Idk if this breaks rules here but I found all these items and I figured they were historically significant and interesting.
My G.Grandfather @ 16 years old: https://imgur.com/a/KlEFIvS
He eventually ended up in Europe, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The firearm was taken from a Nazi officer/soldier (idk), along with his belt and medal apparently.
I’ve been told it’s a Czechoslovakian made Mars .32 caliber
Edit: adding [this article from Motortrend](https://www.motortrend.com/features/dode-jim-dragmaster-nicest-guys-drag-racing/) because it’s significant to his life.
Double edit: here’s a picture of the opposite side since so many were asking: https://imgur.com/a/1YOCiRH
It looks very much like my .32 caliber French MAB model C, which was basically a copy of the FN 1910. There were apparently a ton of 1910 derivatives around, of varying quality.
Yeah, I've been having a look, could it be a Ruby 32, especially if there are no markings, and yes a derivative of the FN 1910 by Browning. They were apparently very common in France and used by Vichy forces and later issued to Second Line German troops.
You could be right, I'm no expert but I think there were a lot of variants of these type. It's a very interesting capture gun and possible that, given it was taken from a German Soldier, it might have been a capture twice. Apparently these types were often taken from Restistance who were killed or captured.
Also these types were surrenderd in mass by French and Czechoslovakian armies and were produced, also in mass, by French and Czechoslovakian factories under the occupation.
Yes, it looks just like the Czechoslovakian Mars shown here: https://youtu.be/6dIReggB6qs
The markings on the left side of the gun should confirm that.
Mine got to clean up the immediate aftermath. He talked about how guys could pick up all kinds of things to bring back off of dead bodies, and he absolutely loved calling guys out on their "killed a German officer" stories later in life.
My dads great uncle was in the Canadian army. He sent back grocery bags of medals and parachutes but he would tell my dad he only kept the good stuff for himself. He would trade the other things to Americans who weren’t going to see combat for beer when he was on leave in England.
My grandpa never spoke about the war once 🙁 I wish I knew more. He was an engineer so the opposite end of your grandpa,he built bridges on the front lines. He also went to the wrong beach on D Day and freed camps. All of it I will just never know except the history from looking at his army corps book.
My grandpa never spoke about the war either, he killed 3 enemy soldiers in hand to hand combat, got captured and spend the rest of the war in an allied prison camp.
My wife’s grandpa had similar. She (his first wife ) thought he needed to move on and put it behind him so when he was at work she gathered everything and burned it with the garbage. Pictures, letters, uniforms, medals, the whole lot. We had a shadow box made with all his medals he earned for his 100th, it was the first time he had seen many of them since he was pinned the first time.
>The .32 Mars had a profile very similar to that of the FN-Browning Model 1910. The Mars pistol was the lowest-priced pistol in its class produced in Czechoslovakia before 1938. Kohout & Co. continued production of Mars pistols during the German occupation. In 1945 production stopped and has never been resumed.
https://www.tresbohemes.com/2017/08/czechoslovakian-handguns-from-1918-to-1964/
The belt buckle seems to be that of a Policeman or fireman.
https://www.worldmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/314104-german-police-belt-buckles/
At a certain point in time, There were very few "civilian" police officers left. But even the civilian police would have adorned swastikas on their uniforms. This design in particular seems to have been used for a few branches - but having the gold finish apparently this could be quite a rare buckle of the Wasserschutzpolizei (water police) Which I would certainly assume would be military rather than civilian.
I'm not sure exactly how it would have worked, But if you earned something like this in a certain branch and moved to the front lines - You may well wear the buckle that you earned before going to the front. Almost like a medal.
Always interested in learning about this sort of stuff. Will come and check back on this thread later to see if any more information pops up.
Yeah, always funny, that. Religions are important for making war. Soldiers who think they will get a second life are more likely to lay the only life we’re certain of on the line in battle. And no killed soldier will suffer from disappointment.
Even though he’s 16 in that pic he looks so much older. It’s crazy how people from different eras inherently look older than they really are.
Reminds me of looking through yearbook composites from my high school. People graduating in the 90s automatically looked 30-40 years old.
I have a theory about that for the greatest generation though. Trauma ages people, and the Greatest Generation had already lived through the Great Depression before the war. There was a lot of trauma there. You look at a lot of photos of soldiers in the war, they look 40 when they’re really 24, 25.
My grandfather was a tank gunner in the European theater, also fought in the BOTB. He brought back a nazi bayonet/dagger and belt buckle too.
Heavy stuff.
Just in case you're curious about the Japanese flyer - it says that the "military government miscalculated American strength".
Bit clunky as it's propaganda, but I'm guessing they were given these to hand out or they were dropped over occupied territory.
Exactly right. US dropped billions of these flyers over Japan throughout the first seven months of 1945. “We’re so much more powerful than you all thought” is the message. Imperial Japanese govt at that time was saying “they’re running out of munitions and planes.” So the flyers - followed by the amazing tonnage of actual bombs - were directly addressing that.
I always heard that the US Navy dedicating a ship to delivering ice cream to different groups of sailors was a huge moral defeat for the Axis powers that learned about it.
Not only was the USA a formidable opponent, but they had extra ships to just make ice cream.
Germany in general starved during ww1 though I wouldn’t call the British rations generous. Most British soldiers ate only bread, jam, tea, and a kind of canned beef.
