Show us your GI War Booty photos

[CollectRussia]

The gruesome ol' days before Abu Ghraib. I'll be selling the original photo, BTW. Creeps me out.

[W Petz]

I don't think this is the place for it either. Not what I consider a GI War souvenir. Please remove it from the thread. Bill

[W Petz]

Alan,

On the contrary, I have read numerous stories of obvious items that could be taken as war souvenirs being booby trapped. I recall and even may have some pics in my photo collection of places being sign posted "booby trapped"
Again I will have to disagree as to the whether a minority of soldiers had taken back souvenirs. When I was a teenager growing up in Jersey all my firends fathers had some type of souvenir either Japanese or German. Hell my Dad who was an Infantryman brought back some himself. That is how I got interested in collecting in the first place. Now whether the Vets kept them is another story...many placed no value in them and generally gave them away. Which was another source of my early collecting days. Bill


aL

I have no knowledge of the Germans having intentionally set out booby trapped souvenirs, as is well documented by the Japanese in the PTO.

I can, however, relay a story told to me by a WWII U.S. veteran of the ETO. My (now deceased) veteran friend once told me about how one of the men in his unit got killed near the end of the war, when he was picking through a large pile of surrendered arms/ordinance located in the town square of a German village. The soldier wanted a P.08 (i.e. "Luger" pistol) and was sorting thru the arms cache to try to find one. The soldier, however, apparently set off a German grenade that was among the surrendered ordinance, with the resulting blast taking his life.

According to my veteran friend, after this incident the unit's officers ordered the troops to stay out of the captured weapons/ordinance piles, in an effort to prevent any more such incidents.

On veterans and war booty: I can attest for a fact (having solicited hundreds of vets for souvenirs) that a large percentage have told me that they "cared nothing about war souvenirs and just wanted to get home ASAP." Thus, I have begun to think that those vets who brought/shipped home significant amounts of war trophies were probably in the minority, with most vets only keeping a few small items and with a significant percentage of them bringing home no souvenirs.

[R MICHAEL]

Bill, I didn't even think of Pacific booty pics. I have a few from my great uncles album. He was in the 1st Cav. Div from 38' thru 45'. Mike

[R MICHAEL]

another

[R MICHAEL]

another......

[amydron]

I am intrigued by the photo in posting #103 of the three 1st ID soldiers.
The guy on the left is holding a sword which looks remarkably like a British Royal Artillery Officer's pattern 3 bar hilt. If so, it seems rather an odd aquisition.
Can you throw any more light on this photo?
Regards,
RAY.

[W Petz]

Ray,

Sorry I cannot shed much light on the three souvenirs. I obtained the three photos from the Daughter of one of the GI's (He passed away in 1988). She had started to sell the photos then stopped after the 1st Infantry Division museum Director Col Herbert contacted her and wanted to obtain all of her Fathers letters and photos. The Museum had a special interest in him since he was on the staff of Colonel JFR Seitz (Later Major General) Regimental Commander of the 26th Infantry. She wanted to donate them to the museum. So I was only lucky enough to get the photos I listed. She did promise me that I would get scans of all the photos before they dissappear (In my opinion) into the archives of the museum forever. Bill

[MikeB]

Show us your GI War Booty photos

There were some really great War Booty photos shown here. There is a thread on the Imperial Japanese section that has a few images showing GI's with captured Japanese flags and a couple of others showing Japanese going to War, holding their signed flags. If anyone has any original images of GI's with captured Japanese signed flags or captured 1000 stitch belts (or any images showing Japanese soldiers wearing 1000 stitch belts,) that they would like to sell, please PM me here. I am planning a book and need the images. Thanks, Mike

[amydron]

Thanks Bill.
The mystery remains!
Regards, RAY.

[MikeB]

Show us your GI War Booty Photos

Here is one of my War Booty shots! This fellow displays his yosegaki hinomaru onboard his ship.

[McCulloh]

Tinian, 1945:

[MikeB]

Show us your GI War Booty Photos

Here is another War Booty shot from the Pacific Theatre. Mike

[Bruce Simcox]

Yet another......

......one turned up that I somehow earlier overlooked. As before, Pacific Theater:

[Matthew T S]

My grandfather on Saipan '44, 2nd Marine Division.