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AMERICAN MILITARY COLLECTIBLES REFERENCE




CIVIL WAR AND SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
  1. CIVIL WAR/ SPANAM FIELD GEAR
  2. CIVIL WAR/ SPANAM ARMY INSIGNIA
WW1
  1. GENERAL INFORMATION
  2. FIELD GEAR OF WWI
  3. UNIFORMS OF WWI
WW2
  1. GENERAL INFORMATION AND GROUPINGS of WWII
  2. UNIFORMS of WWII
  3. UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT of THE ARMY AIR FORCE
  4. CLOTH INSIGNIA of WWII
  5. MEDALS, AWARDS AND INSIGNIA of WWII
  6. FIELD GEAR of WWII
KOREAN WAR
  1. GENERAL INFORMATION
  2. UNIFORMS OF THE KOREAN WAR
VIETNAM WAR
  1. CLOTH INSIGNIA of the VIETNAM WAR
  2. CLOTH INSIGNIA of The 1st CAVALRY DIVISION
  3. THE MONTAGNARDS IN VIETNAM
  4. WEAPONS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
  5. MEDALS AND AWARDS of the VIETNAM WAR
  6. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
  7. AMERICAN FIGHTING UNIFORMS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
GRANADA AND PANAMA OPERATIONS
  1. UNIFORMS
  2. FIELD GEAR
  3. MEDALS AND AWARDS
DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM AND IRAQI FREEDOM
  1. UNIFORMS AND FIELD GEAR
  2. MEDALS AND AWARDS
OTHER MILITARIA AND COLLECTIONS
  1. THE AMERICAN FLIGHT JACKET
  2. THE AMERICAN WING
  3. MEDALS, BADGES AND AWARDS



 
CIVIL WAR AND SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
FIELD GEAR
The field gear used in the Spanish American War was used as the pattern of much of the equipment employed during WWI. This section takes a look at this gear and that used during the Civil War as well.
  1. View the Gear and uniform collection.


ARMY INSIGNIA
The insignia used during the Civil War and Spanish American War created the standard for much of what is used today. The quality of the insignia of these times was far superior to the cost-sensitive items used today.
  1. View the collar and hat Insignia collection.



WORLD WAR I
At the beginning of the United States' entry into WWI, the Army consisted of three components: the Regular Army, composed of active duty units that existed prior the war; the National Army, composed of mobilized federal reservists (USAR) and draftees; and the states' National Guards. After the Guard units were mobilized, they were deactivated and re-activated as part of the National Army of the U.S. So, during mobilization and during the war, the states' respective National Guards ceased to exist.

WWI MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
This section is dedicated to explore home front related items as well as other curiosities that were created or available during the WWI period.
  1. View the miscellaneous collection.


WWI FIELD GEAR
With some exceptions, the gear used by the soldiers in WWI was very much a re-issue from previous wars. Most of the equipment was combersome to use. Although some experimentation was done with colors, the standard issue was always khaki. Most of the field gear was made from canvis.
  1. View the Field Gear collection.


WWI UNIFORMS
The uniforms in WWI saw very little change from the previous wars. There were two primary materials employed: cotton and wool. The wool would be heavy when wet and itchy the rest of the time. Uniforms made of cotton faires slightly better in terms of comfort but would not offer as much protection against the weather. The high collar contruction for the tunics remain in use during the war.
  1. View the Uniform collection.



WORLD WAR II

On the summer of 1937 the Japanese began to invade China after a series of manufactured "incidents" took place. The United States strongly protested the action. Tokyo felt at this point that war with the west would be inevitable.
In July of 1940 president Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the United States. Friction between the two countries increased rapidly.
The Japanese decided to strike the first blow by cripling the US pacific fleet with an attack against Pearl Harbor launched on December 1941. The US declared war immediately thereafter, marking the begining of the end of the Japanese and Nazi empire.
The items displayed on this section of the web page are representative of the WWII period .


GENERAL INFORMATION AND GROUPINGS of WWII

This section contains miscellaneous, in depth information about various military items employed by the American armed forces during WWII. in addition, historical groupings from the period are reviewed.

1932 PEARL HARBOR This is a grouping of an individual who served in Hawaii in 1932 for the US Army Corps of Engineers.
HAVERSACK ANATOMY The haversack was an integral piece of equipment to the GI. This section provides a graphical breakdown of the haversack. Each component is identified and named.
WAR RATION BOOK Although daily life in the United States was not as affected as it was in Europe, the civilian population had to deal with shortages. This section explains how the "war rations" policies were implemented and what the documentation looked like.
CZECHOSLOVAKIAN LIBERATION GROUPING This grouping captures the actions of Captain Richard Emeis during the liberation of Strakonice, a town in Czechoslovakia. The grouping has several interesting aspects such as real photographs of Patton, a letter from a citizen of Strakonice sento to Captain Emeis thanking him for the liberation efforts, etc.
WWI GERMANY OCCUPATION GROUPING This grouping traces the steps of First Liutenant Garth Haddock, a member of the expeditionary forces in Germany at the tail end of WWI and during the occupation thereafter. Mr. Haddock belonged to the 50th Infantry. The grouping contains photographs, ID card, a presidential letter (President Johnson) thanking Mr. Haddock for his service in the Army and many more items.