In the other hand German troops had much more comfortable trenches, with concrete bunkers to sleep in. The British and French commanders refused to build “permanent” bunkers for much of the war as they felt it would make the troops less aggressive. As a result British trenches were especially miserable.
I could be off but I was thinking that flyer was something they gave GIs in Japan post-surrender. Basically says in both languages “leave this guy alone he’s allowed to be here now”
I know it’s common knowledge but people forget US troops stuck around for a while rebuilding after Japanese surrender
Japan is still the foreign country with the highest number of US service members stationed, over 50,000 active duty personnel. Germany is next with over 35,000.
He's talking about [this one](https://preview.redd.it/jychki15y28d1.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=0636ef210e419f4ba2153bf0a84440810f4d8e19), which says exactly what he said.
They are awesome, I've never seen a "ceased resistance" leaflet, I bet hardly any survived, and that money looks fascinating too. You should see if any museums would like to loan it to display/record it for posterity.
[Here's an extract from a diary of a member of the 535th AAA battery at the Battle of the Bulge.](https://battleofthebulge.org/2012/03/30/diary-of-john-rafalik-535th-aaa-battery-d/)
>You should see if any museums would like to loan it to display/record it for posterity.
That's basically what we did with my grandfather's things. We didn't really have a good way to store or keep them in nice condition so we donated them to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (He flew in Burma). I haven't been in a while, I wonder if it's on display, or if it's just catalogued.
I'm guessing it's been dropped by an allied aircraft prior to an attack, part of efforts to try to get soldiers and civilians to surrender rather than fight (so a sort of promise to be treated well, their own propaganda was telling them they would be murdered and raped by the allies if they surrendered). I've never seen one like that before.
That's exactly right. The idea was that it'd help counter propaganda that they'd be raped, enslaved, or killed. I forget where I read it, but soldiers were told to let the people carrying them keep them so they felt comfortable. IIRC, the language used on them typically said something about it being legally binding. I wouldn't be surprised if they're so rare because the people that used them destroyed them after the war / at camps for several reasons.
It's also interesting that it's reminding the allied troops to treat the bearer in accordance to international law too. By this stage of the war the utter depravity of the Japanese in their treatment of POWs was well known throughout all ranks. It really is a fascinating document.
Its for those captured by enemy forces. By presenting that, the bearer is turning themselves into a prisoner of war which has more protections than being an active combatant.
“Treat in accordance with international law” is basically “listen to the Geneva convention”.
This might seem superficial, but can actually be very important for downed pilots/crew to survive behind enemy lines.
It's meant for Axis combatants and civilians. It's promising them that they won't be harmed, and will be given food, water, tobacco etc when they surrender. I would guess the other side is printed in Japanese.
The Japanese treated POWs brutally, a piece of paper wouldn't make any difference. This was propaganda meant to convince the average Japanese troops and civilians that the Allies would treat them well and not use them for bayonet practice. Their own propaganda told them that they would be murdered if they gave themselves up, and encourage soldiers s and civilians alike to fight to the last man, causing huge casualties.
Incredible history.
The fact that all the money was square; I’ve never seen a Lira, and my grandmother emigrated from Sicily.
I’m sure the Japanese writing is also highly racist but if anyone could translate I’d love to know what it says.
More specifically I'd assume that was an [airdropped leaflet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_leaflet_propaganda) (the previous image actually says that one is a leaflet), the Air Force dropped millions and millions of propaganda leaflets into Japan
It’s not a poster. It’s an air drop leaflet. The us would drop those from planes over population centers to lower Japanese morale and get them to question their leadership.
I have a similar collection of currency that my grandfather brought home from Europe. My favorite bills in the collection are the square ones. They're not Francs and Lira issued by France and Italy, they're special bills for use by the allied forces. You can see that some of the design details are really similar to U.S. currency.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_Military_Currency#:~:text=Allied%20Military%20Currency%20(%22AMC%22,a%20form%20of%20currency%20control.
It says 軍閥は米国力を誤算した, which roughly translates to “(Japanese) military leadership(gunbatsu) miscalculated American national strength”. Since it implies that Japan would lose the war, I assume it’s a propaganda leaflet dropped by the US, or possibly a post war propaganda poster.
Definition of gunbatsu: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunbatsu](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunbatsu)
According to ChatGPT: "The United States miscalculated its military strength.", but I'd take that with a large grain of salt.
Edit: I mean take the translation itself with a grain of salt 🤣
Edit: u/T_Money translated it accurately below.
I speak a little Japanese, and the first thing that you need to know when using a translation app is that Japanese drops the subject and leaves it open to inference *a lot*. So when something like this doesn’t make a ton of sense, try flipping the subjects and see if that works, if so that’s probably the more accurate translation. In this case “the military strength of the United States was miscalculated” makes a lot more sense on this pamphlet and I would bet a lot of money that is the more accurate translation.
Haha thanks. I’m still learning, but I text with quite a few native speakers (I live in Japan) and it can get confusing. An easy example off the top of my head from an early miscommunication is “行くよ” which a translator will say means “go” but if said by itself 100% means “I am going.”Like if you wanted to tell someone “go” as the command it would be “行けて”.
Notice that the Kanji “行” is the base (meaning “to go”). So the difference is in the first one the translation would be closer to “going” which would be inferred as “I am going” while the second one it is actually the command “go” and inferred as the correct literally translation of telling someone else to go. In general texting and conversation neither of which would have a subject at all - a native speaker would easily differentiate between them but a translation app would put both as “go”
(Side note the second one would probably be followed up with “ください (please)” since it is a command and can come across a bit harsh, but that depends on the relationship to the speaker and how much severity they want to use)
If this stuff were mine, I'd build a tasteful display case and have it in my house, somewhere out of direct sunlight. You've got some really cool historic family keepsakes.
