The most interesting are the dog tags, of course. Have you done any research on those Marines? I also find the toothbrushes interesting. They're not the kind of thing one thinks of in the context of battlefield relics. They also emphasize the humanity of what was then the enemy.
The Marines were aircraft ground crew guys. Both survived the war. the tootbrushes come the the GIFU/HILL 27 battlefield on Mount Austen. When the battle was over everything was left there, so the villagers have piles of toothbrushes, watches, pends and all sundry personal items. the most delicate thing i brought back was a plastric Japanese soap container with the army star on it. View attachment 19686 View attachment 19687 View attachment 19688 View attachment 19689 View attachment 19690 View attachment 19691 View attachment 19692
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thanks. its always good to find somethging new there. View attachment 19702 View attachment 19703 View attachment 19704 View attachment 19705
canal42, Welcome to the forum. I'm a sucker for 'then and now' comparisons as well as battlefield relics, so I'm anxiously awaiting further postings from you. We don't have very many members who have traveled the Pacific. I've traveled some of the European battlefields, but have never made it out to the Southern Pacific. Its definetly a place that I plan on visiting.
hello, you have a great relic collection. why not start a special topic for it in our militaria section?
After the HBO miniseries THE PACIFIC came out I tried to match up as many Guadalcanal photos as I could. The Guadalcanal scenes were shot in North Queensland and the Peliliu/Okinawa scenes in the hills outside Melbourne. View attachment 19712 Alligator creek - having a bad day View attachment 19713 View attachment 19714 Alligator creek aftermath. A vet told me "there wre arms and legs everywhere" View attachment 19715 hasnt changed much View attachment 19716 View attachment 19717
After the HBO miniseries THE PACIFIC came out I tried to match up as many Guadalcanal photos as I could. The Guadalcanal scenes were shot in North Queensland and the Peliliu/Okinawa scenes in the hills outside Melbourne. View attachment 19712 Alligator creek - having a bad day View attachment 19713 View attachment 19714 Alligator creek aftermath. A vet told me "there wre arms and legs everywhere" View attachment 19715 hasnt changed much View attachment 19716 View attachment 19717
assorted photos View attachment 19718 good reference shot pinpointing the MG nest position. A vet friend who was there told me that after the battlr he saw the body of John Rivers. He said "They say he was shot in the head, but take it from me he got a full burst in the chest from a Nambu MG" View attachment 19719 always a good photo to match up. the sun gets so hot on the corral ridge you can feel it straight through the soles of your boots.
assorted photos View attachment 19718 good reference shot pinpointing the MG nest position. A vet friend who was there told me that after the battlr he saw the body of John Rivers. He said "They say he was shot in the head, but take it from me he got a full burst in the chest from a Nambu MG" View attachment 19719 always a good photo to match up. the sun gets so hot on the corral ridge you can feel it straight through the soles of your boots.
A few Guadalcanal shots from a member of the 164th Infantry. View attachment 19728 off Lunga beach 1942 View attachment 19729 piece of Japanese plane on Lunga beach 1942 View attachment 19730 native village View attachment 19731 P400 fighter
still shot from some 8mm film taken during the "Coffin Corner" battle in October 1942. the view from a 164th Infantry MG position, looking south towards the Japanese attack direction. this open field is covered in palm trees today. View attachment 19732 View attachment 19733 View attachment 19734 View attachment 19735
My father-in-law was with the 3rd Bn, 8th Marines,2nd Marine Division at Point Cruz on the 13th, 14th and 15th of January, 1943.. In the 2nd Marine Division History, Captain Henry Pierson Crowe found a half dozen dazed Marines crouching low in a shell hole and yelled down, "---dam it, you'll never get a purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me !" My father-in-law was one of the Marines in the foxhole. They scrambled out and followed Crowe in a rifle and grenade charge that wiped out the Japanese emplacement. He didn't get a Purple Heart. Do you have any "before and after" of Point Cruz? Thanks for all the pictures and sharing them--great job.