UNIFORMS of WWII
Military uniforms during WWII evolved rapidly and provided the foundation for many of the modern uniforms. Several factors contributed to the evolution process, among them were the wide spread use of motor vehicles instead of horses, the massive use of airplanes, the variety of weathers where the battles were fought, etc. Camouflaged uniforms were also introduced for the first time in American history. Most of the uniforms from this period are available and relatively inexpensive (many under $50.00). Some replicas are circulating so the collector must be careful when making a purchase.
  1. View the Uniform collection.


UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT of THE ARMY AIR FORCE
For the first time in history air power played a key and decisive role in the winning of a war. The US Army Air Force was vital to the war effort in both the European and South Pacific theaters by providing ground support, destroying factories and paralyzing the enemie's transportation infrastructure. In addition the airplanes played a pivital role in the submarine busting task, helping stop the highly effective attacks from the German U-boats. Army Air Force items are highly desirable and tend to command higher prices than other branches of the service in the same time period. Particularly popular are the flight jackets and flight gear. Unfortunatelly there are replicas of these items in circulation.
  1. View the Uniform and equipment collection.


CLOTH INSIGNIA of WWII
WWII saw the birth of many units and the maturing of existing ones. The construction of the majority of the patches is of high quality and have a very recognizable structure. Many of the patches have wool in them. Collecting these items is a fun activity. The colors and designs of patches are very pleasing to the eye and fortunatelly the prices for most pieces are relativelly inexpensive. The collector must be aware that there are several close reproductions of many of the cloth insignias. Extra care must be exercised when purchasing an item.
  1. View the cloth insignia collection.


MEDALS,AWARDS AND INSIGNIA of WWII
The medals and awards given to soldiers during WWII are relatively easy to obtain and the prices are still reasonable. The one thing a collector needs to take under consideration is that many if these medals are being awarded today and, except for a few minor differences, they look pretty much the same as their predecessors.
  1. View the medals and awards collection.


FIELD GEAR of WWII
The field gear used by the American armed forces set the mold for the design of the modern fighting gear. Many of today's gear is directly based from their WWII counterparts. Collecting WWII gear is an interesting and fairly inexpensive hobby. While many components are getting hard to find the prices are still reasonable and there aren't a great deal of replicas for the most part.
  1. View the field gear collection.




KOREAN WAR

The Korean conflict is one of the often forgotten military actions of the United States. There are many reasons for this. Among them are the fact that war was never declared. Another reason is that there was no clear winner in the conflict, as a matter of fact, technically the conflict never ended and has produced the longest standing truce in recent history.



MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION - KOREAN WAR
This section is dedicated to the study various items used during the Korean war. Some of the articles include field gear, home front items as well as other military-related curiosities that were available during the conflict.
  1. View the Field gear collection.


KOREAN WAR UNIFORMS
The uniforms of the Korean war were heavily influenced by those employed during WWII. Towards the end of the conflict, styles of their own were created. This section of the web site provides photos and information of the period.
  1. View the Uniforms collection.



VIETNAM WAR

This conflict is by far the most controversial of all the wars entered by the United States. After seven years of fighting and over 50,000 casualties few of the goals that were set had been achieved.

CLOTH INSIGNIA of the VIETNAM WAR
Collecting cloth insignia is a very popular endevour because the colors and designs of the emblems are always varied and full of history. The Vietnam war is a particularly interesting period for cloth insignia because there were many clandestine operations carried out by highly trainned personnel divided in small groups. These groups were not officially recognized by the US government therefore they were not issued regulation cloth insignia. The members of these teams wanted to have their own distinctive emblems so they would hire local seamstresses to create the insignia. It is difficult to determine how many unofficial designs there are because much of the activities were conducted in strict secrecy.
Unlike the regular armed forces who wore emblems in conspicuous areas of their uniforms, the unconventional forces usually wore the emblems hidden inside their boonie hats, fatigue shirts, etc.
  1. View the cloth insignia collection


CLOTH INSIGNIA of the 1st CAVALRY DIVISION
The 1st Cavalry Division played a key role during the Vietnam war. The yellow patch with the black horse head became a very recognizable icon. There were many variations created for this patch. Some were made in the U.S. while others were made in Vietnam.
  1. View the 1st Cavalry patches collection.
  2. View photos of an EARLY UH-1 GUNSHIP


MONTAGNARDS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR
The montagnards or "Mountain People" were tenacious allies of the United States during the Vietnam war. Here is a pictorial account of the early days of the war when the CIA was runing the conflict.

  1. View Montagnard photos
  2. View Riverine Special Forces


SPECIAL FORCES DURING THE VIETNAM WAR
The montagnards or "Mountain People" were tenacious allies of the United States during the Vietnam war. Here is a pictorial account of the early days of the war when the CIA was runing the conflict.

