Our Foreign Friends Who Collect US

[Brig]

I believe we may have had this discussion years ago, but I cannot find it and it's been long enough that we have plenty of new members. We all know why non-German countries collect TR, etc. The bad guys stuff always seems to be popular. But for those of you not from the US, I'm curious as to why you collect US militaria?

[1canpara]

I'm located in Canada and I collect US militaria because I find it much more diverse and interesting than Canadian military stuff. I'm a steel helmet collector and other than the British style Brodie, we had the D-Day style "turtle" helmet, dispatch riders helmets, para helmets and that's about it. They are all interesting, but all the same colours, very few were marked and they were also the same as the British helmets. US helmets are much more interesting with so many variations and subtle differences, it's almost a science when you get right down to really knowing all there is to know about US helmets and liners. Put it this way, if there was a book written about WWII Canadian Army helmets, it would be very thin.

 

The down side to collecting US is that I have to rely heavily on the forum, other collectors and eBay for buying for my collection. Estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, gun shows and auctions in Canada just do not produce alot of US militaria. When I do get a chance to travel in the US I hit every antique store, thrift store and flea market that I can find, and after my first visit to the SOS last tear, I hope to make that an annual trip.

 

I'm Canadian and that's why I collect US militaria. :thumbsup:

 

 

Rick

[SKYLINE DRIVE]

I believe we may have had this discussion years ago, but I cannot find it and it's been long enough that we have plenty of new members. We all know why non-German countries collect TR, etc. The bad guys stuff always seems to be popular. But for those of you not from the US, I'm curious as to why you collect US militaria?

 

 

I think it's very easy, because they are the "good" guys! In WW2 my country was liberated twice by the US army. As it was annected by Nazi germany our country suffered quite badly from german occupation, the young men were forced into the Wehrmacht, if they deserted their famillies were relocated to camps in eastern Prussia....then there was the Bulge where so many young boys from the US of A shed their blood so that we could be free again. Our grand-parents told us for hours and hours about all this, for them the young boys that had come from so far away to give their life were like gods.....so it couldn''t really turn out the other way. Many collectors over here collect Wehrmacht militaria as well, but I wanted to focus on one side, as I thought it would be easier to get a good collection that way.

[General Apathy]

But for those of you not from the US, I'm curious as to why you collect US militaria?

 

Hi Brig, good question.

 

I was born in the UK, in my teenage years I bought a 1943 Jeep, it was the Ford built GPW version of the ' Willy's ' Jeep, it was my everyday vehicle and at weekends myself and a few other Jeep owning friends did some off-road trails with our Jeeps, it was built tough and handled everything we did and it drove back to work on Monday's, it was a 20th century style and design icon. It was already 30 - 40 years older than most other cars in the UK at that time, but so reliable.

 

Someone gave me an old 'military ' jacket that dated to the same time as the Jeep, it was what we now refer to as an M-43 jacket, again this was a style icon as this was the first hip length jacket, with four pockets, showerproof and with a button in liner for colder weather, this style of jacket became the basis of military jackets for the next forty years.

 

many other items started to appear and be found of American uniform and equipment all of it well designed, very well made, functional for it's purpose and with quality it's basis.

 

I could write much much more about US uniform and equipment but lets cut it short and say I was hooked.

 

ken

 

p.s. not forgetting the American M-1 helmet a much copied design classic on it's own.

[Sabrejet]

I'm British. My country has a long and noble military tradition stretching back centuries. Even today, many of the world's armed forces incorporate British traditions into their way of doing things. We do pomp, circumstance and military spectacle pretty much better than anyone else.....but, justifiably proud of it though I am, I've always been drawn to aspects of the US military and have never collected anything other than USGI. I could bore you for hours with tales of the "Big Red One" or the "82nd"...but please don't expect me to tell you about the Grenadier Guards or The Blues and Royals in the same detail because I can't! Strange isn't it?!

[Corpsmancollector]

Good question, Brig. I collect US because I was around a lot of US items as a kid. When I young (6 or 7 years old) I had a friend whose grandfather collected US GI items. He was in his early teens when WWII was being fought and had long lasting memories of US soldiers in England during 1944-45. In his later years he began to collect US items and bought a period WWII Willys Jeep. Obviously to a young whipper-snapper like me who was always ‘playing army’ dressed in camouflage, that was pretty cool and I consequently ‘got the bug’. My interest in Marine Corps items began because I was fascinated by the island hopping campaigns of WWII which were fought in dense jungles, barren desert like islands and volcanic wastelands throughout the Pacific. I was amazed by the men who fought these campaigns under such difficult circumstances and the equipment they used to do it. A good number of years later, here I am. Though I collect WWII USMC, I’m still very interested in our own military history as both my grandfather’s fought in WWII (Dunkirk, North Africa, Crete etc.) and I have many of their items from their time in service, but outside of that I don’t collect British gear.

