2.00 Cdn. Gave it to my nephew, he collects military items. According to his research, it was only issued to soldiers on the Eastern Front. I wonder how it made its way to East coast Canada?
My friends dad, as did my mine, fought in WWII. My friends dad was one of those that brought back German Military items. He had a K98k, a Belgium Browning 16ga shotgun (Semi-Auto, if my memory serves me correct), Walter P38, a PPK, and the Luger.
There is an old saying: The French fight for glory. The British fight for country. The Americans fight for souvenirs.😀
8:15 - In Germany it was called " "Gefrierfleisch Orden". That means " Frozen Meat Medal", because the eastern frontline has been very very cold.
My father was first born here. 🇩🇪🇺🇸. 1926. Was seventeen inlisted speaking fluent German. I am the second born here. He made it. 🙏🙏🙏. Thank you Father's Of Father's....... 🇩🇪🇺🇸
Picked up a Panzer belt buckle (de-nazified) when I was stationed in Budegen, West Germany, in the '70's. Gave it to a good friend, who always beat me at tabletop war games.
My uncle Red fought in Patton's 3rd Army. Participated in the Battle of the Bulge and also was there when Buchenwald was liberated. He had the usual trove of medals, guns. etc. He also took a handle off one of the crematorium doors. I understand he also had some mementos from the dead. Old broken pair of eyeglasses, an old photo someone carried all through the years. He wasn't macabre. Just understood the gravity of it all.
He died when I was in my 30's. Wasn't too close to him but did see him 4 or 5x's through the year. Part of that generation that didn't brag or boast. I didn't learn about the above until 20 years after his death.
In 0:57 third on the left is the Greek-American Eddie Lambros .The photograph of Eddie and his brothers-in-arms brandishing a captured Nazi flag was published on the front page of the New York Times the following day.
Tragically, Lambros did not survive to see this photograph, as he was killed in action in France the day after D-Day. The Greek-American served as a private in the 505th Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.
Lambros received a Purple Heart and the medal of valor for his service posthumously. He is buried and memorialized at Plot D, Row 2,3 Grave 28 in the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, France, one of the enormous American armed forces cemeteries in Europe.
However, he was only one of the hundreds of Greeks who fought that day, and the nation of Greece lent its aid on D-Day in every way it possibly could despite having been occupied by Germany for more than three years by that point in the war.
Enjoyed the video mate really interesting mate can't wait for the next video mate 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks 👍
My Mother's Uncle was in Eorope , he mailesd back to her a German Bayonet in the scabbord while he was still there. Sadly he didn't make it back & our ended up selling it awhile back without checking with us first.
As a boy, my fishing buddy was a ball turret gunner. One of his stories was about the poker games on deck as they came home. "Everything you can possibly imagine."
one of the most interesting things in our family, is the proximity fuse my uncle brought back to the farm. He taught at MIT after serving in ww2 up in Alaska in the air corp.
My dad brought back a Japanese bolt action rifle complete with a bayonet. It was a training rifle, nothing special I suppose but as a kid would play with it, the bayonet would affix to the rifle with absolutely no play. It was solid. Dad eventually donated it to the NRA museum just outside Washington DC - a great visit btw - don't know if the guy was being polite but identified it immediately and seemed very pleased to get it. Oh yeah, he also got some sort of short sword, again, seriously functional (but was pretty dull, I wouldn't cut myself) Kinda wish I had the sword, but not sure what I'd really do with it now.
I'd have loved captions on those amazing photos shown in the first minute, as well as some anectdotal info on how exactly some of the bring-backs were obtained. Maybe enough for a whole episode?
I was a kid in the fifties , and just about every man in my neighborhood was a veteran . I've seen so much of this junk , they all had garages full of it , some Nazi and some Japanese .
When I was a young man I rode Harleys . One of my buddies used wear a Nazi cross on his cut . He told me it was a Mother's Cross , but what it really was - a Knight's Cross . Tried to trade him out of it , but he held on to till he was killed . I wonder if he knew what he had and was just b.s.ing me about the Mother's Cross . I repeat , there were boat loads of this junk around in the years after the war . Bet much ended up in landfills .
Missed this one. Thanks.
My dad was a WW2 Pacific veteran and he said at the end of the war they piled up everything in a warehouse and told the soldiers to take whatever would fit in their duffle bags. He brought home several swords and bayonets and a Nambu pistol. I guess now days those swords would be worth a fortune except he caught me and a buddy sword fighting with them in the attic and he got rid of them.
The odds are high the swords were gunto, that is machine made swords, and are worth very little, so don't be too sad.
Probably so but if I remember correctly the one sword had some kind of stones in the handle and a different scabbard than the regular swords he had. But that was 50 years ago.
I have an original A. Hitler painted sunrise over the Bavarian Alps hanging right above my fireplace... A beautiful piece...☀️👍
Interesting. Too bad that he didn't stick to his career as a painter.
Yep I got it on the cheap at an estate sale when old man Ludwig down the street passed away several years back...👍
@@TheHistoryUnderground When Hitler's application was rejected at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy one of the board suggested to him he take up commercial architectural art professionally as he was very good at it and could make a decent living doing so but Hitler wouldn't take the suggestion. Makes you wonder "What if?"