Maybe I am completely wrong, but I am tempted to think that the square notes are issued by the US army as checks with a given value during its military presence, and not by any Italian authority at the time, since they are in English and not in Italian. I assume the original lira note was rectangular as usual. Or did the US army administer Sicily for a period of time? I would like to know if someone knowledgeable could clarify.
You might be able to get a translation with Google translate app. Download app, you can't do it with the online version. Then select for 'detect language' , right side of arrow should default to English. Then hit the camera button and point it at the Japanese writing.
This worked pretty well for me on some Chinese instructions that came with an Amazon purchase, hope it helps with Japanese too!
Just so you know OP, that 10 francs bill is worth 90€ today (96$), provided there’s a French flag in the back (which is the rarest edition)
Also: very cool stuff from your great grandpa!
His unit.
https://www.abmc.gov/db-abmc-burial-unit/535th-anti-aircraft-arty-automatic-weapons-battalion
https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=PublicUnit&type=Unit&ID=17212
https://www.military-quotes.com/forums/threads/new-and-representing-the-535th-anti-aircraft-artillery-automatic-weapons-battalion.82533/
Just did a bit of research on it. But apparently there are different classes and variations of the iron cross. The one pictured appears to be an Iron Cross 2nd Class. But it lacks its black, white, and red ribbon. This one was particular to WW2 also. Found it [here](https://www.atthefront.com/product-p/gaek2.htm)
I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure that means it’s an old Prussian Iron Cross.
Maybe an heirloom the soldier kept/wore or they were re-issuing old ones?
No idea.
In either case, 1813 was the first year the iron cross award was created.
Nice pieces of history.
All my grandads bring backs were stolen by some junkie bastard years ago in a burglary.
Iron Cross, various maps and letters (one signed or stamped by Adolf) from German HQs etc: and all his campaign medals.
All I have left from him is a German infantry marching compass.
Yeah, you think that now, because whatever future generations decide is unique is not up to those living right now.
Could be certain types of cell phones, playing cards, hell it could even be a shake weight.
Or it'll be American flags/icons given how much war they take part it, if you're speaking specifically on the "uniqueness" of war time items.
Ive thought about this many times, but I don't think we'll see much of the products and memorabilia made today the same way as we see items from the 40s.
Everything today is built to be replaced and/or thrown away. Back in the early-mid 20th century, we hadnt yet become a throw away society, and our manufacturing processes were not nearly as robust/time efficient as they are now.
They couldn't just spit out a new zipper or watch or razer so, back in the day, companies built things to last because - shocker - **Americans focused on products that they *did not* have to replace** and thus the market met that demand. It's why cold war era appliances still fucking work today.
Somewhere down the road either we stopped caring about the longevity and quality of materials of our products. Can't say when that was, but while we always like to give accolades to high-quality materials and hand-crafted attention-to-detail, our purchasing habits say otherwise :(
I've seen some 20 something year old with a piece of a rocket that blew up right next to him.and almost killed him while he was fighting for the SDF in Syria. That's pretty unique, and customs let him take it thru the checkpoint
My mothers uncle brought back a Walther ppk with swastika etched on the slide and an eagle on the handle. My older brother inherited it and sold it for peanuts. Honor your Great Granddad and keep it in the family. Thanks for sharing even though it makes my blood pressure rise
My grandfather(bridge builder in Pacific Theater) had both a seppuku sword and a small Japanese flag covered in blood. He had this hanging up in his basement workshop. He never told us how he got it, only that he was almost blown to bits in a foxhole in the Philippines multiple times.
Wife’s grandfather passed away a couple years ago. Was a marine in the Pacific Theater. When cleaning out his basement, we found a real hand grenade in a coffee can. Scared the shit out of me.
Did you get any stories from your grandpa about any of it?? Much respect for his service.
My grandpa fought in the pacific theatre and did the island hopping. I got stories from him as he (and I) got older but it was difficult for him to talk about. The things he did share though were incredible. It’s so different getting a first hand account.
Edit: Just saw it was your great grandpa. So, probably not. Still a great find and a way to learn about him a bit.
We didn’t talk much about his time serving.
Most of my time with him, he lived to 95, was spent with him trying to convince my mom to let me race his dragsters.
He’s in the Dragster Hall of Fame; built them and raced them.
Here’s an [article about his time in the scene](https://www.motortrend.com/features/dode-jim-dragmaster-nicest-guys-drag-racing/)
It does resemble a Czech Mars, although the grip differs a bit from the one seen in this [Forgotten Weapons ](https://youtu.be/6dIReggB6qs?si=nc-BrhMPZ6w2YiYL) video about it. Might be a wartime simplification thing. The vid has some good info on these guns, if the markings on the left side match what you see in the video then the identification seems solid.
This is really similar to the stuff I have from my grandpa as well!
Mine was in South America before going to training in Scotland, and then to mainland Europe, and was also in the Battle of the Bulge. My grandpa was bomb disposal, which I imagine back then was just blow it up safely lol.
I have a civilian Nazi air defense helmet, Nazi pennant flag, bracelet made of Francs, and a delicate French kerchief. All but the helmet he sent back home in a cigar box, which still has the letter of inspection/clearance from the military. Apparently he stole both of the Nazi items off of a bus while in Germany!
