Winter 2021 Militaria & Collectibles Auction
Lot 52B:
Description
NOTE: The photos make the signatures difficult to see, but they are clearly visible and readable in person. Original WWII German Nazi Party flag that was captured on March 9th, 1945 when the 104th Infantry Division, as part of the First US Army captured the German City of Cologne. The flag measures 54 1/2 inches by 30 1/2 inches, and has over 50 hand done signatures from various members of the 415th Infantry Regiment. Within the swastika is hand written 2nd Battalion, 415th Infantry, 104th Division, Timberwolves, March 9th, 1945. The signatures look like a mix of Officers and Enlisted Soldiers. One of the signatures is on the back of the flag. Accompanying the flag, but not from the same veteran who brought it back, is a set of letters from a Sergeant in the Finance Section of the 104th Infantry Division. This Soldier typed his letters home, and includes three such pieces as well as a clipping about Cologne from a Yank Magazine. In one of the letters he relates his experiences in Cologne to the images shown in the magazine article. A few of the names include Maj. Arnold Strobel, the Battalion Commander, Lt. Tike Georgacopulos, who would later serve in the Korean War and be wounded in action in 1950. Pvt. Gene W. Rust, also of HQ Co. 2nd Bn, 415th Infantry Regiment, who was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor in December 1944. The research possibilities on these names are endless! It is extremely rare to find wartime captured flags that were signed in this fashion, as many were done so after V-E Day.
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