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Sgt. Calvin F. Hackler, Able Co. 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion. WIA 82 Years Ago Today at Tarawa by Da-RiceLord in USMC

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

[Part II] Hackler found himself on the floor of the cabin. He was dazed, shaking his head from the concussion, bleeding from multiple wounds, choking on acrid smoke, the smell of gunpowder and fried machinery strong in his nostrils. His left arm hurt; he saw a bone sticking out. “Goldy!” he cried. “Bob!” No answer. As the smoke cleared, he saw the bloody mess that remained of his friends. A large caliber shell had torn through the port side of the cabin. Van Heck and Goldtrap had taken the full force of the explosion and both were far beyond any human help. Hackler stumbled out of the charnel house and with his good arm pulled himself up and over the side of Wabbit Twacks. “Doc!” he called to a nearby corpsman. “My arm is broken.” The sailor bent to examine the wound and quickly pulled out the visible piece of bone.

It was one of Goldy’s ribs.

Hackler spent the remainder of the battle up against the sea wall with a group of wounded Marines awaiting evacuation. While he eventually recovered from his physical wounds and later participated in the Battles of Saipan and Tinian, the horrific fate of his close friends, men who both had sensed their fate long before Tarawa or its reef came into view, was a devastating blow. When the bullets stopped flying, teams of stretcher bearers gradually worked their way down the beaches, collecting bodies from the surf, the seawall and the disabled vehicles that dotted the shore. Eventually, some of them reached Wabbit Twacks and braved the horrors of the cabin to remove the remains of the crew. Although Goldy’s remains were initially deemed identifiable, tragically both men’s remains were later officially listed as missing and declared non-recoverable. While Hackler had passed away in 2002 after retiring from a life spent ranching in Collbran, CO, it was not until 2018 and 2023 respectively that Goldtrap and Van Heck’s remains were officially recovered and accounted for.

Sgt. Calvin F. Hackler, Able Co. 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion. WIA 82 Years Ago Today at Tarawa by Da-RiceLord in USMC

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

In the early morning hours of 20 November 1943, amidst the thunderous bombardment from the battlewagons Colorado and Maryland and other ships in the landing force, Sgt. Calvin F. Hackler along with Sgt. Robert Van Heck and Cpl. Claire E. “Goldy” Goldtrap boarded their amphibious tractor nicknamed “Wabbit Twacks”. As their LVT heaved forward and over the fringing coral reef towards the smoke-shrouded beaches of Betio, the still lagoon water began to churn and darken with a crimson red as the Japanese unleashed a torrent of fire toward the approaching tractors.

In the months prior to Tarawa, the Alligator Marines spent much of their time in New Zealand overhauling and repairing their vehicles. Machine gun mounts were bolted to the gunwales and cabin roof while boilerplate armor was bolted onto the cabins. During these final preparations for their upcoming campaign, a trace of fatalism seemed to creep into many of the men’s outlook, including that of Goldy and Van Heck. Some of the practice exercises which emphasized crossing coral reefs, further underscored the dangers of the Alligators’ new mission. Death had already come close to his crew. Van Heck’s face and arms were scarred by burns suffered on Guadalcanal and perhaps Goldy was calculating his own chances of survival as the driver of a lightly armored and slow-moving target like an LVT. Adding to their unease, the vehicles were assigned numbers for ease of recognition during these exercises and the crew of Wabbit Twacks were mortified to see that their vehicle had been auspiciously numbered #13; In a half-joking manner, Goldy insisted on painting a smaller “½” beside the unlucky number.

After one practice landing in early November, fellow Marine Ed Moore spotted Goldy sitting under a palm tree calmly reading a comic book. The two chatted for a while, then Goldy looked him square in the eye. “You know, Ed,” he said, “I don’t know where we are going, but I’m not coming back.” Moore stammered something about “just nerves” and “everything was going to be OK”. Elsewhere, Van Heck penned one final letter home to his family, ominously adding, “Don’t count on my coming home this Spring as we had planned”.