Many American soldiers traded items. My dad brought back a Nazi armband but he was a Marine in the South Pacific. He also brought back a Japanese Arisaka sniper rifle and some other cool stuff.
Thanks y'all. Always interesting. 👍👍👍👍👍
So neat to see this! Thanks!
The beauty of these items should be persevered for future generations
Was at the 45th ID Museum in OKC, they had the entire Silver Set from the Eagles Nest.
I remember growing up my father was in WW2 and I remember a Natzi arm band with a sword threw it I've never seen another one like it he brought back all kinds of stuff he liberated a concentration camp
At the time, Americans were said to be "Souvenir hounds" by other allies. A few guys came back with bales of now worthless paper money, and rarely Crown Jewels of countries conquered by Germans.
Ive already purchased some D-Day relics from Gettysburg museum,I can't wait to buy one of those killer armbands!
If you ever get to Montana go check out the Miracle of America museum. It's a unbelievable collection of everything.
Hmmm...
Montana is a fair sized state.
I'll try and find a city / address . . .
I was working a booth at a flea market, when a man brought in a ww2 German helmet that a family member had mailed back from the war. What made this so different was the fact that it wasn't in a box or wrapped up, The guy had just wrote the address on the side and put stamps on it!! I've never seen anything like it before or since.
I remember the culture of the WWII Vets.
My father and uncles.
They rarely talked about the War.
It was considered "off color".
After several beers, a little different.
I had one uncle, 82nd Airborne, I think.
He never talked to me about it until I was 50 and he was 80.
Nasty stuff, D-Day and Battle of the Bulge.
Young will never know it.
There is something interesting about looking up the addresses these veterans wrote on the souvenirs and seeing where the lived in peacetime.
My Father, who served in the Pacific, brought back a number of small statues he made from shell casings (mostly ash trays), including small model planes flattened and welded together. He also had several scrape books I found in our crawlspace, with mostly photos of dead Japanese bodies and native girls (topless) in grass skirts while serving in the Philippines … my first exposure to nudity as a child. 😏
The German Mountain troop badge is called the Edelweiss and is still worn by the Bundeswehr mountain troops today. My brother was a US Army Ranger and trained with them for several weeks in 1962 and was awarded the Edelweiss patch.
My father was a Sgt. in the US Armys 160th Combat Engineer Battalion in the ETO in WW2. He had a Luger, but another GI stole it from him. He did bring back a silver panzer assault badge. which he gave to me, and I still have it. After that I started collecting these items, this was around 1968 and plenty of vets were selling their bring backs.The first dagger I bought was an SS enlisted for which I paid $75.00 for Now these are fetching $3,000.00+ I stopped collecting years ago because the fakes were getting really well made.
One of my grandfathers brought back a lot of wrist watches. After a few beers 40 yrs later he admitted to my father they were off German soldiers he "eliminated". He was a sniper in the 95th Inf Div. I still have those wrist watches.
I am a child of the space program .I grew up at Langley Reasearch Center,VA. Huntsville,AL. Cape Canaveral,FL.There were German rocket scientists working/living in these places .I went to school with their children .When they got old and passed away there would be estate sales .I have seen items at these sales with swastikas on them .I have a ceramic coffee pitcher with NAZI markings on the bottom .I have also seen small Walther guns .These German scientists have died off so today there are few(if any) estate sales .
we still use the "army mountain troop cap patch" in the austrian army. it is hard to get when you are serving at the army ;-) . this patch was introduced by the austrian emperor far bevor of the beginning of the first world war. we call it "Gebirgsedelweiss".
To the medal 08:27 :
*Medal* *Winter* *Battle* *in* *the* *East* *1941/42*
At the beginning of December 1941, the German advance came to a standstill in front of Moscow due to the massive counterattacks by the Red Army and a lack of winter equipment. Due to the great losses of man and material suffered, the slow retreat of the German units began in the period that followed. The crisis could only be overcome with the stabilization of the eastern front with the onset of the spring mud period in March 1942. On May 26, 1942, Adolf Hitler donated the Winter Battle in the East 1941/42 medal to give visible expression to the achievements of the German units. It was to be awarded as "recognition of probation in the fight against the Bolshevik enemy and the Russian winter of 1941/1942".
*Design:*
The medal has a diameter of approx. 36 × 40 mm. It is blackened in the middle and has a silver-plated edge approx. 1.5 to 2 mm wide. The stamped insignia are deep embossed. On the front of the medal is the national insignia of the army, an eagle with folded wings. The usual version with outstretched wings was omitted for reasons of space. In its claws, the eagle holds a swastika standing upright, with a laurel branch in the background. Above the eagle is a stylized German steel helmet (M35), which was sometimes designed "white". The steel helmet rests on a horizontal stick hand grenade.
The reverse of the medal is slightly curved outwards and also shows the stylized steel helmet with a horizontal stick hand grenade on its upper edge. In the middle is the inscription: WINTER BATTLE / IM EAST / 1941/42 in capital letters. The middle line ("IM EAST") is shown slightly larger. Below this are a sword and a laurel branch that cross in the middle.