  1. View Insignia photos
  2. View Patches Photos


WEAPONS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
The Vietnam war brought several new concepts to the methodology of warfare. Several new weapon systems were invented or perfected for this conflict. The following is a comprehensive review of some of these weapons.
  1. View the weapons collection.


AIRCRAFT OF THE VIETNAM WAR
Air supiriority played a key role during the Vietnam war. Many types of small aircraft were employed during the war. A pictorial look at the light aircraft used during the Vietnam war.
  1. View the aircraft picture collection.
     


MEDALS AND AWARDS of the VIETNAM WAR
The Vietnam era saw the birth of a few new medals and awards. However, many of them had already been established during WWII and the Korean conflicts. The cost of purchasing medals from this time in history remain very affordable. There are not a great deal of replicas flooding the market but be aware that some of these medals are still being produced today by the US government for replacement, new award and other purposes.
  1. View the medals and badges collection.


MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS / HOMEFRONT OF THE VIETNAM WAR
The miscellaneous items displayed on this section are not necessarily very valuable but are interesting because they capture a time slice of the American history. The value comes mainly from the historical perspective than the monetary angle.
  1. View the miscellaneous and homefront collection.


AMERICAN FIGHTING UNIFORMS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
This section is dedicated to documenting the US fatigues employed by various branches of the service during the vietnam conflict. Fortunatelly for the collector, most of these uniforms are still fairly easy to obtain and are still inexpensive. An exception to this rule would be any special forces uniforms or the early war fatigues. These items can command much higher prices.
The Vietnam war witnessed the use of non-rip popplin for the first time. This material is very light weight, allows air circulation and is composed of a threaded grid that helps top the cloth from ripping once a cut has occurred. The uniforms worked particularly well in the heat of the jungle.
  1. View the uniform collection.



GRANADA AND PANAMA OPERATIONS

After the Vietnam war, the United States engaged in a series of small military engagements which included actions such as Granada (Operation Urgent Fury), Panama (Operation Just Cause) in addition to peace keeping missions.

UNIFORMS
The uniforms of the armed forces remained largely unchanged in the decades that follow the Vietnam war. Most of the changes occurred in the materials employed in the construction of the uniforms. In the 1980's all branches of service adopted camouflage as the standard color for their field outfits. A variety of camoufalge patterns and colors have emerged since then.
  1. View the uniform collection.


FIELD GEAR
The Vietnam war taught the armed forces very valuable lessons which have helped shape the design of field equipment. The operations in Granada and Panama saw the application of some of these lessons. The materials used for the gear was improved. Several changes were designed to better accomodate newer technology like night vision. This section is dedicated to the study of some of this gear.
  1. View the field gear collection.


MEDALS AND AWARDS
This is a compilation of some of the medals and awards of the Unites States armed forces that were given out during the Panama and Granada operations. The basic design remained the same as in previous conflicts. No new designs were created for these instances. This section of the page is dedicated to the study of the medals of the peirod.
  1. View the Medal collection.



DESERT SHIELD / DESERT STORM AND IRAQI FREEDOM

In the early 90's Saddam Hussein ran over Kuwait's armed forces and occupied the country declaring it a part of Iraq. The United States responded by coordinating an international coalition ready to go to war to liberate Kuwait. The end result was a military maneuver of a magnitude not seen since the D-day invasion. The international coalition won the war in a short time, liberating Kuwait and pushing the Iraqui forces all the way back to the capital.


UNIFORMS AND FIELD GEAR
Most of the uniforms employed during this conflict have remained pretty much unchanged since the post Vietnam war era. The fighting in the desert saw the development of a new breed of camouflaged colors. The desert camo pattern was changed to be lighter and even incorporated a tint of pink in it. Because the conflict still very recent and materials are very abundant in the marketplace, the prices are very inexpensive. People who purchase BDU's tend to do it for use rather than for collecting reasons.
  1. View the field gear collection.


MEDALS AND AWARDS
The medals and awards given out for the Desert Stoprm and Iraqi Freedom operations did not change much from the previous periods. A few new medals were introduced to be given to people who took part in the operations.
  1. View the Medals and awards collection.



OTHER MILITARY AND COLLECTIONS

Military equipment continues to evolve. New materials and technology are facilitating change at a faster pace than ever in history. This section will be updated on a regular basis to try to keep pace with some of the changes as they occur.


THE AMERICAN FLIGHT JACKET
The American flight jacket has been an icon of aviation since its inception. From the early days of the brown leather jacket to its modern nylon counterpart.

Nothing captures the imagination of children and adults as much as a flight jacket. Of very versatile design, the flight jacket is both practical as well as a fashion statement.

  • View the Flight Jacket collection
    • THE AMERICAN WING
    The American flight jacket has been an icon of aviation since its inception. From the early days of the brown leather jacket to its modern nylon counterpart.

    Nothing captures the imagination of children and adults as much as a flight jacket. Of very versatile design, the flight jacket is both practical as well as a fashion statement.

  • View the wing collection
    • MEDALS, AWARDS AND INSIGNIA
    New medals and awards continue to be introduced in all the branches of the armed forces. This section of the web site displays and discusses some of the examples.
    1. View the Medal collection.


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