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WWII GERMAN POW DOGTAGS ISSUED TO AMERICANS


KASTAUFFER
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This thread is dedicated to the unsung heros of WWII.. the POW's .

 

I have been collecting POW material for a long time, and I have always treasured POW ID tags worn by Americans.

 

Most of the POW dogtags on Ebay are not tags worn by Americans, but recently dug ones from camps Americans were not even held in. They have minimal value. Documented dogtags to an American are fairly scarce.

 

Most of the tags I have in this thread are documented to a specific POW by his POW ID number. I do not have a list that shows the numbers, but I do have original documents in each grouping referring to the POW listing his " Gefangennummer" or POW number. Some of the tags came on the same dogtag chain as his US tags.

 

 

The first set of tags belonged to Sgt Albert Brault. He was a member of the 601st Tank Destroyer Bn and was captured in North Africa on 1/20/43 .

 

He was in 3 different Stalags during the war. The first was Stalag VIIA at Moosberg, which is where he was issued his metal tag in 1943 . He later transferred Stalags IIIA ( Luckenwalde ) and IIIB ( Furstenberg ) . While at IIIB he was also issued a paper tag which survived. These are super scarce.

 

 

601st_TD.JPG

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This second tag was issued to 2nd LT Charles A. Dubinski at STALAG LUFT 3 at Sagan Germany . The tags says " OFlag " because originally it was an officers camp only. An oflag is an "Offizierlager" . He was a fighter pilot with the 27th Fighter Bomber group and was captured in North Africa on 9/19/43 .

 

Also included is his barracks card from Luft 3.

 

 

 

dubinski.JPG

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This tag was issued to 2nd Lt Edward Saleck . He served with the 455th BG , 15th AF and was captured over Germany on 7/27/44 . He was held at Stalag Luft 3 . This is a later style tag than the one Dubinski was issued.

 

 

Saleck.JPG

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POW dogtag and Air Medal issued to 2nd Lt Mervin Ransom . He was captured 8/15/44 while serving with the 466th BG, 8th AAF and was held at Stalag Luft 3.

 

The abbreviation of the tag literally says " Kriegsgefangenlager Nummer 3 Der Luftwaffe " ( Prisoner of war camp number 3 of the Air Force )

 

 

ransom.JPG

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POW dogtag and Air Medal issued to S/Sgt Donald C. Armstrong. He was captured 10/10/43 while serving with the 390th BG , 8th AAF . He was held at Stalag 17B in Austria .

 

 

armstrong.JPG

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Dogtag issued to Cpl. Raymond G. Crosby . He was captured 2/14/43 in North Africa while serving as an " on the ground " forward radio observer for the 12th AAF .

 

He originally was held in Stalag 7A at Moosberg , which is where the tag was issued. He ended up in Stalag 17B . Notice the photo was taken at 17B, but the POW # is from his 7A tag. This was normal, as a POW kept the number he was originally assigned even if he transferred to a new camp.

 

Crosby earned a Silver Star for his actions on 2/14/43. I also have it in my collection.

 

crosby.JPG

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POW dogtag issued to 2nd Lt Sidney Mogol . He served with the 379th BG , 8th AAF and was captured 3/13/44 . He was a Jewish-American and his German POW ID captured card is marked " JUDEN " by the Germans ( not the one shown) . He was held in Stalag Luft 1 at Barth Germany . He originally was in a combined barracks, but in Jan 1945 the Germans moved all of the Jewish POW's into a single barracks. There was fear that the Germans were going to do something to them, but at least in Stalag Luft 1, the Germans never did anything and treated them the same other than seggregating them.

 

 

mogol.JPG

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Dogtag and stateside ID badge issued to Sgt Joseph A. Palladino . He served with the 384th BG , 8th AAF and was captured 5/13/44 . This tag was issued to him when he was held at Stalag 9C at Bad Orb. This was an especially nasty POW camp.

 

 

palladino.JPG

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WWII POW dogtag and US tags issued to 2nd Lt Charles Skinner. He was captured 1/20/45 while serving with the 314th Infantry , 79th Division . This tag was issued to him at OFLAG 13B at Hammelburg Germany . This was the camp that Patton's forces raided .

 

Skinner.JPG

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Stalag Tag and US tag issued to PVT William Valiant of the 377th Infantry , 95th Division. He was captured 11/14/44 . He was held at Stalag 12A at Limburg . This camp was used at as a transit camp for many of the groundpounders captured during WWII. They would be processed at 12A and sent on to another camp. Many of the Battle of the Bulge POW's went through here.

 

valiant.JPG

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Last tag for the day ! This is a set of US tags and a POW tag issued to PVT Irvin Mull. He served with the 351st Infantry , 88th Division and weas captured 10/26/44 in Italy . He was held at Stalag 7A .

 

 

mull.JPG

 

 

I would love to see any tags that may be owned by members of the forum . Please post them on this thread!

 

I do have more tags that I know were issued to Americans, but havent been able to tie a name to them yet.

 

Kurt

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Had a couple more I forgot about !

 

This tag was issued to PFC Melvin Low of the 423rd Infantry , 106th Division . He was captured 12/21/44 during the Battle of the Bulge.

 

His tag was issued at Stalag 9B near Bad Orb . It is still on the original shoestring he used to wear it on.

 

 

low.JPG

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POW dogtag issued at Stalag 12A to PVT Lester Schave . He was captured on 11/23/44 serving with the 175th Infantry , 29th Division. ( yes folks a popular unit among collectors ! ) . He was liberated at Stalag 2A . He was processed at 12A and transferred to 2A.

