Gunners could follow the tracers...

I know this post is 15 years old, but it just came to my attention that I needed to do a follow-up post. Soon after I found these bolo's this musette bag turned up at the local gun show. It belonged to the same officer that these bolos were given to, Lt Col Dan D. Denny. At the time I was able to locate his son and gave him a call. He said that he was familiar with the bolos, and that his dad was highly regarded by his troops, so they had them engraved and presented them to him.  Since this post back in 2011 I did find an original scabbard.

Yep. I grabbed a bunch of these back in the 90s somewhere for cheap. Unfortunately, they don't have much value so I still have them. Though you will read all sorts of claims they were for the Army Air Force and Navy aerial gunners, these are a non-branch version of those seen in the history. I'm guessing they were stockpiled maybe for the nuclear testing era.

Are you sure that they are "fooling around?" 

If you can look at the back, you can see the stitching of the seams and the ties they used.  The front painting on the US squadron insignia is a bit glossier than the German Baltic cross I have   Keith

Greetings all,   A good friend of mine came across a WWI Mk.I grenade body in his barn, and he is looking to restore it.  From what he tells me, it looks like it may have been through a fire and the fuze and fill plug melted.  He wants to get the appropriate taps and chase the threads to clear out the leftover bits of metal.  What size/thread pitch taps will he need to get for both the fuze and fill plug?  Also, I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have a lead on where he can find the correct twist lever fuze?  Or a slightly later cutback fuze?  He'd definitely appreciate any information!     JQMD

If real, I would bet on a French Aircraft.  Possibly a Nieuport. 

Here’s a project I’ve been picking up and putting down over about a decade and a half or so. One of the many projects I’ve undertaken as time allows over the years. I was long hoping to eventually discover the who, what, when, and where of it all. I acquired it as part of a group in October 2010, and at that time shared it in two threads on this forum - one of the found group, and of the podium banner itself. I was asking for opinions if the banner looked authentic. All responses were positive. Delving into researching the signatures started later. It has long been a favorite and prized possession of mine.     On occasion I’d start researching it, until I’d hit a wall, put it down, only to pick it back a few years later. After a few years all I was able to find that corresponded was the name of individual listed as a Warrant Officer, and as many well know they can be a little difficult to place within a particular army unit.     It’s been my experience in researching anything with an historic or personal history, that if you come to a dead end, wait a year or two and as the internet expands you will typically find addition good results at some future time. I imagine AI will only accelerate the process, although it is not something I currently use. Nor have I ever used paid accounts on Ancestry or Fold 3 or whatever.  Suffice to say what was once difficult is becoming so much easier now days.   This captured/souvenired Nazi podium Banner bears the names and hometowns of twenty-nine U.S. Army Soldiers. Some designated their rank, and some even their actual home address at the time, at least what it was prior to leaving their home behind and heading off to war in Europe.   Besides the names, the banner bears the notation “Taken In Coblenz 19 March 1945”   With the city and date notation, I’d suspected it was taken and signed by members of the 87th Infantry “Golden Acorn” Division after crossing the Moselle River and capturing the City of Coblenz.   With that in mind and over time using resources as they became available, I’ve identified the Regiment, Battalion, Company, Platoon, Squad, Rank, and Assignments (at least during a specific time), and Home-town of each individual who signed the banner “Taken In Coblenz Germany 19th March 1945”.   Sadly, a part of the confirmation information came from Find-A-Grave and published obituaries.   It bears the names and notations of some known members of 87th Infantry Division, 345th Infantry Regiment, Company D.  If I have one regret, it is that when I acquired this banner, I believe some of the signers were still alive and I would have loved to be able to share it with them.   I have to acknowledge the information shared publicly on 87th Infantry Division Legacy Association : Archives, which was so incredibly helpful in piecing this together. It is an absolutely world class resource, Kudos to all involved there. I've recently shared it with them and it was a feature in their June 2026 Quarterly Newsletter. Cpl Mitch Kaidy’s shared roster really pulled it together. The 87th Div Roster, 87th Div yearbook, and in particular the highlights of the 345th Infantry Regiment were incredibly helpful and I awas granted permission to use some photos. I imagine this will draw some interest from the 87th Infantry Division people. I also used other libraries to access the yearbook.       I’ve put together a detailed spread sheet using the available resources, that I’ll share in part. I have quite a few hours into that one.   Of note – Seventeen of the signers appears in the 345th yearbook photos. Sixteen are pictured in the Co. D photo and one in the Service Co. photo. Twelve do not appear in either photo but are listed elsewhere.   Of the twenty-nine banner signers – Twenty-eight were awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, while one was awarded Combat Medical Badge – T5 Medic Richard L. Lease.   One was awarded the Silver Star – T5, John J. Shamblin.   Twenty-Three of the signers also appear on Cpl Mitch Kaidy’s undated Company D Field Roster.   Mitch Kaidy’s roster has some interesting cross outs and substitutions:   T5 Medic Richard L. Lease - Moved from 1st Platoon Medic to 3rd Platoon Medic.   PVT George T. Weaver - Moved from 1st Platoon, 2nd Section, 4th Squad, Ammo Bearer - To Squad Leader of same.   PFC Clifford Mitchell - Moved from 3rd Platoon, 3rd Section, 5th Squad Ammo Bearer to cook, HQ   Also of note is Mitch Kaidy’s “Mail Call” banner signature notation.       That’s about as far as I’ve gotten, I’m quite sure there will be some other interesting things to discover when I revisit it again. I’ve yet to look at Purple Hearts or other awards or mentions.   I did not find a signer’s name among the casualty lists. Perhaps a blessing of sorts.         For those unaware… The 87th Infantry Division fought in General George S. Patton’s Third U.S. Army during World War II. After months of training, first at Camp McCain, Mississippi, then at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the division shipped overseas on the Queen Elizabeth.   They first entered combat in France’s Alsace-Lorraine, and after extremely bloody fighting, crossed the German border in the Saar, capturing the towns of Walsheim and Medelsheim.   Caught up in the Third Army’s historic counterattack in the Battle of the Bulge, the 87th Division raced off into Belgium – attacking the German Panzer Lehr Division near Bastogne at the towns of Pironpre, Moircy, Bonnerue, and Tillet. At Tillet S/Sgt. Curtis Shoup earned the Medal of Honor, posthumously, and Lt. Glenn Doman the Distinguished Service Cross.   Soon after breaching the Siegfried Line in the Eifel Mountains, the division crossed the Moselle River and captured Koblenz. Then the Rhine River crossing near Boppard and the dash across Germany which took them to Plauen, near the Czech border.   The 87th Division returned to the States in July 1945 expecting to be called upon to play a role in the defeat of the Japanese, but the sudden termination of the war in the Pacific while the division was reassembling at Fort Benning changed the future of the 87th. The division was inactivated 21 September 1945.     Hope some of you find it of interest. Best Regards, John B.       The Signed Podium Banner                   Period Newspaper Headlines     345th and their Welcome sign     345th Infantry Regiment Company D     Company D Yearbook Photo   Company D Yearbook Photo  (cont)   Mich Kaidy's Undated Co D Roster   (pg1)   Mich Kaidy's Undated Co D Roaster  (pg2)   My Spread Sheet

Here are a few pics of G.I.s with burlap covers and the captions on the photos