Hannibal Rex

I'm keen on dog tags myself at this time. Vietnam dog tags (er...their owners) are very easy to research, though sadly moreso if they've passed on as you can find their SSN on SSDI searches. Should be able to just send in the SNs though for research as the Vietnam records didn't suffer from the Great Burn... Anyone got any leads on tags?... HR

Perhaps the other guy wasn't killed, though I suppose the other guy could have been killed & may be buried in a non-government related cemetery (which would result in him not being in the ABMC & the National Gravesite locators). Multiple seems to suggest a daisy chained style grouping of mines, i.e. one soldier steps on a mine, which is connected to other mines. When that mine detonates, so do the others (or they can detonate in staggered timings, though I do not recall if they had those in WW2). It could also have had an added, improvised explosive as well. Who knows. The various pretty much stuck anything in the ground that would maim or kill back then (how times haven't changed...). Such a chain of mines could easily take out a couple of soldiers and do some horrific damage, particularly if the timing was staggered for the chain. A mine could have killed him and another nearby could have wreaked further destruction on his remains. Hrm. That site may not have all the docs for the unit though. Perhaps there's a morning report with more info... HR

Did you find out who the other casualty was? I wonder if he made it, and if he's still alive. I also wonder if it was a US mine or a German/Axis mine that was stepped on (or if it was really an AT mine and not perhaps a booby trap or something else). HR

Really nice group to a combat engineer. I don't know if you found it yet, but his battalion has a decent website (link below). According to the After Action report, he was apparently a member of 3rd Platoon. On that day the company sent three trucks and a 12 man detail to the Battalion Supply Officer to haul mines. In the afternoon they prepared to activate the mines in a previously laid belt when two of the platoon's recon members became casualties, believed to be an AT mine stepped on. The work wasn't continued as a result. He was from Kalamazoo, Michigan. http://www.327engineer.com HR

Yeah, I know there are a fair number of fakes out there (and honest repros, partic for reenactors). I usually don't buy them unless there's other stuff with it, but that too is unfortunantly a popular ruse for some of the rotten dealers/scammers out there. But they're a blast to research and usually less destructive on the wallet than some of the other stuff I collect. HR

You may be on target here. I have actually seen this unit with recipients of the rank of Constable (there should be one, IIRC, on Spinks' site). EA is almost certainly East Africa or East African. Hrm... HR

Hmm...I am fairly confident that he may be a Mortain casualty. One of the most underwritten campaigns by US forces in WW2, one of the toughest fights. Horrific casualties, horrific campaign. HR

Anyone know a good source for dog tags? Aside from Ebay? Occasionally I see them in the varied and sundry militaria dealers websites and at shows, but I was curious as to if there are any sources that either carry a lot of them or even specialize in them? Thanks... HR

Sorry, that should be appropriate. Can we edit our own posts on here? <laf>

If it were me, I'd just leave it in the box it came in. The only time I remove stuff like that is if the medals are in danger of suffering damage from the place that they're in/on. You could display in in an appropirate box, but be sure to keep the one it came in and if you decide to resell it/trade it, make sure the old box goes with it. Or you could have it mounted or put into some type of display. ;P

Yet another great Heart Scott. Okinawa is the campaign I'm personally most interested in as far as the PTO goes. This is almost certainly for Sugar Loaf Hill. This should be a VERY researchable medal as far, for a number of reasons. There are several books focusing on the battle for the hill alone, and nevermind the number of books on Okinawa in general. Manke's battalion earned three Medals of Honor during this relatively short period (Corporal Anthony Damato, Corporal James Day (later a noted General) & Major Henry Courtney).

Another nice grouping! It would be interesting to know about survivors from the LST. It isn't 100% confirmed that RO-50 was the killer, but it's quite likely the case. It also technically didn't sink LST-577, which makes the fact his body wasn't recovered interesting. Was he perhaps buried at sea, or lost in the initial explosion? She was soon after scuttled by the destroyer USS Isherwood, but it seems likely that the ship had probably suffered too much damage to be worthy of salvaging. RO-50 had fired on the convoy the LST was in and was on the receiving end of a pretty brutal depth charging as a result, sustaining some moderate to severe damage as a result. Ironically she was nearly sunk by a IJNAF aircraft's depth charges on the way home (not the first time this happened to the sub either). She survived he war and was sunk during Operation Road's End. http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-50.htm

Thanks for the link. I'll have to fish around that later today. =)

Thanks Paul. Figured it was probably a long shot. In other words, look for groups with as much documentation as possible...

Does anyone know if Japanese service information/records for WW2 era servicepeople exist? Does anyone have any identified items? I know that there are items out there with names &/or units on them (I have a couple), but I was curious if there is any research potential possible here.