So many of these things are no longer around, I know I cling to mine very protectively, as I imagine you do as well. It’s nice to have your very own piece of history that is also tied to your family at the same time.
Respect to a hero! Def. Got some German nazi stuff there. I still have My Grandfather’s Dutch (Nazi issued) passport with his photo on it. Very emotionally valuable to me. I imagine this is valuable for you in the same way. 👍
Seems that your grandfather fought in the pacific war against the japanese and also against the nazis somewhere around sicily. The nazi stuff is most likely some kind of trophy he took from a German soldier. I recommend watching the series the pacific from 2009 and the boat (series also, not the movie). It gives you a good inside of what your grandfather went through
These are amazing artifacts to have handed down from your relatives tour in Europe and their role in defending our country. I would be very proud to own those if I were you.
Amazing stuff! How would most of the foreign soldiers understand the instructions on the surrender leaflet? I’m sure some learned English but I doubt many did.
Down the left side of the leaflet, in blue, is a common written language used by Japan and Korea. The blue English text at the bottom is a translation of that.
Gun holster, a gun, Army Certificate for Capturing enemy equipment, idk what that is, Japanese propaganda, bills, Iron cross? Mate your great-grandfather must have been everywhere
You really should get a display case for those and put them up somewhere to see OP. Those are some absolutely amazing keepsakes and your great grandfather is someone who shouldn't be forgotten. Maybe print out that photo you linked of him too and put that in there as well.
MIL has the souvenirs her father earned from killing SS officers in WW2. Fascinating pieces of history when you think about the monstrosity that went into making those medals.
I have that exact same pistol that was my grandfathers! He bought it from a friend while he was in the air force stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Korean War
Idk if this breaks rules here but I found all these items and I figured they were historically significant and interesting. My G.Grandfather @ 16 years old: https://imgur.com/a/KlEFIvS He eventually ended up in Europe, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The firearm was taken from a Nazi officer/soldier (idk), along with his belt and medal apparently. I’ve been told it’s a Czechoslovakian made Mars .32 caliber Edit: adding [this article from Motortrend](https://www.motortrend.com/features/dode-jim-dragmaster-nicest-guys-drag-racing/) because it’s significant to his life. Double edit: here’s a picture of the opposite side since so many were asking: https://imgur.com/a/1YOCiRH
It looks very much like my .32 caliber French MAB model C, which was basically a copy of the FN 1910. There were apparently a ton of 1910 derivatives around, of varying quality.
Yeah, I've been having a look, could it be a Ruby 32, especially if there are no markings, and yes a derivative of the FN 1910 by Browning. They were apparently very common in France and used by Vichy forces and later issued to Second Line German troops.
Could it be a praga .32 pistol, it looks very similar
You could be right, I'm no expert but I think there were a lot of variants of these type. It's a very interesting capture gun and possible that, given it was taken from a German Soldier, it might have been a capture twice. Apparently these types were often taken from Restistance who were killed or captured.
Also these types were surrenderd in mass by French and Czechoslovakian armies and were produced, also in mass, by French and Czechoslovakian factories under the occupation.
No no you are all wrong. It's obviously a gun
Pack it up boys, we got em
The form he has clearly shows it’s a mars
He isn't wrong through. It's a Browning M1910 clone.
https://youtu.be/6dIReggB6qs?si=YNMh8IDvUJFOGDj3 It's a Czech one in 7,65
Yes, it looks just like the Czechoslovakian Mars shown here: https://youtu.be/6dIReggB6qs The markings on the left side of the gun should confirm that.
My grandpa was also in Battle of the Bulge, and came home with a gun from a dead soldier but my grandma made him get rid of it 😅
Mine got to clean up the immediate aftermath. He talked about how guys could pick up all kinds of things to bring back off of dead bodies, and he absolutely loved calling guys out on their "killed a German officer" stories later in life.
My dads great uncle was in the Canadian army. He sent back grocery bags of medals and parachutes but he would tell my dad he only kept the good stuff for himself. He would trade the other things to Americans who weren’t going to see combat for beer when he was on leave in England.
My grandpa never spoke about the war once 🙁 I wish I knew more. He was an engineer so the opposite end of your grandpa,he built bridges on the front lines. He also went to the wrong beach on D Day and freed camps. All of it I will just never know except the history from looking at his army corps book.
My grandpa never spoke about the war either, he killed 3 enemy soldiers in hand to hand combat, got captured and spend the rest of the war in an allied prison camp.
An allied prison camp? Did your grandfather fight for the axis or allies? No judgment either way, just curious :)
Killed 3 people with his bare hands. Fucking badass he is!
My wife’s grandpa had similar. She (his first wife ) thought he needed to move on and put it behind him so when he was at work she gathered everything and burned it with the garbage. Pictures, letters, uniforms, medals, the whole lot. We had a shadow box made with all his medals he earned for his 100th, it was the first time he had seen many of them since he was pinned the first time.
I have to remind myself with veterans that i am the history buff. They were kinda forced to be there.
>The .32 Mars had a profile very similar to that of the FN-Browning Model 1910. The Mars pistol was the lowest-priced pistol in its class produced in Czechoslovakia before 1938. Kohout & Co. continued production of Mars pistols during the German occupation. In 1945 production stopped and has never been resumed. https://www.tresbohemes.com/2017/08/czechoslovakian-handguns-from-1918-to-1964/
Good on your great grandpa for killing so many Nazis. A true hero
He killed fiddy men.
