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Box of German "stuff"


mvmhm
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During the Patriot Freedom Festival last May, one of my SUVCW brothers asked me if I would be interested in a German helmet, buckle and Hitler Youth knife. He's had me call him periodically to remind him to dig the stuff out....his son was in town this weekend so they went through one (1) of THREE (3) footlockers. Brad said he'd written his Dad during the war to say that the other neighborhood kids were getting souvenirs from their Dads, so why wasn't he? After that his Dad started sending him things....he said there's another nice Nazi hat in one of the boxes (he described a high peak, saddle shaped NSDAP hat)...and there were more items that had been thrown away over the years (dang it). Here's what he brought out, and here's his Dad's West Point bio:

 

 

 

Mark sends

 

Frank F. Miter 1926

Cullum No. 7978 • Jan 19, 1980 • Died in Tucson, AZ Interred in Fort Bliss National Cemetery, El Paso, TX
Frank Freeman Miter was born in Troy, New York, on 17 July 1904, the son of Frank and Carrie (Gould) Miter. He attended school in Lansingburg, near Troy. Although Frank’s maternal grandfather had been an aide to a Civil War general, it was the series of books by Paul B. Malone (Class of 1894) about the life of a cadet that sparked his interest in going to West Point. He entered the Military Academy on 1 July 1922 as a member of the smallest class since World War I.
Since his home was near West Point, Frank was very popular as a cadet, arranging “dates” for some of his classmates as well as for himself. Malcolm Harwell remembers Frank’s wonderful sense of humor, amusing stories and musical ditties. Frank especially enjoyed his four years singing in the Cadet Chapel Choir. Upon graduation he received his first choice and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps.
Frank began his career in September 1926 with the 62d Coast Artillery, Antiaircraft, on field maneuvers at Camp Upton, New York. When the regiment returned to Fort Totten in October, Frank was assigned to quarters in the attic of the Bachelor Building. While there were no cooking facilities, Frank did have an extra bedroom which was soon occupied by his sister Evelyn (with the permission of the commanding officer). Evelyn was teaching at nearby Woodmere, Long Island, and her move resulted in meeting and marrying Ben Mesick, Class of 1924.
Frank’s career in Artillery covered a wide range of activities with interesting diversification. After serving awhile at the West Point Preparatory School at Fort Totten in 1927, he was sent to Corregidor. While there, he spent a year as the commanding officer of Fort Drum (the concrete battleship “that never sails,”) in the entrance to Manila Bay.
A classmate, Bill Laidlaw, recalls that Frank’s love of sociability almost caused him to miss the transport to return to the States. He ran down the last gangplank in place of a sudden impulse to kiss Bill’s wife, Wilma, “goodbye.”
The HOWITZER’s prediction that “Francois” would marry soon after graduation proved false. It was not until 1931 that he married Grace Ripley of Rockville Center, Long Island, whom he had known since he was “in knee britches.” They made many friends as they moved from post to post in Hawaii, Panama, and the United States. Their two children, Bradford and Diana, are both now married and living in Texas.
World War II broke out while they were in the Panama Canal Zone and soon Frank was sent to an antiaircraft brigade in Iceland. He was detached from the brigade in January 1944 and assigned to the headquarters of British General Montgomery as antiaircraft advisor and liaison. Shortly after the German surrender in May 1945, he became the head of a team based in the Rhineland, and attached to the XXth Corps with the mission of collecting and reporting captured and surrendered German war material. After a three and a half year absence, he returned to his family in Arlington, Virginia, and reported for duty in the Pentagon.
Frank’s varied background and ability as a diplomat served him well on his interesting tour of duty as a military attache to Portugal from 1949 to 1952. He and Grace developed friendships among the Portuguese and other diplomats and Frank was singularly honored with the Portuguese Medal of Military Merit, First Class—the highest medal awarded a foreign military man.
Returning to the States, Frank reported to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and soon became commanding officer of the 45th Antiaircraft Brigade. In 1954 be was transferred to Fort Bliss, Texas, as Director of the Command and Staff Department of the Antiaircraft and Guided Missile School. Upon retirement in 1954, Colonel Frank Miter remained in El Paso to teach mathematics at what is now the University of Texas at El Paso. His wife Grace died suddenly in 1959 and is buried at Fort Bliss. In 1967 Frank moved to Tucson, Arizona, where the Mesicks and many Army friends lived. He was active in the Episcopal Church as a lay reader.
All will surely miss Frank’s unique brand of humor tempered with love and understanding of his fellowman. He loved God and his country, and always felt a deep commitment to his military duty.

