Wonderful Original WWI U.S. Army 108th Ambulance Company 102d Sanitary Train 27th Infantry Division Private Joseph F. Desmond ASN ‘1.222.992’ Personnel Identification Discs “Dog Tags” AEF Service June 1918 – March 1919.   Seeing Action with the 27th Infantry “O’Ryan’s Roughnecks” Division in the Somme Offensive, Ypres-Lys, and Meuse-Argonne Campaigns; Medical Corps Red Cross Armband Brassard Stamped ‘Army Medical Service’ Embroidered Button Type, Medical Corps Private First Class Specialty Sleeve Patch Embroidered, Overseas Service Chevron French Tailor Embroidered in Bullion, Three Authorizations for Leave, St Malo and Surrounding Area Guide by The YMCA, Catholic Pocket Crucifix and Card with Joseph Desmond of Binghamton NY Address, and a Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Service Ribbon Early Production Pin Back, Exceptional Condition as Photographed – Recent Estate Acquisition & Presented as Acquired, Very Rare (Photos 16 – 19 Reference) The 102nd Sanitary Train was mustered into Federal service in July of 1917 following the entry of the United States into World War I and served in the 27th Infantry Division on the Western Front. On August 20th, Ambulance Companies 106 and 107 of the 102nd Sanitary Train supported the 2/1 East Lancashire Field Ambulance in a forward position near Busseboom, Belgium, where they established a dressing station for the wounded. Field Ambulance Company 106 then manned a sick post for reserve battalions at Trappiste Farm between August 24th and September 3rd. Men from the 106th and 107th Ambulance Companies also provided aid to front line troops at an advanced dressing station at Long Barn. There, they received wounded troops by wheel cart and stretcher before loading them into motor ambulances for transportation to the main dressing station at Remy Siding, which was seven kilometers away. On August 27, British command ordered the 2/1 and 2/2 Field Ambulances to turn their equipment over the 102nd Sanitary Train, which acquired “four Fords, nine Daimlers and six horse-drawn ambulances.” However, “The condition of this motor transport at the time it was received from the British was of such a character that under constant use it was unable to stand the strain, and about September 2d the cars had to be frequently sent to the shop for repairs and at times only seven or eight of the motor cars were fit to take the road. During this period only two cars were damaged by shell fire.” (550). On September 27th, Ambulance Companies of the 102nd Sanitary Train established a new main dressing station at Villers Faucon: “The forward area was covered by Ambulance Companies Nos. 106 and 107, less a detail to run the advanced dressing station, augmented by the litter bearer section of the 133d Field Ambulance and 100 men from the 108th Infantry. Motor transport consisted of three Fords and eleven Daimlers.” (550) The dressing stations became quickly overwhelmed with the wounded and the 102nd Sanitary Train faced congestion when evacuating wounded to other medical facilities. However, with the aid of the American Red Cross they were able to provide waiting men with blankets for cover and hot drinks. The 102nd Sanitary Division was relieved on October 2nd and marched to a rest area at Courcelles. On October 11, the 102nd Sanitary Train was ordered to take over a main dressing station at Premont for the offensive through St. Souplet. Field Hospital Company 105 set up rooms for the main dressing station at Premont while Field Hospital Company 106 established a forward station at Busigny. The rapid advance of the Allied frontline during the offensive strained the men and equipment of the 102nd Sanitary Train; its men needed to follow the advancing infantry closely enough to render effective aid, but had little help from hospital and railhead accommodations. When the battle at St. Souplet began, the main dressing station at Premont was abandoned in favor of the closer Busigny. The movement was undertaken at nighttime over poor roads, and the round trip took up to nine hours by car. Worse still, on October 15th, the 102nd Sanitary Train was ordered to transfer twenty of its forty motorcars to the 30th Infantry Division. The Ambulance Companies faced a backlog of 160 stretcher cases awaiting evacuation and the 102nd Sanitary Train demanded and received 22 cars from elsewhere in the army.        

Rare Original WW2 Free Polish Army Armed Forces West Soldier’s ID Bracelet ‘STYBORSKI 1908 BERNARD’ From Aircraft Aluminum and a Section of K98 Cleaning Chain. Soldier’s Service Record Army Book 64 in Polish & Pay Book, all pieces to Bernard Styborski 1908 (Year of Birth), Called into Service 1944. The formations, loyal to the Polish government-in-exile, were first formed in France and its Middle East territories following the defeat and occupation of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939. After the fall of France in June 1940, the formations were recreated in the United Kingdom. Making a large contribution to the war effort, the Polish Armed Forces in the West was composed of army, air and naval forces. The Poles soon became shock troops in Allied service, most notably in the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Italian Campaign, where the Polish flag was raised on the ruined abbey on 18 May 1944, as well as in the Battle of Bologna and the Battle of Ancona (both also in Italy), and Hill 262 in France in 1944. The Polish Armed Forces in the West were disbanded after the war, in 1947, with many former servicemen forced to remain in exile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMlrL2x173w

