We have pieces of a communion set carried across the fields of Normandy following the D-Day landings in the summer of 1944. The set includes sacramental cups for wine and trays for the bread. 1880s Kiowa Tribe cross. Crucifix given by Father Pierre-Jean De Smet to Henry Little John, son of the Sioux chief Sitting…
Category: World War II
Memphis Belle
A rendering of the original nose painting for the famous WWII bomber, The Memphis Belle. The poster is from the 1944 documentary about the plane. The Memphis Belle is the nickname of a Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress that flew 25 combat missions during WII, from England over France and Germany, with her crew intact. The…
World War II
The jacket belonged to famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle, who was killed by machine gun fire on Okinawa in April 1945. Pyle had previously covered the war in Africa and Europe. He was admired for his own courageous coverage of the infantry grunt, whose perseverance and fortitude, Pyle believed, were what won the war. Documents…
Original photographs of the invasion by the U.S. Marines of Iwo Jima.
Photos taken by Marine and Navy photographers of the battle to capture the island from Japanese defenders so that the island could be used as an airbase to launch attacks on Japan itself. One of the iconic photographs of WWII was the raising of the American Flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, though…
General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
“Presentation” sword and personal effects (kimono, sashes, suitcase, notebook case, wrist compass and land compass, cigarettes, slippers) of Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita. General Yamashita (1885 –1946) was a leading general in the Japanese Imperial Army throughout World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the…
Propaganda, patriotism, and memorabilia from the Allied and Axis armies and their leaders
As part of its substantial holdings in more than two centuries of American military history, the Pamplin Collection has recently begun building its World War II section, with objects such as dog tags, uniforms, medals, photographs and newspapers, flags, propaganda, albums, and illustrations. Rescript of the Japanese Imperial Declaration of War on the United States…