I have a few items, mainly medals and uniforms. I've been trying to collect items from all the major capital ships lost (carriers, battleships etc). I love identified/named submarine material as well, though it's pretty much a top tier USN WW2 area of collecting (read: $$$). I actually have/have had a few non US items as well to sunken ships, but a vast majority of that are things like Soldbuch &/or Wehrpass to u-boat crews (also quite spendy stuff these days, though you can almost always find them for sale). USN WW2 jumpers (researched of course) have proven very exciting at times. Not uncommon every now and again to run across a survivor (or even a casualty) from a sinking. Anchors Away!

I'm not an expert in South African ODM, but I suspect the Kommando medal is rarer (assuming by namings you're asking which unit is rarer). I suppose it depends what unit the sapper served in and so on. I love those regional units though; lots of interesting QSAs out there in that regard. The engineer's medal is probably easier to research though, yes?

Google it for "Sutherland Commando" and a few results will appear. Basically he served (apparently) in the Sutherland Commandos, serving in German SW Africa against the Germans. http://www.imperial-research.net/gswa_oob.htm Good luck!

Hey there MREID... Thanks for the info. Yeah, I know about the Kew online access, but I'm trying to remember if someone said the Ancestery.Com website (I think that's it) is much better quality, or if that's just for the MICs (or both). I don't have that $75 pounds type account on ancestors that I've heard about as I haven't been collecting much British/Commonwealth material as of late (though I am still researching some of my older acquisitons). Can't really justify that kind of expense unless I'm mortgaging the house for more medals. I think there are a few letter prefixes and suffixes for RN personnel...just search Phippard I see one guy with a K, one with a J, and another has an A after the serial number. I see on the free service papers preview page this guy has April 14th, 1870 listed under date (I am assuming this is birthdate). That would make him in his 50s during the war! I'd guess if that's the case he might be at least entitled to a LSGC? Probably a pretty salty guy. He's also from Portsmouth. Born into the maritime life perhaps?

The 37 KIA are from the battle of Eniwetok Island, as opposed to the other islands of the Eniwetok Atoll. The 262 KIA/77 MIA totals may include Operation Hailstone casualties (40 KIA), which was a USN op in support of the Eniwetok ops. It's also possible though that those are USMC casualties and others from the other islands of Eniwetok. The fleet carrier you're thinking of is probably USS Intrepid, which was damaged by a nighttime Japanese aircraft torpedo attack. She limped back to Pearl and didn't return to the war until summer of 1944. She had 11 KIA. The battleship USS Iowa was also slightly damaged by a bomb from a Japanese aircraft. I don't see any US naval losses (though the Japanese took a royal pasting at Truk). A couple dozen planes were lost though. I'm guessing the total casualties are cumulative of both Eniwetok, the other islands in the atoll, and Operation Hailstone. The 37 KIA are probably mostly from the 27th ID (and his regiment), but there could be a few from other units involved (engineers and so on).

The entire Eniwetok campaign resulted in 262 KIA, 77 MIA, 757 WIA for the USA and 2,677 KIA, 16 POW Japanese casualties. That has to be a pretty rare PH though. He is listed on the NARA enlistment site (presuming this is him), info below: 32041679 Charles J Benardo Residence: Saratoga, NY. Born in 1918 in NY. Enlisted at Albany, NY on January 31st, 1941. At the time working as a "retails manager". Single white selectee without dependents, with four years of high school. I don't see him listed on the ABMC or NGL sites, so he is likely buried elsewhere (NY I would presume).

Hi Scott. As far as the NARA enlistment website, it sucks not being able to find guys at times. According to a quick search I just did, there's only one guy with the surname Mc Intire listed there from the entire state of Virginia! As far as his Silver Star General Order goes, you're probably either going to have to get the research from the unit archival records, or find someone who has them and beg for mercy. The Sons of Bitche have a website: http://www.100thww2.org/ Go to their digital archives section, and you can probably ask them if they have copies of the division's general orders. http://www.100thww2.org/aid/persdoc.html <--- list of location of General Orders (College Park I think). Tons of records exist for this division...should be juicy research possibilites. That's a pretty cool SS/BS/PH grouping. A hard fought unit as well. Fairly hard fought guy to boot...Vosges, Ft Schiesseck, Bitche, advance to the Rhine, Heilbronn and finally the advance towards Stuttgart, during which he was KIA. Lots of house to house fighting for this guy.

I will have to take a look at the uniform later, but I think it was a Meritorious Weenie, but for some reason I keep thinking it had a V device. As far as wounding, I just don't know. There wasn't a wounding listed on his info I got from NPRC, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything as they often short us on the info. It's possible I suppose.

Hey folks. Could someone out there shed some light on a VM I have? I haven't been collecting much by way of British Commonwealth ODM for awhile now and found this today in my unresearched bits. The bloke is 144492 S.P.O. C.F.W. Phippard, RN. Thanks!

Nice WW1 heart! I've only collected a few WW1 hearts, and no gas woundings or deaths (that I've found). I've had a few British Commonwealth et al Stars/Star Groupings with a gas victim, but nothing from here in the states.