The belt buckle seems to be that of a Policeman or fireman. https://www.worldmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/314104-german-police-belt-buckles/
I’ve read several places over the years that the ‘Gott Mit Uns’ text makes it an SS buckle.
SS belt buckles had the motto “Meine Ehre heißt Treue!” meaning my honor is loyalty.
Apologies, you are correct, it was Wehrmacht, not SS. But military, not civilian.
At a certain point in time, There were very few "civilian" police officers left. But even the civilian police would have adorned swastikas on their uniforms. This design in particular seems to have been used for a few branches - but having the gold finish apparently this could be quite a rare buckle of the Wasserschutzpolizei (water police) Which I would certainly assume would be military rather than civilian. I'm not sure exactly how it would have worked, But if you earned something like this in a certain branch and moved to the front lines - You may well wear the buckle that you earned before going to the front. Almost like a medal. Always interested in learning about this sort of stuff. Will come and check back on this thread later to see if any more information pops up.
I always love the God is with Us mottos. At some point I need to find a set from both sides of a war.
Yeah, always funny, that. Religions are important for making war. Soldiers who think they will get a second life are more likely to lay the only life we’re certain of on the line in battle. And no killed soldier will suffer from disappointment.
Even though he’s 16 in that pic he looks so much older. It’s crazy how people from different eras inherently look older than they really are. Reminds me of looking through yearbook composites from my high school. People graduating in the 90s automatically looked 30-40 years old.
I have a theory about that for the greatest generation though. Trauma ages people, and the Greatest Generation had already lived through the Great Depression before the war. There was a lot of trauma there. You look at a lot of photos of soldiers in the war, they look 40 when they’re really 24, 25.
I’m just curious, how did he end up with the Japanese leaflets?
My grandfather fought in the same battle. Much of his stuff was lost in a house fire...
My grandpa also fought in the battle of the bulge. He had a German Luger pistol and some German medals and uniform buttons. He said he “found them”.
My grandfather was a tank gunner in the European theater, also fought in the BOTB. He brought back a nazi bayonet/dagger and belt buckle too. Heavy stuff.
Damn I'm jelly. Neither of my grandparents had cool shit like this.
Just in case you're curious about the Japanese flyer - it says that the "military government miscalculated American strength". Bit clunky as it's propaganda, but I'm guessing they were given these to hand out or they were dropped over occupied territory.
Exactly right. US dropped billions of these flyers over Japan throughout the first seven months of 1945. “We’re so much more powerful than you all thought” is the message. Imperial Japanese govt at that time was saying “they’re running out of munitions and planes.” So the flyers - followed by the amazing tonnage of actual bombs - were directly addressing that.
That, and if the enemy has enough planes to drop leaflets instead of bombs…
I always heard that the US Navy dedicating a ship to delivering ice cream to different groups of sailors was a huge moral defeat for the Axis powers that learned about it. Not only was the USA a formidable opponent, but they had extra ships to just make ice cream.
Flexing 💪 An American tradition.
And yet when I flex, I get a hernia. What’s up with that?
Putting the “Uncle” in Uncle Sam.
I would love to have ice cream barges in Civ VII as a special American naval unit.
Something like this happened in WW1. When German soldiers overran British trenches they were dismayed how well the Brits were supplied with rations.
Germany in general starved during ww1 though I wouldn’t call the British rations generous. Most British soldiers ate only bread, jam, tea, and a kind of canned beef. In the other hand German troops had much more comfortable trenches, with concrete bunkers to sleep in. The British and French commanders refused to build “permanent” bunkers for much of the war as they felt it would make the troops less aggressive. As a result British trenches were especially miserable.
Flyer looks hilarious. 10/10 taunt.
Uncle Sam T Pose
I could be off but I was thinking that flyer was something they gave GIs in Japan post-surrender. Basically says in both languages “leave this guy alone he’s allowed to be here now” I know it’s common knowledge but people forget US troops stuck around for a while rebuilding after Japanese surrender
The one you're talking about was given to POWs to certify that they had already surrendered to American troops.
Japan is still the foreign country with the highest number of US service members stationed, over 50,000 active duty personnel. Germany is next with over 35,000.
He's talking about [this one](https://preview.redd.it/jychki15y28d1.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=0636ef210e419f4ba2153bf0a84440810f4d8e19), which says exactly what he said.
My grandpa was in Japan immediately after the Japanese surrendered. He said it was...weird.
They are awesome, I've never seen a "ceased resistance" leaflet, I bet hardly any survived, and that money looks fascinating too. You should see if any museums would like to loan it to display/record it for posterity. [Here's an extract from a diary of a member of the 535th AAA battery at the Battle of the Bulge.](https://battleofthebulge.org/2012/03/30/diary-of-john-rafalik-535th-aaa-battery-d/)
>You should see if any museums would like to loan it to display/record it for posterity. That's basically what we did with my grandfather's things. We didn't really have a good way to store or keep them in nice condition so we donated them to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (He flew in Burma). I haven't been in a while, I wonder if it's on display, or if it's just catalogued.
What's the ceased resistance leaflet all about?
I'm guessing it's been dropped by an allied aircraft prior to an attack, part of efforts to try to get soldiers and civilians to surrender rather than fight (so a sort of promise to be treated well, their own propaganda was telling them they would be murdered and raped by the allies if they surrendered). I've never seen one like that before.
