I found this ring at Stewarts Military Antiques, part of a large collection of items owned by 3rd Infantry Division Veteran, Robert M. Gehlhoff.

Robert Gehlhoff from Florence Wisconsin, was drafted in 1941 and served in the 3rd Battalion, 15th regiment, 3rd Infantry Division as a Private First Class. Some of you may recognize the 15th as the regiment that Audie Murphy served in. At any rate, recollections of pfc. Gehlhoff can be found in a book by J.E. Kauffman, "The American GI in Europe in World War II: The March to D-Day".

"I was a scout in Company I during the African Campaign and then transferred to the Battalion HQ-S2 Section. There were usually six to eight in this section. We operated with binoculars, carbines and telephones and a radio. We were the eyes and ears of the battalion and operated in the battalion sector, with duties that included patrols, prisoner interrogations and manning observation posts."


DSC_0013.jpgDSC_0014.jpgDSC_0015.jpg


The ring is somewhat large sized, with no marking s on the inside. A date of 1943 can be found on one side, and "AFRICA" on the other. On the face of the ring, Mostaganem, the name of a Algerian port town, is named. What Mostaganem means to Gehlhoff, the 15th regiment, or the 3rd Division is lost to me. I have no idea what this is made of. It almost looks like tarnished silver-plated metal. I think it looks well made, has some weight to it and is a neat ring to look at. I hope to learn more about pfc. Gehlhoff as time goes on.