*Award* *conditions:*
The medal was awarded to soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who were deployed on the Eastern Front between November 15, 1941 and April 15, 1942
- had taken part in combat for at least 14 days (30 missions for members of the Air Force) or
- suffered a wound for which a Wound Badge was awarded, or frostbite; or
- had proven themselves in use for at least 60 days without interruption.
The Eastern Medal could also be awarded to:
- killed
- Wehrmacht members of allied countries who were under the command of the German Wehrmacht
- foreign volunteers sworn to the Fuhrer, fighting within the framework of or in units of the German Wehrmacht (e.g. Dutch or French, cf. Foreign volunteers of the Waffen-SS)
- Volunteers from foreign tribes (e.g. Ukrainians, Belarusians) fighting under the command of the German Wehrmacht within the framework of or in units of the German Wehrmacht
- Women and
- other foreigners.
The award period was later extended, so that the award was finally discontinued on October 15, 1944. The award itself could be made by a battalion commander or a senior officer. The medal was worn on the ribbon through the second buttonhole (if available under the Iron Cross II. Class) or on the medal bar above the left breast pocket.
*Medal* *Nicknames:*
A well-known sarcastic interpretation of the coloring was as follows:
"The Red Army left and right, in between the Smolensk-Moscow runway and the snow."
In military jargon, the medal was therefore often referred to as the "Runway Order" or, in reference to the extreme Russian winter of 1941/42 with its numerous cases of frostbite, as the "Frozen Meat Medal", "Frozen Meat Order" or "Eisbeinorden". By 1943, the Munich Army Museum, through its employee Lieutenant Colonel Miller, had collected 32 different designations for the Eastern Medal, including the designations Frost Medal, Snowman with Steel Helmet, Northern Lights Commemoration, Tundra Medal, Runway Medal, or Holiday Replacement Medal. The color of the ribbon also included the following rhyme: "Black is the night, white is the snow and on both sides the Red Army."
My grandfather brought back a Japanese rifle he got after they cleared out some holdouts in a cave. He said he shipped two back home but only 1 showed up. He willed it to me when he passed away but a relative took all his guns and gun safe after he passed and ended up selling and pawning them all. He had lied and said someone stole them but eventually came clean. I wish he would have been honest from the start so I could have at least gotten the rifle out of pawn. I would not have even been upset if I had been able to get the gun back.
My father brought back a 6.5 Japanese rifle. I have it. A guy saw it and said he would give me $150 for it. I told him no one has enough money to buy that rife. Battlefield pickup from Saipan.
My Dad brought back a German flag, a German MP helmet, an officer's sabre and scabbard, a Mauser 98 and a .22 cal Mauser rifle in mint condition, and a bayonet that doesn't fit the Mausers. Also a Luger pistol but my Mom insisted that be sold before I was born. We still have all but the flag that disappeared early on.
Quite a haul for a lineman Corporal.
Wow!
My father, born in 1892, brought home a german luger. He was in NY 14th Engineers.
Wow!
My grandfather (whom I never met) brought back a .32 Walther ppk and the evil handmade needle knife ever created. The pistol is gone, still have the assassin knife.
Back when the US was TRULY the "land of the Free"! Now day's, a soldier would be court martialed for bringing back a coconut! My great uncle had an MP-40 from Germany he brought back and had hanging on his basement wall, he use to let us shoot it as kids in the 60's. Then, the UNCONSTITUTIONAL Firearms Act of 1968 destroyed all that!
I had a pistol that was all numbers matching. I think it was made late in the war. It was a very clean example. Sadly unforeseen circumstances led to me having to sell my entire collection. I had 2 US 22’s, one a Winchester model 75 I believe and a Rem. 40X that i really wish I still had out of the rest. I found it fascinating the US used 22’s to train troops in WWII. maybe one day I’ll be able to find them again. That way I can pass them on to my son and maybe spark his interest in shooting, gunsmithing, history and/or military History.
Very nice helmet find. I had seen a lot of the metals and flags at gun shows in Virginia over the years but never a painted helmet like that. I never saw something like it at any of the 29th light national guard units either.
When I was 14-15 years old I got to know Mr. Homer Talent and his wife, Beatrice, at Top-of-the-World in Blount County, Tn. The Talents like to catch catfish while bank fishing in the lake. I was learning how to bass fish so Mr. Talent and I started to fish together. Turns out Mr. Talent had fought in Germany during WWll and he had brought home nine German Luger semi-automatic pistols and several rifles. Mr. Talent offered to let me have one of his 9mm Luger pistols but unfortunately for me my mom was an anti-gun parent so I wasn’t allowed to have the gun. I did get to go shooting with Mr. Talent so my mom couldn’t take those memories away from me. I miss the Talents because they let me fish with them and I got to hear some stories about Europe and Germany.
I am a former trooper 82nd Airborne to make promotion I had to learn history of the Division hooked ever since ATW.
During WWII, my family members were leaving Europe. So nothing from that war but my Dad 3 tours in Vietnam, we used to lots from there. I still have money.