KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Share #1 Posted October 1, 2017 I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of " un-officially" hand engraved medals we have out there from WWII. A lot of focus is put on officially engraved medals, and the point of this thread is to show how interesting the others are too! I am excluding "machine engraved" medals, because except for "stamped engraving", I can find no proof the common person had access to engraving machines during the war. The PQMD did use them however. I am using the word "unofficial" to describe medals awarded during WWII that were NOT engraved by the PQMD , or by the USN/USMC's stable of engravers who engraved mostly posthumous awards during the war. We would all love to see what you have! I will start this off with a few of mine and will add more as I dig them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #2 Posted October 1, 2017 This first set is to a gunner from the 499th BG , 20th AAF. The dates correspond to the missions he earned the awards for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted October 1, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #4 Posted October 1, 2017 Purple Heart awarded to an officer who was WIA in North Africa. he engraved the Purple Heart number on the back of the medal. The number is also printed in the General Orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #5 Posted October 1, 2017 Purple Heart awarded to a Capt WIA with the 1st Cavalry Division in the Admiralty Islands on the date engraved on the medal. The medal is also numbered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #6 Posted October 1, 2017 This is a group to a B-24 pilot with the 455th BG, 15th AAF who was shot down by German fighters on the May 5, 1944 mission to Ploesti. He was awarded the Silver Star for the mission, but I do not have the GO yet. He also lost his leg below the knee in the attack and became a POW of the Romanians. Romania surrendered in Sept 1944 and he was repatriated back to the USA. The engraving on his Silver Star and Air Medals is beautiful. He was presented them in a hospital back in the USA in 1945 . The Purple Heart is numbered, but not named. My guess is he received it in the hospital in Sept 1944 after he was liberated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted October 1, 2017 This is a Type I US Navy Purple Heart awarded to a sailor who was wounded during the Battle of Cape Esperance during the night battle of Oct 11-12 1942 (SAVO ISLAND). He served on the USS Farenholt, which was a scrappy little destroyer. Farenholt received 11 Battle Stars in WWII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #8 Posted October 1, 2017 This example was awarded to a sailor from the USS McFarland WIA on October 16, 1942 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #9 Posted October 1, 2017 The recipient of these medals was a squadron commander of the 515th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group ( The Liberandos ) . He was not with the 376th during the operation against Ploesti . The date on the DFC is the date his unit bombed Regensburg in a combined operation with the 8th AAF. Both the DFC and AM are numbered. I would expect this since he rotated home in early 1944. Sadly, after he completed 35 mission he rotated home and became an instructor and was killed in an accident Aug 21,1944 over Colorado when the B-24 he was in collided with another. The accident is memorialized with a monument and is shown in the link below: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #10 Posted October 1, 2017 This DFC was awarded in 1943 to a Gunner with the 345th Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group who flew 35 missions between 1942-1943 ona B-24 named " The Chief" . He did not make the Ploesti mission however. The DFC is numbered.The lot also had his wings which and he put a sticker on the back with his name.GO#1 from the US Army In the Middle East has medal numbers recorded in it for the DFCs awarded to everyone. They were all in the 5400 range. This one is DFC # 5418 . His DFC is not in that GO because his DFC was not awarded until February 1943. GO#1 is dated January 1, 1943.These DFCs were hand engraved prior to presentation ( according to annotations in the GO ). This almost looks like USN style engraving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #11 Posted October 1, 2017 This Purple Heart is from a 1st Ranger Bn POW captured at Cisterna. He was one of the survivors who was captured by the Germans after he was badly wounded on January 30th 1944. The German surgeons at the hospital he was sent removed his foot below his knee. He recovered in the hospital and was transferred to Stalag 17B . Based on the severity of his wounds, he became eligible to be repatriated back to the USA in Sept 1944 on a Swedish Red Cross ship named the Gripsholm. While in England on his way home, he was presented with the Purple Heart .He stayed in hospitals in the USA until he was discharged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #12 Posted October 1, 2017 I dont own these anymore but I still had the photos. The recipient was a Left Waist Gunner with the 35st Bomb Group , 8th Air Force who completed 30 missions in December 1943. He was one of the lucky ones.One of the notable mission he flew on was the Oct 14, 1943 raid on Schweinfurt.The medals are probably dated with the General Order dates. The date on the AM is fairly close to when he completed his 5th Mission and the DFC is dated right after he was finished with his tour. Both medals are numbered and are hand engraved. The engraving was probably done in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share #13 Posted October 1, 2017 That's all for now. Please post yours ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDUNE Posted October 2, 2017 Share #14 Posted October 2, 2017 Here is the one I have to a tank destroyer wounded in November 1944. Just got his file from Golden Arrow -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorsairAce Posted October 2, 2017 Share #15 Posted October 2, 2017 Here's a WWII Bronze Star that I have always found the engraving fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share #16 Posted October 2, 2017 Those are a couple of nice examples! Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share #17 Posted October 2, 2017 Here is another DFC/AM. Its part of a husband/wife group. She was a WAC and he was a gunner who completed his 25 missions with the 385th BG , 8th AAF in early 1944. The DFC and AM are both numbered. The medals look machine engraved, but they are hand engraved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decwriter Posted October 2, 2017 Share #18 Posted October 2, 2017 Awesome post Kurt! I like all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted October 2, 2017 Share #19 Posted October 2, 2017 Some very nice examples! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanemono Posted October 2, 2017 Share #20 Posted October 2, 2017 George Pradarits Jr. was assigned to the destroyer U.S.S. Waller for duty with the Yangtze River Patrol Force. On October 9, 1945 Waller struck a mine while returning to Shanghai on the Yangtze River. Twenty-two men were injured, including Pradarits who suffered a broken arm, the ship received structural damage that required dry-docking in Shanghai. All of the wounded received the Purple Heart medal, however, two weeks later they were asked to return the medal since the Waller struck the mine after the war ended. Pradarits and many others kept their medals. He had the medal engraved with his name and “China 1945.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovmilinsig Posted October 4, 2017 Share #21 Posted October 4, 2017 Some beautiful medals. Bronze Star is quite nice! Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garnet54 Posted October 4, 2017 Share #22 Posted October 4, 2017 DFC to SSGT Edward Pawlicki. He was a ball turret gunner in the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb group, 8th AF. He did the 25 missions from July 1943 to December 1943 including the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission (Regensburg). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share #23 Posted October 5, 2017 DFC to SSGT Edward Pawlicki. He was a ball turret gunner in the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb group, 8th AF. He did the 25 missions from July 1943 to December 1943 including the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission (Regensburg). Love this one! The medal should be numbered too. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garnet54 Posted October 5, 2017 Share #24 Posted October 5, 2017 Love this one! The medal should be numbered too. Kurt Thanks Kurt, it is numbered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 6, 2017 Share #25 Posted October 6, 2017 DFC to SSGT Edward Pawlicki. He was a ball turret gunner in the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb group, 8th AF. He did the 25 missions from July 1943 to December 1943 including the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission (Regensburg). Dang...that's a beautiful medal!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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