 

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When we first talked, I asked him if the German helmet had any decals, and he said Oh, no, it's made out of a leather, you know, with the point on top"....he also said it was crushed...but I was pretty happy to see it was still in good shape..a Prussian EM's pickle....it's misshapen, but nothing serious...AND...it has the cover!

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The municipal Police shako was in the box upside down so I knew what it was as soon as I saw the liner...but I could tell the cockade wasn't attached (it's misplaced at the moment)....unfortunately, when they lived in San Antonio, it was kept in the garage and the moths went crazy on the wool...."otherwise", the helmet and all fittings are mint as is the liner...there's also a name inside...not sure what to do with it because I don't think I can get it recovered (?).

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Then he pulled out a near perfect NSDAP leaders brocade belt and buckle....this is the "German buckle" he told me about in May. There was also a mint NSDAP eagle (all prongs intact) in a baggie...

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This Hitler Youth knife is a Puma blade...you can't tell it from the picture, but it's got the Blood and Honor motto on the blade...the leather washer is gone, and it was sharpened (he said it came that way)...but the grips and HJ diamond are perfect....it's been well used, but still a nice knife....

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There's a mint set of gaiters...and several ammo pouches...the belt loops on the top left pouch are both cleanly cut as if it was cut from a belt...the bottom left pouch is russet brown on 2/3 of the reverse so it was dyed at some point.....they're all either RBN numbered or dated 1939...they all have their straps, knobs, and inner dividers....

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This was wrapped up in a pair of shorts in the bottom of the box. He just said "Oh, that's just a steel pot"...which I assumed he meant his Dad's M1 helmet. I left it wrapped up and put everything else back in and left...I was pleasantly surprised when I got home though. Although it's missing the liner, it looks to me like a Kriegsmarine helmet...the paint is definitely gray, and the eagle has a gold hue to it...of course, I'm looking at it in artificial light..maybe the light of day tomorrow will reveal it's really just a silver Heer birdee....I can't wait to see what else is in the other 2 foot lockers!

 

 

Mark sends

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What a great IDed haul you picked up. The rarest pieces in the lot are the Political belt and buckle.The belt buckle is smaller than the one you see on the duty leather belt.Your rig is worth 2000.00-2500.00.It great to know that great stuff both US and Foreign is still available. Congrats scotty

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USCapturephotos

Oh wow. Love seeing the stuff Mark and especially hearing about the vet who shipped it all home to his son. That nsdap belt and buckle is a beaut!

Thanks for sharing.

Paul

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The pickle is my favorite of the group...the way he initially described it I was expecting a real piece of junk...it was a very nice surprise.

 

 

Mark sends

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...a couple more pictures...one of the Colonel....and I gently moved the 2nd keeper on the belt and found that the RZM tag is still intact.

 

 

Mark sends

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It appears that the buckle on the Political Leader brocade is not original to belt. I believe the buckle is the pattern found worn with the leather belt. The buckle worn with the brocade is smaller to be compatible with the belt width. Very nice brocade belt never the less. Jack Angolia

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  • 6 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Very nice stuff. The belt is beautiful especially with that tag. It would be great if the helmet was Kriegsmarine but I read somewhere that with time the army helmet decals will take on a gold tint. Good luck.

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  • 1 month later...

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