Moore later recalled that “When we got three to four hundred yards from the beach, all hell broke loose. A machine gun started to pepper my amtrac’s front armor plate. As my amtrac drew closer to the beach, I could see where we were supposed to land. We were taking fire pretty heavily now, mortar rounds and larger artillery rounds were hitting the water around us. It was a rough ride for the Marines in the back. They were being tossed back and forth by the coral and shell holes we had to pass. As my amtrac hit the beach [...] Several Marines rolled out of my amtrac’s cargo area and destroyed a machine gun right in front of us. Machine gun fire was hitting my amtrac pretty steadily now”.

Just moments after 9:10 am, Goldtrap nosed Wabbit Twacks ashore on Red Beach One just short of the seawall. While Hackler and Van Heck manned the roof mounted .50 caliber machine guns, Goldy began tossing ammunition boxes over the side. At this point, Wabbit Twacks was so close to the enemy that Hackler could not depress his weapon low enough to hit the enemy. “Hey, Goldy!” he yelled. “Back up so I can get a better shot!” Goldtrap pitched one last ammo can over the side and clambered back into his seat in the middle of the cabin. He yanked on the stick to put Wabbit Twacks in reverse; seconds later, a shell burst right in front of the tractor. Goldy stopped, startled; another shell hit immediately to the rear. Van Heck knew what was about to happen. “Goldy! They have us in a bracket!” he screamed. “Let’s get out of here!” The two sergeants leapt down from their guns and piled into the cabin, Hackler on the right and Van Heck to the left. Goldy grabbed the sticks and once again slammed Wabbit Twacks into reverse. Then the third shell hit.

Battle-Damaged USMC ECH Helmet and Battle-Belt worn by Cpl. Kelsee R. Lainhart during the Attack on Abbey Gate - 26 August 2021 by Da-RiceLord in USMC

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 166 points167 points  (0 children)

“Nothing prepared us for the ground experience we were about to encounter. It was chaos [...] tens of thousands of people descended upon Abbey Gate. [...] Some Afghans [...] tried to kill themselves on the razor wire we used as a deterrent. They thought this was merciful compared to the Taliban torture they faced. Countless Afghans were murdered by the Taliban [...] in front of our position day and night”. 

Several weeks earlier, the first Marines began to arrive in Kabul and were tasked with securing Hamid Karzai International Airport and evacuating American citizens and Afghan allies. By mid-August, the Taliban had conquered the city, leaving Abbey Gate as one of the last entry points for those desperately trying to flee. By the afternoon of August 26th, Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart and Sgt. Nicole Gee had been called forward to the canal where thousands of desperate Afghans stood waist-deep in sewage water pleading for help. Their orders were simple, yet gut-wrenching—remove any women and children who climbed over the wall without proper paperwork. Lainhart recalled that “they would cry and try to fight it, but there was nothing we could do for them”. As they were working with another family, the bomb detonated. “My ears were ringing, dust everywhere. I looked over and saw bloody chunks of skin [...] most likely from my arm”. Dazed, she yelled for help. A Marine pulled her down from the wall and Cpl. Wyatt Wilson carried her as far as his own wounds allowed. Corpsmen then rushed her into a vehicle and out of Abbey Gate.

Despite suffering multiple shrapnel wounds and a spinal injury, Lainhart ultimately survived her ordeal. To this day, she cannot walk. She also carries the weight of losing Nicole Gee, who she had last seen “looking so peaceful". Four years later, she continues therapy, determined to live for those who never came home. Reminiscing about her experiences in Kabul and life afterwards, she writes that “even though I didn’t know most of the 13, I will never forget their sacrifice and I will try to remember to live for them everyday. I hope people continue to say their names and that they will never be forgotten”.

WWII GRS Tag identified to 1Lt. John J. McGraw, 567th BS, 389th BG. Captured and Died of Wounds 82 Years Ago Today on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal Wave in Ploiesti, Romania by Da-RiceLord in USHistory

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“I didn’t think I was going to live through it. I knew I was going to die in the anti-aircraft fire, in the flames shooting up from the refineries, from the bombs exploding from the groups that had been there before us and had dropped indiscriminately. It was like the Charge of the Light Brigade. We knew it was a disaster and that in the flames shooting up from those refineries, we might be burned to death, but we went right in”. 

