WWII stuff

[THE X-MAN]

Show your German stuff,the stuff grandpa brought home.

 

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[Duke Nivram]

Don't have any German stuff but i have my Grandfathers b-17 flight kit he was a pilot, and I have my other grandfathers sea-chest from when he was a SeaBee in the Pacific

 

[Rollbar]

Both of my Grandpa's were POW's in Germany, so no momentos. I wish they were still around so I could hear all their stories...when they were, I was younger and not really informed enough to ask all the right questions. They did n't complain about their experiences though, they were both Clint Eastwood type stone-cold guys . Both were also Regimental Sergeant-Majors, and they ran a very tight ship!

 

[KillerCollector]

Ok, this is controversial, so don't shoot messenger. This is RIF soap which stands for "Rein jüdisches Fett" or "Pure Jewish Fat. Soap made from the bodies of Jewish concentration camp prisoners. Allegedly. Just a part of my "other" collection.

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[Rollbar]

Both of my Grandpa's were POW's in Germany, so no momentos. I wish they were still around so I could hear all their stories...when they were, I was younger and not really informed enough to ask all the right questions. They did n't complain about their experiences though, they were both Clint Eastwood type stone-cold guys . Both were also Regimental Sergeant-Majors, and they ran a very tight ship!

One interesting story my one grandpa told me was, that he was a RSM in the 1st South African Division(if I recall correctly) in the North African campaign and as result he had contact with the commanding General Dan Pienaar. General Pienaar had attended the same college in Gemany as General Rommel in their earlier days and were good friends before the war. They would often make small talk over the radio, about the old days, while they waged war against one another!

 

[kronin323]

My father gave me a nazi dagger he received from a family veteran when he was a kid. But, as a kid, he didn't realize the collectible value of such an item and the swastika inlaid in the handle bothered him so he pried it out. So, not really worth anything.

If I remember and have time later I'll dig it out and take a pic...

 

[KillerCollector]

My father gave me a nazi dagger he received from a family veteran when he was a kid. But, as a kid, he didn't realize the collectible value of such an item and the swastika inlaid in the handle bothered him so he pried it out. So, not really worth anything.

If I remember and have time later I'll dig it out and take a pic...[/QUOTE

Love to see some pics.

 

[KillerCollector]

Don't have any German stuff but i have my Grandfathers b-17 flight kit he was a pilot, and I have my other grandfathers sea-chest from when he was a SeaBee in the Pacific

Any pics?

 

[kronin323]

Well, I can't find the dagger right now. I expected it'd be in this one box where I keep a bunch of old knives, but it's not there. And there was this other drawer in the closet where I used to keep some stuff and it's not there either. It's in some box somewhere; I never get rid of knives. But I don't know when it'll turn up.

But, I did remember something else I have which is much cooler. Not German, but kinda WWII related...

Prior to WWII, we had Marines stationed in China. Aptly enough, they were known as China Marines. One of my uncles on my mother's side was one. (My mother was part of a large family, and was like 18 years younger than the next youngest sibling; all the time growing up I had cousins with kids that were my age. That's how I had an uncle old enough to have been a China Marine.)

So one day they're all sitting around the barracks when they heard a commotion outside. They ran out and found a Chinese officer and a Japanese officer in an argument (the Japanese had troops in China, too). It escalated and then they both pulled out sword canes and ran each other through, each killing the other.

What's a group of China Marines to do with a situation like that? The obvious, of course - strip the bodies of souvenirs!

My uncle got one of the sword canes. He passed before I was born, but my aunt still had it, showed it to me and told me the story. She planned to will it to a museum. Fast forward to my teenage years, and the news comes that she has passed. But, because of the interest I'd shown in it, she'd changed her will to pass it to me.

He didn't know if it was from the Chinese officer or the Japanese officer. From the markings I'd guess it was Chinese, but I could be wrong. Also, the story behind it is unverifiable - he was a China Marine and he did bring this back, but for all I know he coulda picked it up at a street market and made up a story to go with it. But I'll choose to believe the story...

I got some pics; I'll post them tomorrow.

 

[kronin323]

Here's the pics...