Innehållsförteckning för September 2023 från Military Trader

Museum returns Japanese flag to lost soldier’s family CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — A flag carried by a Japanese soldier killed in action during World War II has been handed over by the USS Lexington Museum in Texas to a nonprofit organization for return to the man’s family. Known as a Good Luck Flag, it is covered with the signatures of Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, his family and friends. The Corpus Christi museum, where it was displayed for 29 years, gave the flag to the Obon Society, a nonprofit organization that has returned about 500 similar flags to descendants of Japanese service members killed during the war. “This is all that’s left of this man” to return to his family, said Obon Society co-founder Rex Ziak. “They feel exactly the same as…

There have been harbour facilities at Portland in Dorset, England since the mid-19th century from where Royal Navy ships patrolled this stretch of the English Channel. Over the years and throughout World War I, these facilities continuously improved to make the harbour one of the most import naval bases along the south coast. By the time of WWII it was a modern base, a fact which did not escape the attention of the Germans, who bombed it 48 times. On May 1, 1944 it was taken over by the U.S. Navy and given the designation of U.S. Navy Advanced Amphibious Base (USNAAB) Portland-Weymouth. That month was busy as troops arrived in the area and VIPs paid visits, including King George VI, Winston Churchill and General de Gaulle. This was where…

It is often said that during WWII, the United States was the Arsenal of Democracy. The nation, thankfully removed from aerial attack and combat in the streets, and blessed with abundant resources and industry geared toward mass production, certainly lived up to the moniker. However, before the gears of industry can begin to churn out armaments, the decision has to be made what was going to be made, and by who. Reaching these decisions were not always linear processes. “Big Bill” Knudsen, more formally William S. Knudsen, had come to America from Denmark as a 21-year-old in 1900. A bicycle mechanic in Denmark, once in the U.S. he worked in shipyards and then the shop of the Erie Railroad until gaining employment with the John R. Keim Mills of Buffalo,…

MILITARY COLLECTOR SHOWS Aug 26-27 NC, Raleigh. 88th Old North State Antique Gun & Military Antiques Show. Carolina State Fairgrounds - 4285 Trinity Road. Sat. 9am - 5pm, Sun. 10am-4pm. 704-282-1339, www.thecarolinatrader.comx Aug 26-27 VA, Nokesville. Americans in Wartime Experience Annual Open House. Large East Coast event that features 75+ military vehicles including over 30 tanks with 200+ military historians, vehicle demos, tactical demos, www.NMAW.org Sep 1-4 MN, Rollag. Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion theme is Honoring Veterans & Military History. www.rollag.com, Bob Mitchell 701-526-8988, ihregular29@gmail.com Sep 6 IN, Newburgh. Evansville Military Collectors Club 1st Wednesday Swap & Sale. American Legion - 711 State Street. 812-483-3064 or 270-827-8394 Sep 17 IL, New Lenox. Midwest Militaria Military History & Collectibles Show. V.F.W. Post 9545 - 323 Old Hickory Road. 9am-1pm. Paul…

A search of various collectible forums as well as Facebook groups will turn up an all-too-common discussion — someone being outraged by the mistreatment of an object of historic value. It might be the result of a helmet that was manhandled on “Antiques Roadshow”, or it might be a vehicle that was refurbished in a way that someone didn’t approve of. Either way, the response is often the same: “History” should be treated with respect. As a lifelong student of history, I’ll be the first to contend that objects aren’t history. There is also no reason to get upset that something you don’t own was treated badly. Yet, for some reason, the love of history — especially military history — can result in some of us taking a strange ownership…

The year was 1993. Nelson Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize. “Jurassic Park” became a massive blockbuster, setting new box office records. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl in Pasadena. A long standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidians resulted in a bloody and deadly seige in Waco, Texas. Kim Campbell became the first female Prime Minister of Canada and Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States. Plenty of stuff that was big in 1993 is a distant memory now, but one thing that has hung around is Military Trader magazine! MT was launched in ’93 and is still going strong, especially after joining forces with Military Vehicles magazine earlier this…

Each of the six military services of the United States is easily recognized by the cap badges seen on their enlisted and officer caps. This is an attempt to show some of the more common badges of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and related military organizations. Since this a salute to the many organizations related to the basic components of the United States armed forces we will also discuss auxiliary forces such as the Civil Air Patrol, State National Guard organizations and the military academies. It would be a tall order to show every variation of each example made by various manufacturers, so we will not attempt to do so. Also many badges have undergone changes over time. Badge designs have changed as a…

Many times, in today’s political and social climate we hear the word “Nazi” loosely thrown around in anger by those attempting to demonize people on the other side of an issue. But who were the actual historical Nazis and what were their policies and motivations? In late 1918, the First World War had come to its bloody ending with Germany and the other Central Powers defeated on the battlefields of Europe. Following the vindictive Allied Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to relinquish much of its territories and manufacturing industries, minimize its military forces to no more than a scantily equipped national “police force”, and pay war reparations that would destroy much of its economy for decades to come. The newly formed Weimar government was weak at best, and unable…

The German Empire – also commonly known as Imperial Germany or the Second Reich – was founded in January 1871, when the south German states, with the notable exceptions of Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, joined the Northern German Confederation. This changed the federal state to the German Empire and proclaimed King Wilhelm I of Prussia as the German Emperor. Initially, its territory was contained to lands in Europe, but since the 1840s there had been a desire by some Germans for a colonial overseas empire. Although Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, who orchestrated the unification of the German states, had expressed little interest in such colonies – seeing how it could bring Germany into conflict with the other great powers – the German people, and more importantly Kaiser Wilhelm II, desired…

BIG BANG Q: I bought a big old gas station battery charger. It charges very fast, but I have heard that fast charging can make a battery blow up. Is this true? A: Indeed, it is true. I’ve seen several batteries blow out the sides of their cases when placed on excessively fast chargers. As you can probably imagine, acid sprays everywhere. Excessively fast charging can boil away the electrolyte, warp a battery’s plates, and produce large amounts of hydrogen gas, which can cause an explosion. Simply said, don’t do it! I’m sure your charger has low and medium settings as well as “ramming speed.” STOP WHINING Q: I have a 1952 M38. Lately I have heard a faint whining sound in the bell housing when I step on the…