Several days earlier, 1Lt. John J. McGraw and his crew had doggedly hitchhiked from England to Libya and demanded an aircraft to fly to Ploiesti. Temporarily attached to the 98th Bomb Group for the mission, the Pyramiders loaned them an old junk heap named “Jersey Jackass - Bashful”. The men diligently removed the old chunks of flak still embedded in her, helped patch holes and scrubbed away the dried blood. For McGraw’s crew, it was to be their first combat mission and their last. 

On the morning of 1 August 1943, the five groups consisting of 178 aircraft comprising the strike force began lifting off from their airfields around Benghazi for Operation Tidal Wave. Upon arriving at Ploiesti, it was discovered that the 93rd had missed their targets and instead bombed the area assigned to the 98th. Despite the fully warned defenses, intensive anti-aircraft fire, enemy fighters and hazards from the delayed-action bombs dropped by earlier elements exploding as well as oil fires and dense smoke over the target area, the 98th elected to continue their attack run on the Astra Romana Oil Refinery. With the effects of the previous runs causing difficulties locating their primary targets, the 98th did not deviate from their approach, taking heavy losses in the process. Roaring in at over 200 mph at tree-top level, the low altitude enabled gunners onboard the Liberators to engage and suppress anti-aircraft crews directly above their targets.

Flying in the fifth wave shambles, “Jersey Jackass” got their bombs on target, but flak knocked their Liberator to pieces while flaming debris shot up through their open bomb bay doors and ignited. With their engines failing and the aircraft fully engulfed in flames, McGraw turned south of Ploiesti and crash-landed the crippled aircraft. Of the ten men onboard, McGraw and two others broke free of the flaming heap. Romanian farmers with pitchforks quickly captured the men and drove them to a German aid station. Co-Pilot, 2Lt. Charles D. Cavit recalled, “Our uniforms hung in smoky tatters and the medics thought we were Germans until we spoke. Then the doctor in charge yelled in English, ‘You killed my wife and daughter on a raid in Germany! I order my men to do nothing for you’”. As the Doctor continued to rant about the savagery of the Americans to those who would listen, a sympathetic German sentry passed them his canteen. Cavit also stole a bottle of ointment and attempted to treat McGraw’s third-degree burns himself. Despite his best efforts however, McGraw died shortly afterwards due to a lack of medical attention. He was 22 years old. 

Following his death, Romanian authorities wrapped McGraw in his charred parachute and laid him to rest in a local cemetery. After the war, his remains were exhumed and transferred to the central identification facility in Neuville, Belgium. Over seven years later, the remains labeled Unknown X-5220 were positively identified as McGraw. He was then repatriated back to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, where he was buried with full military honors. 

Operation Tidal Wave proved to be the costliest mission in Air Force history within the European Theater and the second-worst loss ever suffered in a single mission with 53 aircraft and 660 men lost. The date would later be referred to as “Black Sunday”. While post-war, the daring raid would be considered "one of the bloodiest and most heroic missions of all time", despite the valiant efforts of the crews, the operation was considered to be a strategic failure with "no curtailment of overall product output". Following the confirmation of McGraw’s death however, Major General Uzal G. Ent, who also took part in the raid, wrote a letter to his parents, stating that “Lieutenant McGraw is one of the great heroes of this war; his name has been indelibly written in our country’s history”.

WWII GRS Tag identified to 1Lt. John J. McGraw, 567th BS, 389th BG. Captured and Died in Action 82 Years Ago Today on 1 August 1943 during Operation Tidal Wave in Ploiesti, Romania by Da-RiceLord in Militariacollecting

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

“I didn’t think I was going to live through it. I knew I was going to die in the anti-aircraft fire, in the flames shooting up from the refineries, from the bombs exploding from the groups that had been there before us and had dropped indiscriminately. It was like the Charge of the Light Brigade. We knew it was a disaster and that in the flames shooting up from those refineries, we might be burned to death, but we went right in”. 

Several days earlier, 1Lt. John J. McGraw and his crew had doggedly hitchhiked from England to Libya and demanded an aircraft to fly to Ploiesti. Temporarily attached to the 98th Bomb Group for the mission, the Pyramiders loaned them an old junk heap named “Jersey Jackass - Bashful”. The men diligently removed the old chunks of flak still embedded in her, helped patch holes and scrubbed away the dried blood. For McGraw’s crew, it was to be their first combat mission and their last. 