Issued on the the 12th of September 1940 in Kassel with Landesschützen Ersatz Batl 9 to Albert Merkel from the Kassel area. He was born in 1909 into a protestant family. His next of kin was his father living on Hermann-Göring Street. Unit he spent time with: Infanterie Regiment 654 – Landeschützen Batl 622 – 1.1941 – Guarding POWs. Infanterie Regiment 691 – 5.1941 Grenadier Regiment 691/693 – 1943/44 – 339. Infanterie-Division – Heeresgruppe Mitte – Russian Front – Grenadier Regiment 135 – Destroyed Page 14 – Notes that on the 26.1.1945 – Merkel was found after his unit was destroyed. Führergeschenk   – 23.1.1944, Issued an Iron Ration – 22.7.44 Issued a Rifle in 1941, with Bayonet. Wounded won the 8.2.1945 – Hospital – 26.5.1944 , Bad Höhenfels moved with hospital train to Bad Mergntheim. Medals: Eastern Front Medal – 23.8.1943 – IR693 Infantry Assault Badge in Silver – 24.10.1943 – IR693 – Middle Sector Russian Front Black Wounds Badge – 26.5.1944 – Wounded due to enemy action Admitted leave September 1944 for around two weeks, because his home house was completely destroyed by Allied Bombing Raid, killing his family members.   Last Comments: A nice Soldbuch, clean cover and with combat entries. Nice Uniformed picture. Sad strory with his family getting killed so close to the end of the war.  

A very nice Soldbuch, first issue September 1944 issued in Berlin, Potsdam to Kurt Joans born in 1916 in Berlin Eberswalde. Issued by a anti tank/tank hunter replacement unit in Potsdam. Jonas next of kin was his mother in Eberswalde, Berlin. Jonas was issued a full kit on November 1944, as well as a Pistol,  by Schwere Heeres Panzer Jäger Abt 684, and deployed with Schwere Heeres Panzer Jäger Abt 657. A lovely entry into the cover page and page 8 – Ausbildungskommando 8.8cm Pak – Meaning he took part in training on the 8.8cm Pak Gun. A complete list/Order of creation for the unit can be seen here: https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/HeeresPzJAbt/Gliederung.htm Armed with 8.8cm Heavy Motorised P.A.K, according to one book (Advance and Destroy: Patton as Commander in the Bulge, By John Rickard) it seems they had 16 Panzer Jäger (unknown what type of armoured vehicle). They were to fight under, the 212 Volksgrenadier Division in the Battle of the Ardennes 1944/45. The 212. Infanteriedivision was destroyed in August 1944 in Lithuania and these survivors were combined with the 578. Volksgrenadierdivision at Schieratz in Poland. Keeping with the make-up of the original division most of the personnel were from Bavaria and were most young men, many of who were just seventeen years old. In November 1944 the division was moved west and joined the Seventh Army across the Sauer from Echternach. It was commanded by Generalleutnant Franz Sensfuss. It was at full-strength and its morale was high. However, like many of the other Volksgrenadierdivision is only had a portion of it armoured vehicle allocation. Just five StuG assault guns were available. It also only had two of its three infantry regiments available at the start of the Ardennes offensive as the third had been put in the Seventh Army reserve. The initial attacks on 16 December 1944 went well from Echternach towards Berdorf, Dickweiler and Osweiler. The Volksgrenadiers were well behind the American lines before the command of the US 4th Infantry Division were able to react. Echternach was finally taken on 17 December after Sensfuss personally led an assault by the 212. Füsilier Bataillon. The division also took Berdorf the same day, forcing a task force of the US 10th Armoured Division out of the village after bitter fighting. As more units of Patton’s US Third Army began to arrive the Volksgrenadiers were forced over to the defence. They hung on to their gains, but were eventually forced to retire and were back on their start positions by the end of January 1945. However, even with companies reduced to 25 to 30 men they continued to fight stubbornly. They defended the West Wall in February against Patton’s forces. The small kampfgruppe they had become didn’t surrender until May 1945 in Baumholder, Bavaria.   Final Comments It seems Jonas, was captured by the 90th Infantry Division of the US Army in January of 1945 in the town of Doncols (German: Donkholz), stated on the POW papers that Jonas is a MG Gunner. This coincided with his weapons issued, he was only given a Pistol as per the regulations for a MG Gunner. I was unable to find out what they were armed with. But it seems it must have been an 8.8cm on some sort of carriage. A very nice Ardennes/Luxemburg related Soldbuch. Video below shows German POWs captured by the 90th Infantry Division USA in January 1945. Could be that Jonas is standing in this group of POWs.