 

Will

[Ricardo]

Actually I collect items from all countries that participated in WWII, but my main focus is U.S. because my feelings are a mixture of:

 

Diversity + history + good guys against evil + Brazil's participation in the war with the U.S. 5th Army and 12th AAC in Italy / Hollywood war movies = 25 years collection.

 

Ricardo.

[Sabrejet]

And another thing....some of the finest collections of USGI militaria to grace this forum are actually in the hands of "foreigners".

[dag]

I'm British. My country has a long and noble military tradition stretching back centuries. Even today, many of the world's armed forces incorporate British traditions into their way of doing things. We do pomp, circumstance and military spectacle pretty much better than anyone else.....but, justifiably proud of it though I am, I've always been drawn to aspects of the US military and have never collected anything other than USGI. I could bore you for hours with tales of the "Big Red One" or the "82nd"...but please don't expect me to tell you about the Grenadier Guards or The Blues and Royals in the same detail because I can't! Strange isn't it?!

 

I've always wondered why someone from Britain would collect US. The British have produced many beautiful military uniform items such as buttons & cap badges. In these two collecting areas at least, far more than US. My first militaria collecting interest was, and is, US military uniform buttons, but in recent years, due to the huge variety & beauty of the British buttons and badges, and the availability of same, I have picked up a few of those as well. And as a result, I have learned a little about some of those British regiments as well. I guess it's all in the type of militaria that interests a person...

[Sabrejet]

It's like why some people prefer chocolate to strawberries...it's an individual thing! As a boy growing up in Britain in the 50s/60s I was always fascinated by tales of the war (which was less far behind us then than the VN war is now) I'm not from a military family, but many of my father's generation served in one capacity or another. A seminal moment was when he took me to see "The Longest Day" on its release. After seeing it I really wanted to get British, German and American helmets...just one of each! I was given a British helmet (Turtle shell '44) and a German shell...minus its suspension...but no M1 because one could not be found. The years passed...I discovered girls, went to University, got married, began a career etc. I'd never lost my interest in WW2 and had continued to read about it. Then, in my mid 20s I went to an antique market and found a WW2 USGI rifle belt. I hadn't realised that this "old" stuff could be bought quite easily and relatively cheaply. I made some enquiries and ended up with the long sought after M1 helmet to complete my trio. That was it...I was hooked! Thirty years later my man cave is like a QM's depot!

[camouk]

Because it's cool.

[PIPO]

Hi

I live in France. I only collect d'day grouping of us troops.

Why ?

A real interest for d'day when i was very young. Why the US troops ?

Maybe the souvenir of my grand-mother who told me the entrance of the gi's in her town : cigarettes and chocolate.

Maybe too because i've always asked me what could be my attitude if my country told me to go to figth overseas for free an unknown other country; 1944 gi's had no choice and they landed in France and a lot of them died.

I was in BEDFORD virginia last year. I've read newpapers and official to the local history museum about the death of the 22 BEDFORD BOYS; It was a tragedy for this town.

PIPO

[Corpsmancollector]

I guess it's all in the type of militaria that interests a person...

 

Bingo. It's all down to individual interest, just like some people collect Army and some Navy, or some people collect uniforms and others collect wings. Sure there are many collectors who collect from a particular BOS because of their military heritage but a lot of the time it just boils down to what takes your fancy!

[reddevil1311]

In 1984 my dad bought a 1942 Willys Jeep after seeing a couple on display at an airshow (at RAF Bentwaters I think). At the first event we took the jeep to there were a couple of other jeeps whose owners were in full wartime uniforms. From that point on it has spiralled out of control!

 

My dad started collecting 8th AAF uniforms to go with the Jeep (I originally started collecting British wwii militaria, but soon also started to add US wwii items to my collection) As all of you will know, once you have one complete uniform, it just does not stop there, so different uniforms, flight gear, combat gear, personal items etc etc were all added later on, as well as a 1943 Dodge WC54 Ambulance, a 1941 GMC, and a 1941 Plymouth staff car. Over the years we attended many USAAF reunions in the UK, and supplied WWII vehicles and displays for a number of USAF events on active bases such as change of command ceremonies.

 

My dad started to also collect US uniforms from WWI and the inter-war years, and I developped my WWII collection, but also spread out from the 1930s all the way up to the current ACU uniform and MOLLE II equipment. I have been slowly putting together examples of US Army or USAF uniforms and equipment from each post war decade, which is a lot harder to do than collecting WWII militaria! (I also still have my WWII British collection).

 

My main interest is the USAF (partly due to good memories of visiting friends in the USAF bases in East Anglia), especially the transition from the AAF and the USAF in the 1950s.