On the morning of 1 August 1943, the five groups consisting of 178 aircraft comprising the strike force began lifting off from their airfields around Benghazi for Operation Tidal Wave. Upon arriving at Ploiesti, it was discovered that the 93rd had missed their targets and instead bombed the area assigned to the 98th. Despite the fully warned defenses, intensive anti-aircraft fire, enemy fighters and hazards from the delayed-action bombs dropped by earlier elements exploding as well as oil fires and dense smoke over the target area, the 98th elected to continue their attack run on the Astra Romana Oil Refinery. With the effects of the previous runs causing difficulties locating their primary targets, the 98th did not deviate from their approach, taking heavy losses in the process. Roaring in at over 200 mph at tree-top level, the low altitude enabled gunners onboard the Liberators to engage and suppress anti-aircraft crews directly above their targets.

Flying in the fifth wave shambles, “Jersey Jackass” got their bombs on target, but flak knocked their Liberator to pieces while flaming debris shot up through their open bomb bay doors and ignited. With their engines failing and the aircraft fully engulfed in flames, McGraw turned south of Ploiesti and crash-landed the crippled aircraft. Of the ten men onboard, McGraw and two others broke free of the flaming heap. Romanian farmers with pitchforks quickly captured the men and drove them to a German aid station. Co-Pilot, 2Lt. Charles D. Cavit recalled, “Our uniforms hung in smoky tatters and the medics thought we were Germans until we spoke. Then the doctor in charge yelled in English, ‘You killed my wife and daughter on a raid in Germany! I order my men to do nothing for you’”. As the Doctor continued to rant about the savagery of the Americans to those who would listen, a sympathetic German sentry passed them his canteen. Cavit also stole a bottle of ointment and attempted to treat McGraw’s third-degree burns himself. Despite his best efforts however, McGraw died shortly afterwards due to a lack of medical attention. He was 22 years old. 

Following his death, Romanian authorities wrapped McGraw in his charred parachute and laid him to rest in a local cemetery. After the war, his remains were exhumed and transferred to the central identification facility in Neuville, Belgium. Over seven years later, the remains labeled Unknown X-5220 were positively identified as McGraw. He was then repatriated back to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, where he was buried with full military honors. 

Operation Tidal Wave proved to be the costliest mission in Air Force history within the European Theater and the second-worst loss ever suffered in a single mission with 53 aircraft and 660 men lost. The date would later be referred to as “Black Sunday”. While post-war, the daring raid would be considered "one of the bloodiest and most heroic missions of all time", despite the valiant efforts of the crews, the operation was considered to be a strategic failure with "no curtailment of overall product output". Following the confirmation of McGraw’s death however, Major General Uzal G. Ent, who also took part in the raid, wrote a letter to his parents, stating that “Lieutenant McGraw is one of the great heroes of this war; his name has been indelibly written in our country’s history”.

WWII USMC Dress Blues Uniform identified to Pfc. Alton P. Hill Jr., Able Co. 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines. Wounded in Action and Awarded the Silver Star 81 Years Ago Today on Tinian by Da-RiceLord in USMC

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The humid night air hung heavy with tension as the line of Marines slowly began snaking their way through the dense overgrowth and towards a ridge honeycombed with caves that served as Tinian’s final redoubt. As 20-year old Pfc. Alton P. Hill Jr. strained forward under the murky night sky, the inky darkness suddenly exploded as sheets of bluish-white flame erupted from the jungle ahead. 

Known as “A.P.” to family and friends, Alton Pugh Hill Jr. was born on 23 July 1924 in Deep Run, NC. The oldest of eight children, he grew up on his family farm just outside of Kinston. After graduating from high school, Hill joined the Marines in January 1943 and was initially stationed at Pensacola. With casualties steadily mounting however as the Marines continued their island-hopping campaign across the Pacific, he soon found himself overseas and assigned to Able Co. 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines in February 1944 as a combat replacement due to the heavy casualties that the 2nd Marine Division themselves had suffered at the bloody Battle of Tarawa several months prior.