 

shave.JPG

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Great tags, especially the Hammelburg tag! I have a deep interest in POWs and have participated in annual POW memorials for about 6 years. I will post mine soon. Well done!

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Great tags, especially the Hammelburg tag! I have a deep interest in POWs and have participated in annual POW memorials for about 6 years. I will post mine soon. Well done!

 

 

Thanks! Im looking forward to seeing what you have thumbsup.gif . I have more POW memorabilia I could post in future threads if people are interested in seeing it.

 

Kurt

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Wow Kurt! Very cool!

 

I just wish you had some interesting ones, like some to members of the 506th PIR. :P

 

Dave

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Wow Kurt! Very cool!

 

I just wish you had some interesting ones, like some to members of the 506th PIR. :P

 

Dave

 

Gosh Dave, I left them off the thread because I didnt think anyone would want to see those :blink::rolleyes:

 

Kurt

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No Armored guys?

 

Erwin

 

I have not been lucky enough to find one yet! The Tank Destroyer vet's tag in post #1 is a close as I have gotton.

 

Kurt

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Kurt has shown us an interesting and sometimes overlooked area of collecting. POW items have always interested me and when I was stationed in Germany, I lived near the town of Hammelburg. You may remember Hammelburg for a couple of reasons. 1. It was the town that Colonel Hogan always went into to meet his contacts, 2. It was the site of Patton's biggest mistake.

 

In March of 1945 Patton sent a task force commanded by Abe Baum in to liberate the POW camp. Without getting in to too many details, it was a disaster from the outset. Poor intel, under strength, little coordination, no air support. Roll all of this together and add in the fact that they were attacking across a German training camp where every point was known and ranged, and you see how this mission failed. However Patton's son-in-law wwas being held there, even though Patton claimed that he didn't know it at the time.

 

The task force was finally destroyed on Hill 427 outside of the camp. It wasn't until May when the camp was permanetly liberated.

 

I spent many days walking the battlefield. Many of the items were still on top or just below the soil. Here are a few of the better things that I found. The tags can be hard to read.

 

This tag is for OFLAG XIIIB the officer's camp at Hammelburg. Only half of the tag was found, so the veteran may have been killed. I have not been able to track down this or any of the other tagsa to the veteran.

 

post-203-1176252450.jpg

 

Tag from Stalag XIIA

 

post-203-1176252493.jpg

 

When walking the ground, you could still see fighting positions where the US troops tried to defend themselves. The depression with the small clump of trees in it is a foxhole.

 

post-203-1176252565.jpg

 

Inside of the foxhole, I found these:

 

post-203-1176252609.jpg

 

The identity tag is marked to Stalag IIB.

 

I have become friends with many of the vets from Hammelburg and I set up an email group for them so they could contact each other. An incredible group that I have been lucky enough to be aquainted with!

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Thanks for the great posting on Hammelburg. The things you found are awesome! What I thought was very interesting is that the 1/2 Oflag 13b tag you have is only a few numbers off from the one I have ( 8039 vs 8006 ). Those tags snap in half very easily. I have some tags broken in half that the POW kept together. I have a Stalag Luft 3 tag recovered near Sagan and I was able to track that number down to a person. Some of the Luft 3 numbers were recorded. I just got lucky on that one.

 

The other tags you found in the are fascinating because it shows that men from other camps ended up there. The Stalag 12A and IIB tags are camps that held plenty of Americans during the war.

 

This is not a " tag " , but I decided to post it anyway. It is a POW parcel receipt card back to the Canadian Red Cross from Patton's Son-In-Law , Col. John Waters. This card was mailed not long after he was captured in North Africa. From this camp he went to Oflag 64 in Schubin Poland and later was sent to Oflag 13b .

 

waters.jpg

 

 

Kurt

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Great items Kurt thumbsup.gif

There are some fascinating stories attached to those items.

 

I especially like the tag from PFC Low, I guess you know why.

 

Great items, would love to see more of them w00t.gif

 

Best regards

Carl

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Very interesting acount.

Great hearing about setting up that e-mail group for them.

 

I like the PoW dogtag from the 601st TD fellow.

 

It all gives a good view on a particular field of collecting.

 

Erwin

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Thanks for the posts guys. Many of these tags are from large groupings to individual POW's. I thought it might be intersting to focus on a single aspect of their POW life and group the tags together for this thread.

 

Here is one more!

 

This one is the only tag that did not come from the vet or his estate. It was dug in Poland! I only bought it because I was able to trace the number on this one. If the tag could talk!

 

It is half of a Stalag Luft 3 tag issued to 1st Lt Frank M. Newton . He was an " early Bird" as a POW. He was a member of the 98th Bomb Group and was captured 8/21/42 in the Middle East. The very low number on the tag reflects how early this was!

 

After the war he privately published a book about his experiences which I photographed the tag on.

 

 

newton.JPG

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I feel humbled by Kurt's collection!! I've only got one in my collection, which came with a medal group to George L. Descheneaux.

Descheneaux was regimemtal commander of the 422nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, and was captured on December 17th, 1944 when the 422nd and 423rd IR's were completely surrounded by German forces in the opening hours of the Battle of the Bulge.

(BROKEN LINKS REMOVED)

For more views of this group, additional info on Descheneaux and the surrender of the 422nd IR, follow this link:
http://www.purplehearts.net/descheneaux/descheneaux.htm

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