Collector5516 Posted July 2, 2014 Share #1 Posted July 2, 2014 I recently purchased this podium banner, along with a photo album, from a member of the Wehrmacht forum. The previous owner said the album and banner came together but he can't recall the name of the vet he bought them from. If interested, I can post photos from the album. The album belonged to a GI in the 2nd Division and it contains some great shots of men in the field and liberating Czech towns. As you can see, the podium banner is signed by over 50 American soldiers. I haven't been able to match any of the names on the banner to the names in the album so I'm not 100% sure they belong together. Even if they don't, both pieces are great on their own. If anyone recognizes any of the names on the banner or can tell me what unit they served in I would be very appreciative! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted July 2, 2014 photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted July 2, 2014 photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share #4 Posted July 2, 2014 last Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted July 2, 2014 Share #5 Posted July 2, 2014 Very nice! I've always liked flags with signatures like this. Thanks for posting. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted July 2, 2014 Share #6 Posted July 2, 2014 Awesome! I used to have one of these. I regret selling it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCapturephotos Posted July 2, 2014 Share #7 Posted July 2, 2014 Great finds! I have several signed flags and in several cases was able to track down the relatives of some of the GI's who had signed them. Do any of the photos in the album show GI's posing with war souvenirs or knocked out/captured German tanks or aircraft? Start putting in some of the names and you may be able to track down someone. Good luck! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted July 2, 2014 Hi Paul, There are several photos of GIs posing with souvenirs, POWs etc. I'll have to scan some and show them here. Almost every photo is labeled and most guys are id'd. Only problem is the owner of the album always labels himself as "me" so I don't know his name. I do have hope however as I know what unit he was in. Also, there is a photo of him at his mom's place (I think the parents were divorced) in Brooklyn. He wrote the address of the apartment on the photo. I found the place in the 1940 census but the people that lived there were not of the right age to have served during the war but... Seeing that it was a divorce, it's possible the mom moved to that apartment sometime between 1940-1945. There are also photos taken at the dad's apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, very close to where I live. Unfortunately, a specific address isn't provided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted July 4, 2014 I think I found out what unit the flag was signed by! At least three of the guys on the flag belonged to the 80th Division, 318th Infantry Regiment, Company H. Does anyone have a unit roster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted July 5, 2014 Share #10 Posted July 5, 2014 There are two signatures from GI's from the town of Hazelton, PA. I cannot read their last names...one is Earl Weikel(??), the other is Leonard Suka(??). The town of Hazelton is about 30 miles from me, and in fact my next door neighbor is originally from Hazelton and my neighbors brother was mayor of the town for a few years. It is a relatively small, close-knit town and everyone knows everyone else in town or knows someone who knows someone. If you were to provide me with their correct last names, I can ask my neighbor if they might know them or at least know the family name. Maybe more info can be obtained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted July 5, 2014 Hi Hellcat, Thank you for your kind offer to help. I just did some more poking around and I think I have a positive ID on one of the Hazelton boys. Leonard H Sube. http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=7&tf=F&q=sube&bc=sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=3670586&rlst=6231607,2844456,3670586,4094899,4163694,4677979,5041828 I'm hoping to find a roster for this unit so I can correctly identify more of the signatures on the flag. I'll keep digging to see if I can figure out Earl's last name. Thanks again! Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted July 5, 2014 I just found our other Hazleton man! Earl Weikel. http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=2&tf=F&q=weikel%2C+earl&bc=sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=3828030&rlst=3828030,5962794 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B24AT6 Posted July 7, 2014 Share #13 Posted July 7, 2014 I would love to see some of the 2nd Division photo album, if you wouldn't mind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted July 9, 2014 I would love to see some of the 2nd Division photo album, if you wouldn't mind! Sure thing! I'll try to scan some of the photos this week and will create a new thread to show them. Stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCapturephotos Posted July 14, 2014 Share #15 Posted July 14, 2014 Wow. I hadn't followed this thread in awhile as saw the connections you were able to make to the GI's from Hazelton, Pa. Great job! I love it when research starts to bring the pieces of the puzzle together. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector5516 Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share #16 Posted July 15, 2014 Paul - Thanks for the kind words. This is my favorite part of the hobby. I love doing the research and this is proving to be a challenging but fun project. Click here if you're interested in the photo album - http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/214266-wwii-2nd-division-photo-album-great-shots/&do=findComment&comment=1686631 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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