World War I 1914 Iron Cross with portrait badge of Field Marshal August von Mackensen. Mohawk Arms Inc. image.
Green was assigned to the French Escardille 131, Bomber Group 4. His bomber bore the insignia of a gargoyle clutching a bomb. Originally printed and hand-colored, the 26 1/2-inch by 41-inch insignia, with background and border painted in red, was applied to the fabric of Lt. Green’s plane. It is signed by the printer, “L. Braun, Paris,” and the artist, “Gudin Faucher.”
The artwork is in remarkable condition, considering it has some bullet hole damage from when Green was forced to crash-land his airplane. The archive contains 50 documents, to include Green’s flight log for missions flown, the 1919 published history of all the members of Green’s squadron, and a framed portrait of Green in uniform, with gargoyle insignia.
The sale is being billed as Militaria Auction #69 for Mohawk Arms, which conducts only two auctions per year, but they are generally packed with a wide array of items spanning multiple conflicts and generations. This sale will be no exception; hundreds of lots that collectors will find desirable will change hands.
Items will include a Mexican War-period German-imported musket along with the rare 1835 Horstmann sword bayonet; German 1848 and Prussian 1889 presentation swords; an Italian “Arditi” siege helmet; U.S. buttons from 1800-1830; Civil War items; and Japanese uniforms, medals and headgear—including the rare World War I-period Adrian style with a medic’s cover.
A World War II automobile flag with two large white stars sewn onto a red field from the staff car of U.S. Gen. A.C. McAuliffe, acting divisional commander of the 101s Airborne Division at the Battle of the Bulge, will be offered to the highest bidder. The flag measures 20 inches by 30 inches and comes with a 1951 dated photo of the general, signed “A.C. McAuliffe.”
Also selling will be a lot of three Western Union telegrams, dated June 6, 1944, to announce the invasion of Europe by Allied Forces and sent to radio station WIBX in Utica, N.Y. One says, “The German Overseas News Agency announced over the radio that the invasion has begun … the landing of allied paratroopers at the mouth of the Seine River and Normandy.”
A second one reads, “Supreme Allied Headquarters announced this morning that the Allied Expeditionary Force has begun the invasion of the European continent. The invasion report … was confirmed by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s headquarters … Allied troops storming along the French coast.” All three telegrams contain pencil notes from the radio station manager.
The auction will feature many items pertaining to the Third Reich, Nazi items, Adolf Hitler and even Hitler’s mistress, Eva Braun. The Braun items will include three silvered tea spoons; a silvered cake server; five pastry forks and a soup spoon, all designed by Albert Speer and with “EB” engraved butterfly pattern initials; a monogrammed linen handkerchief, 11 inches by 11 1/2 inches; and a white cotton hand towel with “EB” blue cross-stitched initials.
The Hitler items will include books from the German leader’s personal library, obtained by an American major in Berlin, in May 1945, during the Allied occupation. Heading the 713th Battalion, he and French counterpart Capt. V. Ziegelmeyer had access to the Reichs Chancellory and were able to acquire some books with Adolf Hitler bookplates, stationery and other material.
The books include a copy of Ich Kampfe, a paperback pictorial volume on the history and the accomplishments of the Nazi party, with original Hitler penciled notations on pages 19, 57, 64 and 75; and Ja Sagen Zum Judentum (“Say Yes to Judaism”), a rare 1933 publication by a Berlin Jewish radio station and containing 15 Hitler penciled notations, comments and initials.
Other Hitler items will feature a 1937 Christmas card with a relief embossed political type eagle/swastika and, written in ink, “Sent to you in highest regards, Adolf Hitler”; a white porcelain butter dish from Hitler’s table service, with a gold leaf eagle/swastika and “AH” on the top front side; and a Berghoff pattern silver-handled dinner fork with “AH” in block letters.
Also from the Third Reich is a 1933 political pennant from the Nuremberg Reichs Party Day, a rare item from the 1st Reichsparteitag measuring 15 inches by 8 1/4 inches. The pennant has a 5-inch-wide center white panel with an early political-type eagle/swastika and the words “Heil Hitler!” There is also a paper portrait of Hitler with an overpainted green oak leaf wreath.
Items signed by Nazi figures Hitler, Goring, Himmler and Goebbels will also cross the auction block, as will peaked caps (Allgemeine SS, Army, etc.), M43 (SS-Panzer Army), helmets (M35 Army double decal, Eastern Front Medic, etc.), medals and badges (gold and silver German crosses), General Assault and Panzer Assault badges, and SS daggers and swords.
The auction will also feature a helmet collection (Slovak, Hungarian, Greek, etc.), British 1900-1918 and Latin American medals, U.S. World War II CBI uniforms and shoulder patches (Red Cross Flying Nurse, etc.), fighting knives, a “Red Ball Express” Purple Heart, 713th Tank Flame Thrower uniforms, antique guns, books, and WWI German/Austrian uniforms and medals.
The auction will begin both days at 9 a.m. EDT. A buyer’s premium, which can range from 10 percent to 17.5 percent depending on the final price, will be applied to all purchases.
Mohawk Arms Inc. is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, a collection or an entire estate, phone 315-893-7888; or, e-mail the the company at Mohawk@MilitaryRelics.com. To learn more about Mohawk Arms Inc., and the June 8-9 Auction #69, log on to www.MilitaryRelics.com. Updates are posted frequently.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at LiveAuctioneers.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
World War I 1914 Iron Cross with portrait badge of Field Marshal August von Mackensen. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. World War I aircraft insignia of Lt Paul E. Green of the French Escardille 131-Bomber Group 4. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. U.S. Gen. A.C. McAuliffe—of Bastone fame—World War II auto flag. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. World War I Italian ‘Arditi’ siege helmet. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. Mexican War-period German-imported musket with rare M1835 Horstmann sword bayonet. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. World War I 1917 U.S. Army recruiter’s lithograph tin Parrot wall calendar. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. German Nuremberg Reichs Party Day pennant, 1933. Mohawk Arms Inc. image. CBI Red Cross Flying Nurse shoulder patch. Mohawk Arms Inc. image.