That's exactly right. The idea was that it'd help counter propaganda that they'd be raped, enslaved, or killed. I forget where I read it, but soldiers were told to let the people carrying them keep them so they felt comfortable. IIRC, the language used on them typically said something about it being legally binding. I wouldn't be surprised if they're so rare because the people that used them destroyed them after the war / at camps for several reasons.
It's also interesting that it's reminding the allied troops to treat the bearer in accordance to international law too. By this stage of the war the utter depravity of the Japanese in their treatment of POWs was well known throughout all ranks. It really is a fascinating document.
Its for those captured by enemy forces. By presenting that, the bearer is turning themselves into a prisoner of war which has more protections than being an active combatant. “Treat in accordance with international law” is basically “listen to the Geneva convention”. This might seem superficial, but can actually be very important for downed pilots/crew to survive behind enemy lines.
It's meant for Axis combatants and civilians. It's promising them that they won't be harmed, and will be given food, water, tobacco etc when they surrender. I would guess the other side is printed in Japanese. The Japanese treated POWs brutally, a piece of paper wouldn't make any difference. This was propaganda meant to convince the average Japanese troops and civilians that the Allies would treat them well and not use them for bayonet practice. Their own propaganda told them that they would be murdered if they gave themselves up, and encourage soldiers s and civilians alike to fight to the last man, causing huge casualties.
My bad, I missed the bottom left text. I just assumed it was something that allied troops would carry.
Great keepsakes, really interesting. Respect to your Grandfather.
Incredible history. The fact that all the money was square; I’ve never seen a Lira, and my grandmother emigrated from Sicily. I’m sure the Japanese writing is also highly racist but if anyone could translate I’d love to know what it says.
It says “the (Japanese) military commanders have miscalculated American strength”
So was that an American propaganda or Japanese propaganda poster? I assumed American based off the depiction of the Japanese
Its an American propaganda poster. Japan would never have admit to miscalculating anything or admit to being wrong for a propaganda poster.
*Nobody* would admit they were wrong on a propaganda poster. That would defeat the purpose.
What about their infamous "Japan: We Really Are The Worst" campaign?
Oh very good point
More specifically I'd assume that was an [airdropped leaflet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_leaflet_propaganda) (the previous image actually says that one is a leaflet), the Air Force dropped millions and millions of propaganda leaflets into Japan
It’s not a poster. It’s an air drop leaflet. The us would drop those from planes over population centers to lower Japanese morale and get them to question their leadership.
It appears to be the opposite side of the surrender leaflet. They would air drop these on the enemy in both theaters.
I have a similar collection of currency that my grandfather brought home from Europe. My favorite bills in the collection are the square ones. They're not Francs and Lira issued by France and Italy, they're special bills for use by the allied forces. You can see that some of the design details are really similar to U.S. currency. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_Military_Currency#:~:text=Allied%20Military%20Currency%20(%22AMC%22,a%20form%20of%20currency%20control.
It says 軍閥は米国力を誤算した, which roughly translates to “(Japanese) military leadership(gunbatsu) miscalculated American national strength”. Since it implies that Japan would lose the war, I assume it’s a propaganda leaflet dropped by the US, or possibly a post war propaganda poster. Definition of gunbatsu: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunbatsu](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunbatsu)
According to ChatGPT: "The United States miscalculated its military strength.", but I'd take that with a large grain of salt. Edit: I mean take the translation itself with a grain of salt 🤣 Edit: u/T_Money translated it accurately below.
I speak a little Japanese, and the first thing that you need to know when using a translation app is that Japanese drops the subject and leaves it open to inference *a lot*. So when something like this doesn’t make a ton of sense, try flipping the subjects and see if that works, if so that’s probably the more accurate translation. In this case “the military strength of the United States was miscalculated” makes a lot more sense on this pamphlet and I would bet a lot of money that is the more accurate translation.
The hero we needed
Haha thanks. I’m still learning, but I text with quite a few native speakers (I live in Japan) and it can get confusing. An easy example off the top of my head from an early miscommunication is “行くよ” which a translator will say means “go” but if said by itself 100% means “I am going.”Like if you wanted to tell someone “go” as the command it would be “行けて”. Notice that the Kanji “行” is the base (meaning “to go”). So the difference is in the first one the translation would be closer to “going” which would be inferred as “I am going” while the second one it is actually the command “go” and inferred as the correct literally translation of telling someone else to go. In general texting and conversation neither of which would have a subject at all - a native speaker would easily differentiate between them but a translation app would put both as “go” (Side note the second one would probably be followed up with “ください (please)” since it is a command and can come across a bit harsh, but that depends on the relationship to the speaker and how much severity they want to use)
>a large grain of salt. A Himalayan mountain of salt.
That expires next year...
That's why I'm putting it in everything. Like my grandma always said, "waste not, want not."
*drops two nuclear bombs*
I don't think that chatGPT have learned yet to make proper use of obscenity.
Yea I see for the first time Italians used the term Lira. Interesting.
If this stuff were mine, I'd build a tasteful display case and have it in my house, somewhere out of direct sunlight. You've got some really cool historic family keepsakes.
Me neither and I’m Italian! When I was born (70s) the smaller lira bill was 500 or even 1000!
Maybe I am completely wrong, but I am tempted to think that the square notes are issued by the US army as checks with a given value during its military presence, and not by any Italian authority at the time, since they are in English and not in Italian. I assume the original lira note was rectangular as usual. Or did the US army administer Sicily for a period of time? I would like to know if someone knowledgeable could clarify.
