For Sale --
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WWII Medals and
Documents |
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MM-974 WW2 numbered Purple Heart with case. This is
the more scarce contract with a painted center. $130 |
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MM-973 An amazing Posthumous Navigators grouping
for a Flight Officer with the 371ST Bomb Squadron, 13TH Air
Force. He was part of a group called the "Long Rangers",
B-24s opperating in the Pacific as part of the Jungle Air
Force.
This incredible group includes named and engraved
Purple Heart and air Medal, both cased with outter boxes.
Purple Heart Certificate, Hap Arnold Certificate, an unused
leather squadron patch, his dog tags, the aluminum plate
from his casket case and original personel jacket with
flight records. There are numerous portrait photos, ID
cards, unit assignment paperwork and a large assortment of
letters that he wrote to his family. A first for me are a
series of 4 photos taken showing his actual burial in the
Pacific!! The original telegram and envelope informing the
family of his death as well as many letters of condolense,
sent to the family by his commanders, including an original
Douglas MacArthur signed letter. There is a large amount of
material including all paperwork about the return of
property, insurance claim information, wings and collar
insignia, newspaper clippings and citations. Really an
amazing archive. Incredibly complete. $1895ON
HOLD
On
May 29, 1945,
a
Consolidated B-24L Liberator
named
"Polly"
(Serial Number
44-41548),
belonging to the
371st Bombardment Squadron
of the 307th Bombardment Group, crashed during a
pre-dawn takeoff attempt from Wama Airfield on
Morotai Island.
The name
"Alton"
in historical records relates directly to
Flight Officer Alton Charles Dressler,
the crew's navigator, who tragically lost his life in
the accident.
Crash Details
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The Incident:
"Polly" was part of a line of six heavy bombers
scheduled for an early dawn mission. Three planes
successfully took off. When the pilot, 1st Lt. John
S. Boeman, attempted takeoff, the aircraft crashed
at the end of the runway.
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The Inferno:
The plane burst into flames almost immediately. It
was carrying six 1,000-pound General Purpose (GP)
bombs. Within minutes, two of the heavy bombs
detonated in the fire. The remaining four bombs were
blown clear without exploding.
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Survivors:
Eight of the eleven crew members miraculously
escaped the raging inferno alive, though several
suffered severe burns, broken limbs, and shock.
Three crew members were killed instantly and
burned beyond recognition. A fourth crew
member succumbed to his injuries three days
later:
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F/O Alton Charles Dressler
(Navigator – Hershey, PA) —
Killed instantly
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S/Sgt. Arnold Jerome Shore
(Waist Gunner – Philadelphia, PA) —
Killed instantly
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S/Sgt. Ernest James Smieja
(Gunner) —
Killed instantly
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S/Sgt. Eppa Hunton Johnson
(Crewmember) —
Died of injuries on June 1, 1945
The pilot,
1st Lt. John S. Boeman,
survived the crash and went on to become a
career Air Force officer. He later wrote a
well-regarded military memoir titled
Morotai: A Memoir of War
(published in 1981), which documents his
experiences with the 371st Bombardment
Squadron ("Long Rangers") and details the
tragic loss of "Polly" and his crew members.
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MM-972 Roll of WW2 Purple Heart ribbon. Most likely
30 ft. $100 |
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MM-971 5TH Armored Medal/ History set. Boxed and
numbered Purple Heart, boxed Bronze Star, 5TH Division
History and 71ST Armored Field Artillery Battalion roster.
No name associated. $250 |
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MM-970 Scarce WW2 Barnstable, Ma. town medal. $35 |
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MM-969 Pittsburg, PA Selective Service Medals. $35 |
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MM-968 WW2 Purple Heart medal cases. Tough to find on the
loose! $30ea. |
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MM-967 Guidon streamer for the Sicily Campaign with
invasion arrowhead. $40 |
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MM-966 Guidon streamer for the Algeria- French
Morrocco Campaign. $25 |
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MM-965 Guidon streamer for the Ardennes Alsace
Campaign. $25 |
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MM-964 Guidon streamer for the Central europe
Campaign. $25 |
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MM-963 Guidon streamer for the Rhineland
Campaign. $25 |
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MM-962 Battle streamer for a regimental guidon of a
unit of the 1ST Division unit who's colors were decorated
for action at Normandy. $100 |
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MM-961 Battle streamer for a regimental guidon of a
unit of the 1ST Division unit who's colors were decorated
for action at Kasserine. $100 |
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MM-960 Incredibly rare WW2 Navy PT Boat Sailors
Purple Heart and Documents Group. Includes posthumous, Cased
Purple Heart, Purple Heart Certificate, Accolade
Certificate, mailing tube and the original purple heart
shipping box. An incredibly
rare opportunity to own a posthumous PT Boat sailor, one of
about 330 killed during WW2. $4995
$SOLD$
This sailor was
from Sharpsburg, MD. He enlisted in September 1942, trained
and was sent to the newly formed Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron
10, in December of 1942. MTBRon 10 deployed to the South
Pacific in 1943. En route, six of its PT boats were
transported as deck cargo on the tanker. On May 24, 1943,
the tanker was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, resulting
in the loss of PT-165 and PT-173. The remaining boats were
towed to Nouméa, New Caledonia. Re-equipped and fully
operational, the squadron set up bases in the Solomon
Islands. They engaged in combat operations and patrols
during the campaigns at Rendova, Vella Lavella, the Treasury
Islands, Bougainville, and Green Island (Nissan).
On August 1, 1943 when the men were
preparing for their night patrol at Rendova, they were attacked by a
squadron of Japanese Zeros. At dusk, a Japanese air raid by
eighteen planes targeted the area. A bomb hit PT-164
in the bow, destroying the boat.
PT-117 was damaged in the bow and later abandoned.
Two sailors were killed. The bomb blast knocked two torpedoes off
PT-164 that activated and ran erratically inside
Rendova Harbor until both came onto the beach without
detonating. Afterwards, the
wrecks were photographed
showing the destruction.
PT-164 and PT-117 were docked
together, and at this time we are not sure which boat he was
on, but he was killed in the explosion, on either PT-117 of
PT-164. He was one of two sailors
killed. More research will yield the answer.
Also
based at Rendova was a young Lt. John F. Kennedy on the
PT-109. That same night, August 1ST, after the action that
killed this Sailor, Kennedy's boat left for patrol. Laater
that night the PT-109 was struck by a Japanese vessel and
cut in half!
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MM-951 WW2 Town Medals are much tougher to find
than their WW1 counterparts. They seen to have fallen out
of favor by 1945. This one is from, Wayne County, PA $25 |
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MM-950 WW2 Town Medals are much tougher to find
than their WW1 counterparts. They seen to have fallen out
of favor by 1945. This one is from, Kenosha County, Wis.
$25 |
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MM-949 WW2 Town Medals are much tougher to find
than their WW1 counterparts. They seen to have fallen out
of favor by 1945. This one is from, Wayne County, PA. $25 |
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MM-936 W2 American Defense medal with "Fleet" bar. $25 |
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MM-842 WWII slot broach Air Medal. $40 |
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MM-829 Post WWII "China Service" medal in the original box.
$80 |
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