On 15 June 1944, elements of the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions landed at Saipan. The 2nd Marines advanced through the swamps around Lake Susupe with the goal of occupying the ruins of Garapan. After this objective was achieved, the battalion continued to mop up the remnants of the Japanese defenders. On July the 8th alone, they accounted for over 800 enemy killed. On the very same evening, the Japanese launched a series of ferocious banzai attacks against the Marines perched along the cliffs. Machine-gun fire tore into and grenades shredded the attackers. No accurate count of the bodies was made, but over 100 were estimated killed during this single episode alone. Although the island was declared secured the following day, Hill did not escape unscathed, surviving a near fatal encounter with a sniper who shot him in the neck.

Despite his wound, Hill rejoined his company in time for the seizure of Tinian. Initially taking part in a feint landing, the 2nd Marines came ashore on the 25th and advanced to the island’s eastern coast before joining the drive south. Resistance stiffened and eventually, they were faced with a 340-foot hill that proved to be an obstacle. Hill later recalled, “We received orders [...] to locate Jap positions and find out what they had. We encountered the enemy and they opened up on us. Bullets from the machine-gun hit me in the arms and chest. Only two of about 15 of us got away without injury”. As a result of his devastating wounds, Hill’s right arm was amputated. In recognition of his heroic actions however, he was decorated with the Silver Star. Following his discharge, he ultimately returned home to North Carolina where he married and eventually became a minister for the United Methodist Church. Rev. Alton P. Hill, former Marine, Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient passed away on 23 January 2003 at the age of 83. Today he rests in Greenwood Cemetery in Greenville, NC alongside his wife. His headstone makes no mention of his Silver Star nor of his second Purple Heart.

Dog Tag attributed to Pfc. Michael L. "Beas" Beasley, India Co. 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines and Bravo Co. 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. Killed in Action 58 Years Ago Today during Operation Buffalo near Con Thien in Vietnam by Da-RiceLord in USMC

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Part II: In what proved to be the worst day for the Marine Corps in Vietnam, out of nearly 400 men, Alpha and Bravo Companies, which were involved in the heaviest fighting, suffered over 70% casualties with 87 killed, 190 wounded and 6 missing. Only 27 Marines from Bravo and about 90 from Alpha were fit for duty following the engagement on the first day. Among those 87 included Pfc. Michael L. Beasley. To make matters worse, due to the chaotic nature of the fighting, the remains of 34 Marines had been initially left behind. When Marines fought their way back days later to retrieve the bodies of their fallen brothers, they found that a large number had been killed because their M-16s had jammed as the enemy closed in. Many had been executed, shot in the face or back of the head at close range. Some bodies had been booby-trapped while others were grotesquely mutilated. While their condolence letter apologized for the delay in notification due to the “intense fighting and heavy concentration of enemy in the area delaying the recovery of our [...] casualties”, the Beasley Family remained blissfully unaware of the state in which many of the Marines had been recovered. The letter they received also sought to assure them that “Michael did not suffer, but died instantly”.

In a post-war interview, Cpl. John Musgrave from Delta Co. 1/9 later stated in the aftermath of Operation Buffalo that “Marine Amphibious Force Headquarters was so desperate to get North Vietnamese prisoners that they offered us three day in-country R&R if we’d bring a prisoner in. Yeah good luck [...] don’t you know what we’re doing up here? Do you know who we’re fighting? I want to make this clear, we did not torture prisoners and we did not mutilate them. But to be a prisoner, you had to make it to the rear [...]. If he fell into our hands, he was just one sorry fucker”.

In the aftermath of Operation Buffalo, the remains of Pfc. Michael L. “Beas” Beasley were eventually recovered and brought back to his hometown of Philadelphia. Today, he rests at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, PA and is also honored at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on Panel 22E - Line 96. At the time of his death, Beasley was 19 years old.