 

Ashley

[Sabrejet]

In 1984 my dad bought a 1942 Willys Jeep after seeing a couple on display at an airshow (at RAF Bentwaters I think). At the first event we took the jeep to there were a couple of other jeeps whose owners were in full wartime uniforms. From that point on it has spiralled out of control!

 

My dad started collecting 8th AAF uniforms to go with the Jeep (I originally started collecting British wwii militaria, but soon also started to add US wwii items to my collection) As all of you will know, once you have one complete uniform, it just does not stop there, so different uniforms, flight gear, combat gear, personal items etc etc were all added later on, as well as a 1943 Dodge WC54 Ambulance, a 1941 GMC, and a 1941 Plymouth staff car. Over the years we attended many USAAF reunions in the UK, and supplied WWII vehicles and displays for a number of USAF events on active bases such as change of command ceremonies.

 

My dad started to also collect US uniforms from WWI and the inter-war years, and I developped my WWII collection, but also spread out from the 1930s all the way up to the current ACU uniform and MOLLE II equipment. I have been slowly putting together examples of US Army or USAF uniforms and equipment from each post war decade, which is a lot harder to do than collecting WWII militaria! (I also still have my WWII British collection).

 

My main interest is the USAF (partly due to good memories of visiting friends in the USAF bases in East Anglia), especially the transition from the AAF and the USAF in the 1950s.

 

Ashley

 

You sound like a man after my own heart Ashley...nice to know I'm not alone! When people ask me what aspect of US militaria I collect my usual response is "Yes"!

[reddevil1311]

"yes" - yep, that's pretty much the response I give!

[Jeeper704]

My grandfather served in the US Army, that sort of triggered my interest in collecting US militaria.

And then you have D-Day and The Battle of the Bulge.

 

Erwin

[Sabrejet]

Another thing which whetted my appetite for collecting US militaria was the "Q" word..."Quality". When I was a neophyte collector a friend who'd learned of my interest invited me to his house to see his GI collection. He had a mannequin dressed in full pinks 'n' greens. I'd seen this uniform in photos and in the movies, of course, but not up close and personal like that. I was blown away at the sheer quality and how drop-dead-georgeous it looked! So, that in itself helped set me on the road to collecting GI. (I now own a shedload of such uniforms!)

[Andrei]

The original thread was put up by Justin - CNY Militaria under his older forum member name, can't remember it. I am pretty sure that I made some replies but couldn't find them thru the search engine.

[KevinS]

I have to agree with Sabrejet about the quality but the main reason for me is to honor all those brave men who gave everything to liberate these foreign countries including my hometown.

[Ricardo]

I wish all Americans friends will be proud of so many foreigners collecting military items of their country, after all we are "ambassadors" and cultural promoters of American history in several countries.

 

I particularly do numerous exhibitions throughout the year in schools, cultural centers and museums, as well as the American school in my town*.

 

*Students, teachers, and the American diplomatic corps here in my city and country already know me and my work and always praise the affection, care and concern that I have with the american objects of my collection.

 

I would be very pleased and proud to foreign collectors have the same admiration and care of the items that came out here in my country.

 

BR, Ricardo.

[zippy144]

Hi

 

For me in the start it was a matter of what my friends where collecting at the time. But as you really get into collecting good interesting US militaria is readily available, unlike British stuff.

 

The other thing you have to remember is that the British guys where not allowed to send anything home and they kepy very little. So therefore good British groupings are far and few between and never like the size of the ones found across the pond.

 

I hate to go back to it as a reference, but Saving Private Ryan and BOB changed everything for new age collectors (only been collecting in the last 10 years) like myself, it sparked a real interest...

 

Good early dated British uniforms and equipment are a tough find and are not really the cheap option anymore.

 

 

Regards

 

 

Tom

[Sabrejet]

BTW fellas...we've got it, it's over here...and you can't have it back!!

[Ricardo]

BTW, I collect military items from England, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Greece, Brazil, Finland, the Soviet Union, etc.. :ermm:

[fstop61]

I think it's very easy, because they are the "good" guys! In WW2 my country was liberated twice by the US army. As it was annected by Nazi germany our country suffered quite badly from german occupation, the young men were forced into the Wehrmacht, if they deserted their famillies were relocated to camps in eastern Prussia....then there was the Bulge where so many young boys from the US of A shed their blood so that we could be free again. Our grand-parents told us for hours and hours about all this, for them the young boys that had come from so far away to give their life were like gods.....so it couldn''t really turn out the other way. Many collectors over here collect Wehrmacht militaria as well, but I wanted to focus on one side, as I thought it would be easier to get a good collection that way.

 

Wow, awesome response. Great thread