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Captured Items from Urgent Fury


Nkomo
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In another post, Doyler said that you don't see many bringbacks from Grenada and that got me to thinking that he is right. I figured I'd go ahead and post some of my collection I had posted on other forums before USMF allowed captured items.

 

 

The first item is a Soviet backpack that was captured on the island.

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The second item is a Soviet made export shirt. These shirts are relatively uncommon, but most people don't know what they are. These types of shirts were given as aid packages to the various fledgling Marxist states around the world. They were given to Angola, Mozambique, Grenada, etc. They will always be a two poscket shirt with the pockets sewn on to the chest rather than the bottom. They will be unmarked (void of any markings) and should have plain brass buttons (no hammer and sickle) with raised bumps or plain plastic buttons. These shirts were also issued with matching pants and unmarked Soviet boonie hats.

 

 

 

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Cuban Officer's uniform captured on Grenada. It may look Soviet in design, but this is Cuban manufactured. Notice the short sleeves.

 

 

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I hope you guys enjoy the humor on this t-shirt. I guess the US kind of "interrupted" the 5 year anniversary of the revolution on Grenada!

I bought this shirt from a journalist who covered the Grenada invasion and the aftermath. This shirt was bought awhile after the initial invasion. These shirts were being sold by one of the former cabinet members of the New Jewel Movement. IF I remember correctly, he was the Information Minister.

 

There has always been a huge controversy concerning the airport on Grenada. The governments of Grenada, Cuba, and the Soviet Union claimed the airport was there for peaceful purposes and was there to increase the amount of tourists to the island of Grenada to increase the national income. The US and the Organization of American States claimed it was a refueling base for long range Soviet bombers. Whatever the case, the Rangers took over the airport and fought some Cuban engineers who were there to help finish the airport.

I will add this.....the runway at the airport was certainly long enough to handle long range Soviet bombers. Most commercial airports didn't need to be that long for commercial air traffic.

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That is all I have photographed for now, but I will add more to this thread as time permits. I have propaganda posters, helmets, gear, and more uniforms.

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Map of Southern Grenada that has had combat acetate applied and used by US soldiers during the invasion. Detailed maps at the time were difficult to find and the US soldiers were relying on tourist maps in many cases to navigate the island. The US soldiers sometimes were able to use captured maps instead of the cheap tourist ones.

 

I have never seen another one of these. This particular map is a 1:25,000 scale and was "Published for the Grenada Government by the British Government's Ministry of Overseas Development (Directorate of Overseas Surveys)" This one is dated 1979. Remember, before the New JEWEL Movement Marxist revolution of 1979, Grenada was under British control.

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One of the more interesting pieces is a pair of binoculars that were recovered in the 80's by a diver who found these in St. George's Harbor. These were found near Fort George in Grenada near the site of the former Cuban anti-aircraft battery.

 

As you can tell, these binoculars have definitely been in the ocean for quite some time. If you shake the binoculars, you can hear sand on the inside.

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These are short Cuban shoulder boards for a Subteniente (Junior Lieutenant). I have several pairs of these and I even got a pair off of Bob Chatt a few years ago.

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Thanks for the comments and compliments, fellers. Still have a lot more to post.

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really neat stuff did it mostly come from one veteran ??

My collection has come from various different soldiers, but a lot of the uniforms did come from one 82nd Airborne veteran and the propaganda posters came from a USMC veteran. I will have to dig those out and take pictures.

 

I will add something here, I really wish I had taken the time to collect the uniforms of the US soldiers involved in Urgent Fury. At the time, I was young and focused on the captured/bring-back aspect of the war that I neglected to get the uniforms of the American soldiers. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20.

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ww2relichunter

My collection has come from various different soldiers, but a lot of the uniforms did come from one 82nd Airborne veteran and the propaganda posters came from a USMC veteran. I will have to dig those out and take pictures.

 

I will add something here, I really wish I had taken the time to collect the uniforms of the US soldiers involved in Urgent Fury. At the time, I was young and focused on the captured/bring-back aspect of the war that I neglected to get the uniforms of the American soldiers. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20.

that is very cool and we can only look back at mistakes you most likely could have made a really cool display if you had the us uniforms too do you still have the contact info of the vets I'm sure they would still be alive !! If they didnt sell the uniforms already you could most likely pick them up !!

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Finding the veterans would be difficult now. Grenada was thirty years ago and the vets have moved to who knows where. I just look at it as a lesson learned.

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airborne1968

Great pieces! I work with one vet (an A company Ranger that made the jump on the first pass) who was stuck on the airstrip. He tells a great story about the fight he was wounded in. I've asked him and he still has his uniforms! (doesn't want to sell them though)

 

About two years ago, I picked up a mech infantry/tankers coverall brought back from Grenada. The item was being sold by a dealer at a military show in Fayetteville, NC. The only information he had on the item was that it was a Cuban tanker coverall brought back from Grenada and that he got it from the vet (no info on the vet). He had other items but they were sold off before I found this item.

 

At the raleigh show I picked up a Cuban fatigue shirt from a retired SF SGM.

 

I'll post pic soon.

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airborne1968

Great pieces! I work with one vet (an A company Ranger that made the jump on the first pass) who was stuck on the airstrip. He tells a great story about the fight he was wounded in. I've asked him and he still has his uniforms! (doesn't want to sell them though)

 

About two years ago, I picked up a mech infantry/tankers coverall brought back from Grenada. The item was being sold by a dealer at a military show in Fayetteville, NC. The only information he had on the item was that it was a Cuban tanker coverall brought back from Grenada and that he got it from the vet (no info on the vet). He had other items but they were sold off before I found this item.

 

At the raleigh show I picked up a Cuban fatigue shirt from a retired SF SGM.

 

I'll post pic soon.

Here they are!

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