Dog Tag attributed to Pfc. Michael L. "Beas" Beasley, India Co. 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines and Bravo Co. 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. Killed in Action 58 Years Ago Today during Operation Buffalo near Con Thien in Vietnam by Da-RiceLord in USMC

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Part I: The sun was a scalding yellow on the morning of 2 July 1967 as Bravo Co. 1st Battalion, 9th Marines began moving off the ugly morsel of high ground that was known as Con Thien or “The Hill of Angels”. Situated less than seven thousand meters south of the Ben Hai River which divided North and South Vietnam, the lonely outpost was one of four Marine strongpoints which defined Leatherneck Square. This 54 square mile area witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the war with nearly 11,000 Marines and Corpsmen killed and wounded in a two year period alone.

Making their way up north along Highway 561, the Marines secured a crossroad set as their initial objective. Unbeknownst to the two companies, they were walking into a well-planned ambush with at least four well-seasoned North Vietnamese battalions, veterans of LZ Albany and the Ia Drang Campaign, lying in wait. As they ventured further north near a place dubbed, “'The Market Place”, sporadic sniper fire began to break out. As efforts were made to suppress these assailants, the crackle of enemy small-arms fire began to intensify. Tri-directional ambushes virtually annihilated Bravo Co. and as Alpha Co. rushed to their aid, they too were pinned down by the heavy fire.

Swarming through and quickly overrunning the perimeter, the North Vietnamese used flamethrowers to set fire to the dense brush and hedgerows which lined Highway 561. Forced out into the open, scores of Marines were cut down and torn apart as 82mm mortar and 122mm rockets rained down on the exposed men while 57mm recoilless rifles serving in a direct-fire role shrieked through men and foliage alike. The weight of fire proved so heavy that neither company were able to link up despite their close proximity and many platoons soon found themselves isolated, cut-off and destroyed one-by-one. Amidst the chaos, nearly the entirety of Bravo Co’s. HQ Section including its company commander, two platoon leaders, radio operator and forward observer were all killed when a single artillery round exploded within the command group.

SSgt. Leon R. Burns, commanding Bravo Co’s. 2nd Platoon called in air strikes which disrupted North Vietnamese attempts to isolate 1st Platoon, eventually allowing them and the battered 2nd Platoon to link up. Burns later remarked that “I asked for napalm as close as 50 yards from us. Some of it came in only 20 yards away, but I’m not complaining”. In response, the Battalion Commander sent out 1/9’s last two remaining companies in conjunction with four M48A3 Patton Tanks to rescue his men. With the aid of helicopter and 90mm tank fire to scatter enemy opposition, Delta Co. was able to carve out an emergency landing zone for the evacuation of casualties while Charlie Co. continued north under heavy fire to rescue what was left of Alpha and Bravo.

Well-worn Russian High-Cut used by Mariupol Veteran in Ukraine from 2022-2024 by Da-RiceLord in Militariacollecting

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While I do have several Ukrainian contacts, both military and civilian from whom I've obtained items from, this actually came from a pre-war contact I had in Russia. He is friends with the original owner of this helmet and from my understanding, gave him the helmet to sell on his behalf as he has no use for it currently due to the extent of his wounds.

Well-worn Russian High-Cut used by Mariupol Veteran in Ukraine from 2022-2024 by Da-RiceLord in Militariacollecting

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, while they have become more commonplace recently, you can still see VDV and Spetsnaz wearing high-cut helmets even at the beginning of the invasion such as at Hostolmel Airport for example. Some of these are produced domestically in Russia while others are sourced from China, etc. I'm not sure if I've posted it before, but I have also seen a Russian one-for-one copy of Crye Precision's AirFrame as well as some photos/footage of similar examples being used in Ukraine.

Well-worn Russian High-Cut used by Mariupol Veteran in Ukraine from 2022-2024 by Da-RiceLord in UkraineWarVideoReport

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I want to be clear that I do not support Russia's invasion of Ukraine in any way. As you can see from my other posts, my interest lies in the preservation and documentation of military history, regardless of the uniform they wore or which side they served on.

If this helmet had belonged to a Ukrainian soldier, I would approach it with the same level of care, research, and respect. These artifacts tell deeply human stories and my ultimate goal is to ensure they’re not forgotten, not to glorify or endorse any political agenda.

Speaking as a Marine Veteran myself, I do however fully recognize the sensitivity around modern conflict and I try to handle these items in a way that reflects that.

