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WWII POW Bibles - Europe and Pacific


KASTAUFFER
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thought I would share these Prisoner of War Bibles with the forum. They are not often seen. Below there are 3 different ones, 1 from the Pacific and 2 from Europe . If anyone else has any unusual POW items please show them!

 

Thanks

 

Kurt

 

BIBLE # 1

 

This bible was owen by S/Sgt Gerald L. Norman who served with the 96th Bomb Group, 8th AF . He was shot down 1/5/44 and was presented this bible while being held in Stalag 17-B at Krems Austria .

 

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The Red " Gepruft " stamp is the censor mark for Stalag 17B . All printed material had to be censored before the POW could have it to read.

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BIBLE # 2

 

This Bible was presented to a POW held at camp MARLAG MILAG NORD. This camp only held Allied Merchant Marine and Naval Personnel . Unfortunatly, I do not know who owned this one.

 

marlagbible.jpg

 

marlagbible2.jpg

 

Title page showing the German censor mark from Marlag Milag .

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BIBLE # 3

 

This bible is truly special. It is a standard Gideons service bible from 1941. It did not start out its life as a POW bible. It was presented by Chaplain Percy O. Wilcox to T/Sgt Roy E. Davis , on Corregidor in the Philippines while it was under seige by the Japanese during January 1942 . Davis worked in Malinta Tunnel in the Finance Dept , and Wilcox served as a Chaplain in Malinta Tunnel and was the personal Chaplain of Gen MacArthur and Wainwright during that time.

 

Both Wilcox and Davis were captured when Corregidor fell in May 1942. Davis kept this bible and while he was at the POW camp at Cabanatuan, the Japanese censor applied his stamp. T/Sgt Davis was eventually transported to Japan where he was liberated in 1945 . He kept this bible with him the entire time.

 

 

 

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Here is the page with the Japanese censor mark from Cabanatuan ( read the book Ghost Soldiers ! ) , This is the same mark that was applied to the mail sent or received .

 

cab3.jpg

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BIBLE # 4

 

This book is a " Book of the Gospel" that belonged to Pvt Elmer A. THomas of the 803rd Aviation Engineer Bn who was captured on Bataan. He was held at Cabanatuan and was later sent to Japan. The Bible was presented to him by Chaplain Frank L. Tiffany in Cabanatuan POW camp. Tiffany died on the hellship Arisan Maru on 10/24/44 . Since Chaplain Tiffany never made it to Japan, he had to have given the bible to Pvt . Thomas in the Philippines.

 

The # 256 written on the front cover is Thomas's POW ID# in a camp at Hanawa Japan . Sec 10 was his barracks . Inside the front cover , the Japanese censor placed his mark to certify it was OK for distribution.

 

 

thomasbi.jpg

 

thomasbi2.jpg

 

thomasbi3.jpg

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Very nice.

Do you still have that US Song and Service German stamped hymnal?

Here is a Catholic Bible the Allies gave German POW's.

post-1429-1315523609.jpg

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Very nice.

Do you still have that US Song and Service German stamped hymnal?

Here is a Catholic Bible the Allies gave German POW's.

 

 

Yep, and I still have Chaplain Borneman's group too.

 

Kurt

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  • 2 months later...

Here is my newest acquisition

 

It is a couple of Catholic prayer books owned by an AMM3C with Patrol Squadron 102 who was captured in the Philippines and liberated in Japan. The prayer book has a censor mark from the Japanese showing that they looked it over and allowed him to keep it.

 

kenyon_1.jpg

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  • 5 months later...
  • 3 months later...

This bible was presented by Chaplain Wilcox ( just like the one in my earlier post ) to a POW who eventually ended up in Japan. The 3 digit number next to his name was his POW ID number in Japan.

 

The Japanese censor stamp with the red chop on the right page is from Cabanatuan in the Philippines.

 

POWb2.jpg

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  • 7 months later...

thought I would share these Prisoner of War Bibles with the forum. They are not often seen. Below there are 3 different ones, 1 from the Pacific and 2 from Europe . If anyone else has any unusual POW items please show them!

 

Thanks

 

Kurt

 

BIBLE # 1

 

This bible was owen by S/Sgt Gerald L. Norman who served with the 96th Bomb Group, 8th AF . He was shot down 1/5/44 and was presented this bible while being held in Stalag 17-B at Krems Austria .

 

attachicon.gif17bible.jpg

 

attachicon.gif17bible2.jpg

 

 

The Red " Gepruft " stamp is the censor mark for Stalag 17B . All printed material had to be censored before the POW could have it to read.

 

This Bible belonged to my cousin, Sgt. Gerald "Lloyd" Norman. He was a gunner on a B-17, was shot down over the Bay of Biscay and spent 17 months at Stalag Luft 17-B. He went on to return to Louisiana, marry and have two children after the war. He died at age 62 of leukemia.

 

My dad and I would love to have this Bible back in the family! If you have it and are willing to part with it, please let me know.

 

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This Bible belonged to my cousin, Sgt. Gerald "Lloyd" Norman. He was a gunner on a B-17, was shot down over the Bay of Biscay and spent 17 months at Stalag Luft 17-B. He went on to return to Louisiana, marry and have two children after the war. He died at age 62 of leukemia.

 

My dad and I would love to have this Bible back in the family! If you have it and are willing to part with it, please let me know.

 

 

Here is a picture of Lloyd Norman (my cousin). Please let me know if you would be willing to sell his Bible back to our family. Thanks!

 

post-116431-0-76577500-1367161835.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

Very nice items. I've seen the stalag stamped ones before, but have never seen one with Japanese stamps in the wild. They are tough to find. Great to see them here.

 

JD

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  • 1 month later...
KASTAUFFER

Here is a little prayer book from an American captured in Italy with the 45th Division. It was censored at Stalag IIb.

 

 

 

image.jpg

image.jpg

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  • 10 months later...

Here is another Catholic Prayer book I just acquired to an Officer captured June 9, 1944 at Normandy. I have not figured out his unit yet. He was held at Oflag 64.

posx.JPG

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  • 5 years later...

Adding a new piece to this thread.  Here is a German language POW Bible, printed by the US in 1944 and given to German POWs.  This particular one is named to a German veteran who later immigrated to the US and became a citizen.  There are stamps for No. 95 POW Working Camp, which was located at Batford, UK.  They held Italian and German POWs and also Germans who were transferred from the States en route to repatriation in Europe.  This was found in Wisconsin and had the address label of the veteran.

 

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