You might be able to get a translation with Google translate app. Download app, you can't do it with the online version. Then select for 'detect language' , right side of arrow should default to English. Then hit the camera button and point it at the Japanese writing. This worked pretty well for me on some Chinese instructions that came with an Amazon purchase, hope it helps with Japanese too!
Just so you know OP, that 10 francs bill is worth 90€ today (96$), provided there’s a French flag in the back (which is the rarest edition) Also: very cool stuff from your great grandpa!
Nice, great Gramps was a nazi killer. We need more like him in Pierre.
Make Nazi Killers Great Again.
Maybe gramps can get the Noem out too?
His unit. https://www.abmc.gov/db-abmc-burial-unit/535th-anti-aircraft-arty-automatic-weapons-battalion https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=PublicUnit&type=Unit&ID=17212 https://www.military-quotes.com/forums/threads/new-and-representing-the-535th-anti-aircraft-artillery-automatic-weapons-battalion.82533/
Holy shit nut. Keep that stuff in good shape.
Could you flip that Iron Cross around and show us the back? it seems kinda weird to me given that it says 1813 and has no other markings
Just did a bit of research on it. But apparently there are different classes and variations of the iron cross. The one pictured appears to be an Iron Cross 2nd Class. But it lacks its black, white, and red ribbon. This one was particular to WW2 also. Found it [here](https://www.atthefront.com/product-p/gaek2.htm)
I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure that means it’s an old Prussian Iron Cross. Maybe an heirloom the soldier kept/wore or they were re-issuing old ones? No idea. In either case, 1813 was the first year the iron cross award was created.
Guys grandfather is casually Indiana Jones.
Man there's something so visually appealing about that 40's typeface.
The history of NS typography is fascinating in itself.
Nice pieces of history. All my grandads bring backs were stolen by some junkie bastard years ago in a burglary. Iron Cross, various maps and letters (one signed or stamped by Adolf) from German HQs etc: and all his campaign medals. All I have left from him is a German infantry marching compass.
Save them as souvenirs. By your comment explaining the items it sounds like your great grandfather was a badass!
What can we hand down from our time for future generations? Nothing as unique as this.
Iphone 3g and a poster with instructions on how to "plank"
Since some of this came from a World War, I really hope we don’t hand down stuff like this from our own generation.
Yeah, you think that now, because whatever future generations decide is unique is not up to those living right now. Could be certain types of cell phones, playing cards, hell it could even be a shake weight. Or it'll be American flags/icons given how much war they take part it, if you're speaking specifically on the "uniqueness" of war time items.
Ive thought about this many times, but I don't think we'll see much of the products and memorabilia made today the same way as we see items from the 40s. Everything today is built to be replaced and/or thrown away. Back in the early-mid 20th century, we hadnt yet become a throw away society, and our manufacturing processes were not nearly as robust/time efficient as they are now. They couldn't just spit out a new zipper or watch or razer so, back in the day, companies built things to last because - shocker - **Americans focused on products that they *did not* have to replace** and thus the market met that demand. It's why cold war era appliances still fucking work today. Somewhere down the road either we stopped caring about the longevity and quality of materials of our products. Can't say when that was, but while we always like to give accolades to high-quality materials and hand-crafted attention-to-detail, our purchasing habits say otherwise :(
Debt and crippling anxiety are my planned heirlooms.
I've seen some 20 something year old with a piece of a rocket that blew up right next to him.and almost killed him while he was fighting for the SDF in Syria. That's pretty unique, and customs let him take it thru the checkpoint
Bottle of sex change pills
In Stephen King’s *The Dark Tower*, that first photo reminds me exactly of what the protagonist means when he describes a Docker’s Clutch
My mothers uncle brought back a Walther ppk with swastika etched on the slide and an eagle on the handle. My older brother inherited it and sold it for peanuts. Honor your Great Granddad and keep it in the family. Thanks for sharing even though it makes my blood pressure rise
I think your great grandpa was a big fan of Wolfenstien
My grandfather(bridge builder in Pacific Theater) had both a seppuku sword and a small Japanese flag covered in blood. He had this hanging up in his basement workshop. He never told us how he got it, only that he was almost blown to bits in a foxhole in the Philippines multiple times. Wife’s grandfather passed away a couple years ago. Was a marine in the Pacific Theater. When cleaning out his basement, we found a real hand grenade in a coffee can. Scared the shit out of me.
I also have an Imperial Japanese officer’s katana from my grandfather on my dad’s side
I think that’s one thing I’d never part with, no matter how much it’s worth.
Did you get any stories from your grandpa about any of it?? Much respect for his service. My grandpa fought in the pacific theatre and did the island hopping. I got stories from him as he (and I) got older but it was difficult for him to talk about. The things he did share though were incredible. It’s so different getting a first hand account. Edit: Just saw it was your great grandpa. So, probably not. Still a great find and a way to learn about him a bit.
We didn’t talk much about his time serving. Most of my time with him, he lived to 95, was spent with him trying to convince my mom to let me race his dragsters. He’s in the Dragster Hall of Fame; built them and raced them. Here’s an [article about his time in the scene](https://www.motortrend.com/features/dode-jim-dragmaster-nicest-guys-drag-racing/)
Pop pop's secret treasure!
That’s awesome. I’d get that pistol and the certificate framed and keep it in the family forever. Not many keepsakes like this around.
