some 3rd army ww11 return relics

[motell6]

brought back by family member.

[motell6]

some more souvineers,the square leather case has a light meter inside.

[birdman]

Fantastic war trophies for sure!!

[ivan salis]

well info wize --- looking at the patches I see there there * the black panther crunching on a tank (4 wheeled type was the most common patch --there were also 6 and 8 wheeled types as well) --- was the american "TANK DESTROYERS UNIT " patch --- so seems your "relative' was with the american tank destroyers unit *in africa fighting the german africa corps by the looks of it

if in africa most likey he was using these 3 items -- #1 a towed along by normal half track 75 mm feild gun used for anti tank type use -- #2 a M3 halftrack that had a "built in" 75 MM mounted gun till 1943 --or in 1943 the M3's replacement --the M 10 Tank Destroyer a tank like vehicle with its long barrelled high powered 3 inch gun *

later in the war -- due to thicker armor hulls on german tanks -- a more powerfull 90 MM gun was put on the M10 models being made --the new M36 as they were called could kill any german tank they ran across.

there was also the totally built from scratch as a tank destroyer the M18 "hellcat" that first saw action in june of 1944 in italy --it sported a high veloicity 76 MM gun and was one of the fastest armored vehicles of WW2

[ivan salis]

30th infantry , 3rd division under patton -- landed in africa during "operation torch" in 1942 * --- thats where the africa corps patch was taken at .

[ivan salis]

omar bradley was also with patton * --patton ranked bradley however during the africa 1942 ops -- bradleys was ike's eyes and ears --his "trouble shooter" at the time , and although under patton it wasn't by much being he had ikes trust and backing .

omar bradley was loved by his troops --he was known as the "soldiers general"-- he did not like to waste his mens lives -- yes he would order them into harms way but he was careful with their lives and made sure they were well supplied with everything he could get to make their lives better .

the nazi jet plane by the way is a ME 262 "swallow" --one of the first operational military jet fighters of its day .

german lugers were highly prized war trophy's by the way.

[NOLA_Ken]

Nice relics, the dagger in the center is an SA honor dagger,(should say "Alles Fur Deutschland" on the blade) and worth quite a bit. Of course value depends on the condition and the maker. The one on the left I think is Wehrmacht and also worth a fair amount with the ribbon and acorn on it. (more with an engraved blade) The one on the right looks to be an M1 Garand bayonet. I would definitely keep those stored in a nice safe location.

For more info on the rest of your items, like the Luftwaffe eagle Cap patch, and the Afrika cuff title, check out the forum at : http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/index.php

[birdman]

The patch with the black panther with a tank in his mouth is a Tank Destroyer unit patch. My wifes grand father was in one. Very nice collection.Love it!

[NOLA_Ken]

Thanks for your imputs,I am looking for a company to launch a web page for me so I can list and sell these war trophys. I suppose the most difficult thing will be to determine values. I have quite a bit more items both American and German. I have no relations reliable enough I could trust to pass down these trophys to. I am going to donate some of the paper items to the U.S. Army museum,like the Victory dinner menu. Ivan the luger is a Krieghoff ,date 1937.

The forum link I posted is a good place to get things like that valued, it's also a good place to find buyers. I found them years ago and got a good deal on some medals I had.

Here's another link for you : http://www.militaryitems.com/home.php?cat=471