• WWI US Army AEF Grouping – Private Thomas J Kennedy – 26 Division – 2nd Infantry Mass (104th Infantry) – Purple Heart – Aisne Marne- St Mihiel – Meuse Argonne

    $475.00

    WWI Grouping to Thomas J. Kennedy of Holyoke Mass. who served with Co. D. 104th Infantry of the 26th Division. 1) 5 placement Winged Victory Medal with Champaign-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and Defensive Sector 2) Unnamed Purple Heart with replaced ribbon and missing Brooch, 3) Holyoke Mass Victory Medal 4) Welcome Home 26th Division Reunion Ribbon Victory in Paris Handkerchief. The grouping is attributed to Thomas J. Kennedy of Holyoke Mass. who served with Co. D. 104th Infantry of the 26th Division. Overseas On 21 September 1917, the division arrived at Saint-Nazaire, France. It was the second division of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) to arrive on the Western Front at the time, and the first division wholly organized in the United States, joining the 1st Division, which had arrived in June. Two additional divisions completed the first wave of American troop deployment, with the 2nd Division being formed in France and the 42nd Division arriving at St. Nazaire on 29 October. The 26th Division immediately moved to Neufchâteau for training, as most of the division’s soldiers were raw recruits, new to military service. Because of this, much of the division’s force was trained by the experienced French forces. It trained extensively with the other three US divisions, organized as the U.S. I Corps in January 1918, before being moved into a quiet sector of the trenches in February. The 26th Infantry Division remained in a relatively quiet region of the lines along the Chemin des Dames for several months before it relieved the 1st Division near Saint-Mihiel on 3 April. The line here taken over extended from the vicinity of Apremont, on the west, in front of Xivray-Marvoisin, Seicheprey, and Bois de Remieres, as far as the Bois de Jury, on the right, where the French line joined the American line. Division Headquarters were at Boucq. The stay of the division in this sector was marked by several serious encounters with the enemy, where considerable forces were engaged. There were furthermore almost nightly encounters between patrols or ambush parties, and the harassing fire of the artillery on both sides was very active. On 10, 12 and 13 April, the lines held by the 104th Infantry in Bois Brule (near Apremont), and by the French to the left, were heavily attacked by the Germans. At first the enemy secured a foothold in some advanced trenches which were not strongly held, but sturdy counterattacks succeeded in driving the enemy out with serious losses, and the line was entirely re-established. In late April, German infantry conducted a raid on positions of the 26th Division, one of the first attacks on Americans during the war. At 0400 on 20 April, German field artillery bombarded the 102nd Infantry’s positions near Seicheprey before German Storm Troopers (German: Stoßtruppen) moved against the village. The artillery box barrage, continuing 36 hours, isolated American units. The Germans overwhelmed a machine gun company and two infantry companies of the 102nd and temporarily breached the trenches before elements of the division rallied and recaptured the village. The Germans withdrew before the division could counterattack but inflicted 634 casualties, including 80 killed, 424 wounded, and 130 captured, while losing over 600 men, including 150 killed of their own. Similar raids struck the 101st infantry at Flirey on 27 May, and the 103rd Infantry at Xivray-et-Marvoisin on 16 June, but were repulsed. The 26th Division was relieved by the 82nd Division on 28 June, moved by train to Meaux, and entered the line again northwest of Chateau Thierry, relieving the 2nd Division on 5 July. As the size of the AEF grew, the division was placed under command of I Corps in July. When the Aisne-Marne campaign began shortly thereafter, the division, under I Corps was placed under command of the French Sixth Army protecting its east flank. When the offensive began, the division advanced up the spine of the Marne salient for several weeks, pushing through Belleau Wood, moving 10 miles from 18 to 25 July. On 12 August it was pulled from the lines near Toul to prepare for the next offensive. The division was then a part of the offensive at Saint-Mihiel, during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. The division then moved in position for the last major offensive of the war, at Meuse-Argonne. This campaign was the last of the war, as an armistice was signed shortly thereafter. During World War I the 26th Division spent 210 days in combat, and suffered 1,587 killed in action and 12,077 wounded in action. The division returned to the United States and was demobilized on 3 May 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts.

  • WWII German Book – U-Boots Kommandanten und Kriegsverbrecher – Gifted to Adolf Hitler from Georg Günther von Forstner – Dedicated

    $455.00

    This original edition was gifted to Hitler in 1937. It reads: Dear Leader and Reich Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, protector of the true German honor, in the firm confidence that the honor of German warriors, especially our submarine weapon, which has been violated by the demands of the enemy and the German language of judges, will be restored before the world. reverently dedicated. Griefswald Christmas 1937, Geog Günter Freiherr von Forstner. Authored and Dedicated by: Georg Günther von Forstner In April 1900, von Forstner joined the Imperial Navy. On September 27, 1903 he was appointed lieutenant at sea. On March 21, 1905, he was promoted to first lieutenant at sea on the emperor Charlemagne . In 1908 he worked on the Königsberg and in 1909 at Hertha;.Kiel in shipyard at the Konrad von Henkel-Gebhardi Until 1914, von Forstner worked as an adjutant to Rear Admiral In the same year he worked in the inspection of the torpedo system. After the outbreak of the First World War he was commander of U 28 until July 1916; used. Under his command, the submarine sank the British passenger steamer Falaba. George Canal, killing 104 people. Among the dead passengers was the first American fatality in World War I, raising tensions between the United States and the German Empire. He then worked as a teacher at the submarine school until December 1917. This was followed by an entertaining stint as head of the Arösund division, while at the same time serving as commander of the Panther. Until the end of the war he worked as First Officer on the Königsberg. On April 28, 1918, he was promoted to lieutenant captain. He resigned from the German Navy on July 9, 1919. In the Weimar Republic von Forstner worked as an author and moved to Greifswald. Von Forstner openly appeared as a historical revisionist and in a lecture at a meeting accused the German National People’s Party (DNVP) in Stralsund the Social Democracy as the cause of the German Defeat in the First World War. As chairman of the Greifswalder Stahlhelm and DNVP member he also registered as a candidate in the Pomeranian constituency. Final comments: An odd book, with a poignant meaning behind it, it was found in the USA and was som sort of bring back to the US. The book itself seems to be quite rare, and I was unable to find another copy listed.