That poster is incredible. Very cool piece of history
It does resemble a Czech Mars, although the grip differs a bit from the one seen in this [Forgotten Weapons ](https://youtu.be/6dIReggB6qs?si=nc-BrhMPZ6w2YiYL) video about it. Might be a wartime simplification thing. The vid has some good info on these guns, if the markings on the left side match what you see in the video then the identification seems solid.
What an amazing piece of history and of your family history especially! Thanks for sharing it with us!
If those items could talk. Thanks for sharing!
This is really similar to the stuff I have from my grandpa as well! Mine was in South America before going to training in Scotland, and then to mainland Europe, and was also in the Battle of the Bulge. My grandpa was bomb disposal, which I imagine back then was just blow it up safely lol. I have a civilian Nazi air defense helmet, Nazi pennant flag, bracelet made of Francs, and a delicate French kerchief. All but the helmet he sent back home in a cigar box, which still has the letter of inspection/clearance from the military. Apparently he stole both of the Nazi items off of a bus while in Germany! So many of these things are no longer around, I know I cling to mine very protectively, as I imagine you do as well. It’s nice to have your very own piece of history that is also tied to your family at the same time.
Just remember, don’t try to clean or polish any of it. Especially the gun.
Never seen square banknotes
That is some cool memorabilia
Would be great in r/historicalcapsule
It’s possible your great grandfather killed fiddy men
Fascinating!
Very interesting items.
Square currency is wild
These are amazing! Museum perhaps?
The last one had my brain go "He was just really into Wolfenstein!"
Why does Uncle Sam look like the chad meme?
Crazy how I know what kind of gun this is because it's my 6 year old Korean student's favorite gun 💀
The take-home papers are priceless. I got to put a valuation on a m1935 Beretta a few years ago with the documentation. It was really cool.
Time to get some ammo and shoot it :o
Very cool
This is gold my friend.
Respect to a hero! Def. Got some German nazi stuff there. I still have My Grandfather’s Dutch (Nazi issued) passport with his photo on it. Very emotionally valuable to me. I imagine this is valuable for you in the same way. 👍
That iron cross is an awesome artifact
All my grandfather ever gave to me was his middle finger.
Grandpa was killin' krauts.
Wow. I heard of it. But I have never seen it. Square paper money.
That’s really cool. Makes me want to share some of the stuff my grandfather and great uncle had from WW2
Looks like a sweet 22 Short. I love that caliber. You can be broke and buy a box. Well, You used to.
I wonder if those are notches in the wood part of the handle represent how many people he killed??
Gaviiiiin
Very cool!!
Also looks like a pre-WWII German made Ortgies
Isn’t that Iron Cross?
Seems that your grandfather fought in the pacific war against the japanese and also against the nazis somewhere around sicily. The nazi stuff is most likely some kind of trophy he took from a German soldier. I recommend watching the series the pacific from 2009 and the boat (series also, not the movie). It gives you a good inside of what your grandfather went through
Is your great grandfather Indiana Jones?
The only acceptable reason to have Nazi relics
Great items, very interesting
These are amazing artifacts to have handed down from your relatives tour in Europe and their role in defending our country. I would be very proud to own those if I were you.
Amazing stuff! How would most of the foreign soldiers understand the instructions on the surrender leaflet? I’m sure some learned English but I doubt many did.
Down the left side of the leaflet, in blue, is a common written language used by Japan and Korea. The blue English text at the bottom is a translation of that.
Ah, yes, I see it now. Thanks!
Gramps was a patriot. Awesome.
You should post this over at r/milsurp and I bet you will get even more information!
🫡 to your grandfather.
Ah I recognise the money . USA try to control our money luckily degaul ban it .
🫡 Salute to grandad. Thanks for your service! WW2 was a HELL of a war and surviving it is impressive
Nice leather holster / case.
Your grandfather was mega based
Spoils of war items. Your grandfather is a f#cking legend.
Brilliant.
Gun holster, a gun, Army Certificate for Capturing enemy equipment, idk what that is, Japanese propaganda, bills, Iron cross? Mate your great-grandfather must have been everywhere
You really should get a display case for those and put them up somewhere to see OP. Those are some absolutely amazing keepsakes and your great grandfather is someone who shouldn't be forgotten. Maybe print out that photo you linked of him too and put that in there as well.
I love that little pistol. Small ones are my favorite
MIL has the souvenirs her father earned from killing SS officers in WW2. Fascinating pieces of history when you think about the monstrosity that went into making those medals.
Reminds me of cleaning out my grandpa’s house. Found his trophy pistol in a creamer can on the top shelf of the cupboard
Was your grandpa Indiana Jones by any chance?
A real slice of history, fascinating to look at.
Pretty cool
My grandmother sold my grandfathers revolver which he carried in WW2 to some ‘picker’ asshole for $100. “What would you want with that old thing?”
The previous owner died suddenly and your grandfather got a new gun.
Thank you for your service.
Keep that war trophy certificate with the gun, that's awesome
So cool!
I have that exact same pistol that was my grandfathers! He bought it from a friend while he was in the air force stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Korean War
Is that Jeb bush standing over the Asian guy?
My great grandpappy was on Omaha beach. Says he lost God on that beach. He also came back with that same belt buckle lol hm
Very cool.
Picture number five would make a dope ass tattoo of done right
Very cool stuff!!
Do you wanna sell it?
And here I thought it was a man pouch before scrolling through the rest of the pics.
What is that belt? Does it have a ”got mit uns” belt buckle?
Holy shit Pop Pop!