The arrival of the US in the First World War was accompanied by a rash of the usual cheesy propaganda items. This one, a sheet of toilet paper with Kaiser Wilhelm’s face printed on it, was typical of the tone many of these items adopted. Bloody funny still and Bill’s been dead for 90 years.
This is a slip that would have accompanied an airman’s issue of medals at the end of WW2. This was actually supplied along with an Air Crew Europe Star that I acquired, however the medal turned out to be a restrike. I kept the slip since it was authentic and I didn’t have another example.
This deck of playing cards, manufactured by the US Flag King Leisure Products Company, dates from the Second Bush-Iraq War in 2003. These cards were developed by the US military in order to facilitate the capture of the Baath Party regime bureaucrats and military leaders. This was critical since being Arabs and all having moustaches they were effectively identical to the US occupation and therefore difficult to capture. This is what is called satirical flourish.
This is a set of commemorative stamps issued by New Zealand Post in 2014. The event was the 2014 Anzac Day anniversary, 100 years since the outbreak of WW1. The issue took the form of a set of period propaganda posters issued by the NZ Government during WW2.
German postal services used the so-called Hitler Head issue between 1941 and 1944. There were three sizes in the basic set. Those between 1 and 24 pfennig, between 25 and 80 pfennig and between 1 and 5RM. This is a block of 9 of the 40 pfennig examples. I don’t collect these, they collect me.
These were liberated in the millions btw, they were work pfennigs then, they are worth less now!
This is a 1000w incandescent bulb manufactured by Westinghouse in 1943. These were made for a military contract and likely ended up on a naval vessel or coastal emplacement. This particular one was removed from a Sperry spot light. Interesting only because it is fragile and bloody big.
The Tippco Toy Company made these vehicles between 1934 and 1939. Tippco was a German-Jewish owned company whose owner was forced to sell for pfennigs on the reichsmark and emigrate to England. This one is called a Kübel and tows a Pak-36 AT Gun. The crew is made of Elastolin. The engine still winds and it has a forward and reverse gear and steerable wheels. Makes me want to go and invade Miniature Poland.
I never get sick of the overt racism inherent in the US response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Here is the sheet music for the December 23rd 1941 hit by the Murphy Sisters, “You’re a Sap, Mister Jap”. On a side note the A-B-C-D that the song refers to is the joint alliance of America, Britain, China and the Dutch, most of whose naval assets were sent to the bottom of the South Java Sea by the Japanese in early 1942.
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you make a Yankee cranky
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, Uncle Sammy’s gonna spanky
Wait and see before we’re done
The A, B, C and D will sink your rising sun*
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you don’t know Uncle Sammy
When he fights for his rights, you’ll take it on the lammy
For he’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap sap, Mr. JapYou’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you make a Yankee cranky
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, Uncle Sammy’s gonna spanky
Wait and see before we’re done
The A, B, C and D will sink your rising sun
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh what a load to carry
Don’t you know, don’t you know, you’re committing hari-kari
For we’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap, sap, Mr. JapYou’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh it makes a Yankee cranky
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, Uncle Sam’s gonna spanky
Wait to see before we’s done
The A, B, C and D will sink your rising sun
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh you don’t know Uncle Sammy
When he fights for his rights, you’ll take it on the lammy
For he’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap sap, Mr. JapYou’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh what a load to carry
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you’re committing hari-kari
For we’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap sap, Mr. Jap
This group of SA figures was made by the Lineol company sometime between 1933 and 1945. Interestingly these are not made out of plastic but rather from a combination of wood waste and resin. You can identify Lineol brand vs their competitor Hauser by looking for rectangular bases on the figures. In this case I was lucky enough to find a set with their original boxes. Wonderful, now I just need to find a little über-brat who wants to recreate Kristallnacht.
The full set of three stamps in the memory of Archduke Ferdinand & Princess Sophie. These rare stamps issued 1917 during the period of Austro-Hungarian Empire (Austria-Hungary-Bosnia).On 28th of June 1914 (written in the stamps) Serb terrorists group assassinated Archduke Ferdinand (see his portrait in the stamps along with his Hungarian wife princess Sophie) while visiting the army in Sarajevo. First World War started directly after that assassination.
This is not militaria I know but one has to make some fun in the middle of hyper-inflation! This is the 100 Trillion Dollar bill, issued prior to 2009 when they basically gave up and stopped using their own money. Back then it would not have bought an egg or a bus ticket.
This little leaflet, interspersing rhymes about attacking tanks with a bloody Panzerfaust, was produced in 1944. Instructions fail to include bending over and kissings ones arschloch auf wiedersehn.
This is a voting ballot form for the March 5th Reichstag elelction, in this case for the Wahrkreis Hessen-Nassau district. Although the voter in this case chose the Social-Democrat candidate, the election was ultimately won by the Nazi Karl Weinrich (he later served 10 years in prison for crimes during the regime and died in 1973).
Karl Weinrich, Gauleiter of Hesse-Nassau seen here at the Reichskreigstag June 1939. He sits beside Hitler. He was removed from office in 1943 following the disastrous air raid on Kassel.
Kassel city center following the RAF bombing raid in October 1943
This is the 1939 version of the Daily Express War Map of Europe. These maps were printed by the large dailies in the UK, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and so on. Subscribers were expected to keep track of campaigns on these maps, the newspapers supplied flags to be stuck on pins. Of course the war was a little more fast moving than WW1 and in consequence these weren’t used for this purpose by many people.
This is a fascimile of the surrender documents signed by Germany on the 8th May 1945. These copies were created by the US National Archives. I have a pdf copy available here if you want one, Germany Surrenders Facsimile.
In late 1941, the American Legion, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, formed the “Slap-A-Jap Club”. The public was encouraged to join by purchasing one 25c Defense Stamp per week for the duration of the war. This card below is the membership card for that club.
This is the technische betriebsanleitung or operations manual for the DKE38 Radio. I have the radio here.
This illustrates the variety of packets that the Commonwealth campaign medals were distributed in.
Yeah, it’s a 10 Reichspfennig aluminium coin. Someone stuck it in my Christmas card one year.
This is the box used to market the Arnold clockwork tin toy submarine similar to the one pictured above. The only difference between this toy and the 1938 model is that this one has a white star on the conning tower in place of the swastika on the earlier toy. This carton is in overall good condition with some cardboard loss on one of the ends.
This tank is marketed as a “Sparkling Tank” although I can’t work out what that would refer to. It is clockwork and the mechanism still works although it’s a bit sluggish. As the tank moves along the commanders head pops up and down through the turret hatch. Cheesey.
Japan, in an attempt to control black market activity as well as prices in the conquered territories in S.E.Asia, produced Occupation Script in various denominations and currencies. This is one of the notes produced for Burma. There was also a one and ten rupee note.
Kiwi Medals 