My U.S WW2 collection. Mainly POW and KIA Medal groupings

[Robbo]

For those unfamiliar with these, here's what the reverse looks like.

[milmuseum]

Nice collection of Victory medals. Those have always been one of my favorites. Your Purple hearts are also well displayed.

Thanks for sharing your collection.

Burt

[Robbo]

Thought I would add another posthumous Medal group.
This Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart and Air Medal to a S/sgt Tail Gunner of the 419th BS, 301st BG, 15th Army Air Force. KIA on a mission to Wiener Nuedorf Aircraft factory in Austria from Lucera, Italy.
The B-17G he was in was crippled by enemy fighters and crashed near Ratten, Austria on July 26th 1944.

5 of the crew where captured and taken POW and the other 5 were KIA.

The PH has large machine engraving while the DFC and AM are both hand engraved by what appears to be the same engraver. The hand engraving is "official" government done but differs slightly in that the letters are of uniform size. You would normally expect official hand engravings on U.S medals to be all upper case such as these, but for the first letter of each name and the middle initial to be larger than the rest. Just one of the exceptions to the rule.

[Robbo]

Here are some extracts from the Missing Aircrew Report. Click on the documents to enlarge them.

[Robbo]

Nice collection of Victory medals. Those have always been one of my favorites. Your Purple hearts are also well displayed.

Thanks for sharing your collection.

Burt

Thanks for your comment, Burt. Glad you liked seeing them.

[Robbo]

Just as a brief diversion from the medals, here are my deactivated guns. All are deactivated according to U.K law and certificated.
1st up is my Chinese , Norinco type 56 Assault Rifle. Virtually identical to the AK-47 to the untrained eye (mine) except for the Type-56 has a hooded sight and the AK-47 does not. It doesn't really belong in my collection but I like it!!

[Robbo]

Next up is my M1 Garand like the type 56 its a new spec deactivation so not much moves. I suspect that it has been put together from parts at some point during its life to keep it servicable. The Garand was the main rifle for the U.S army for about 20 years from about 1936 and was still in use during the Vienam War. It is still used today for ceremonial duties.

[Adrian]

Here's another view of Rob's Norinco 56 and Garand and the reason his niece likes going to see him!

[Robbo]

Another current spec deac is this M1A1 Thomson Sub Machinegun. Uses(d) the 45 ACP round.

[Robbo]

Here's another view of Rob's Norinco 56 and Garand and the reason his niece likes going to see him!

Its not that bad a fit!! Just goes to show how small the original owner of that Tank Destroyer Ike was in the top picture. I no longer have it but it is named to a FOOK N. WOO and just to put it in perspective my niece must have been about 9 when the picture was taken and she is "normal sized"!!