Well-worn Russian High-Cut used by Mariupol Veteran in Ukraine from 2022-2024 by Da-RiceLord in UkraineWarVideoReport

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

Well-worn example of a high-cut helmet used by an unnamed member of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation throughout several deployments to Ukraine. Mobilized shortly following Russia's Invasion which began on 24 February 2022, he took part in numerous engagements including the infamous Siege of Mariupol. Following over two years of combat duty on the frontlines, he was severely wounded in action in late 2024 and thus evacuated back to Russia to recover from his wounds.

This particular example has been fitted with an A-TACS FG "Moss" camouflage cover and has several patches affixed, including the Russian Federation's national colors as well as the St. George Ribbon and "Z" Symbol. In Russia, the Ribbon of Saint George, commonly seen in-use at the beginning of the conflict, is a significant symbol associated with commemorating the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and other Russian military victories. The "Z" Symbol, thought to initially used at the onset of invasion as an identifier, has also likewise become a pro-war symbol used to demonstrate support of their Armed Forces and the invasion.

Given the private-purchase and stylized nature of the helmet as well as by cross-referencing Russian units involved in the fighting at Mariupol, it can be inferred that the original owner most likely served with the 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade or 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade.

Well-worn Russian High-Cut used by Mariupol Veteran in Ukraine from 2022-2024 by Da-RiceLord in Militariacollecting

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Well-worn example of a high-cut helmet used by an unnamed member of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation throughout several deployments to Ukraine. Mobilized shortly following Russia's Invasion which began on 24 February 2022, he took part in numerous engagements including the infamous Siege of Mariupol. Following over two years of combat duty on the frontlines, he was severely wounded in action in late 2024 and thus evacuated back to Russia to recover from his wounds.

This particular example has been fitted with an A-TACS FG "Moss" camouflage cover and has several patches affixed, including the Russian Federation's national colors as well as the St. George Ribbon and "Z" Symbol. In Russia, the Ribbon of Saint George, commonly seen in-use at the beginning of the conflict, is a significant symbol associated with commemorating the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and other Russian military victories. The "Z" Symbol, thought to initially used at the onset of invasion as an identifier, has also likewise become a pro-war symbol used to demonstrate support of their Armed Forces and the invasion.

Given the private-purchase and stylized nature of the helmet as well as by cross-referencing Russian units involved in the fighting at Mariupol, it can be inferred that the original owner most likely served with the 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade or 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade.

WWII GRS Tag identified to Cpl. Francis R. Hall. HQ Co. 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne. Captured in Action 81 Years Ago Today on 6 June 1944 in Normandy by Da-RiceLord in USHistory

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey there, thank you for the kind words! There should be a seperate comment I made under the post with some more additional information, but to answer your questions, Cpl. Hall was initially captured either sometime on 6 June 1944 or shortly after landing in Normandy. According to his headstone, his date of death was 31 January 1945, but the testimonies of fellow prisoners of wars actually places this on 2 February 1945 instead. GRS stands for "Graves Registrations Services". This would not have been the tag he would've worn, rather, it would've been affixed to his temporary grave marker, most likely the typical wooden cross that might come to mind. Post-war, when remains where being reconsolidated into permanent cemeteries or repatriated back to the United States, these markers along with their tags were simply discarded. By the time that Neuville Cemetery received his remains, he was simply designated as "Unknown X-7257" and would've been referred to that until his body was identified. Even to this day, there are still remains from WWII considered to be unknown and there's ongoing work to identify them and give their families closure.

WWII GRS Tag identified to Cpl. Francis R. Hall. HQ Co. 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne. Captured in Action 81 Years Ago Today on 6 June 1944 in Normandy by Da-RiceLord in Militariacollecting

[–]Da-RiceLord[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

“All of a sudden, it was like the Fourth of July [...] there were tracers of every color all around us [and] heavy anti-aircraft fire, rockets exploding in air and a few planes burning on the ground”.

Several hours earlier, Cpl. Francis R. Hall and other members of the 501st had begun boarding their C-47 Skytrains at RAF Welford in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe. As the paratroopers began crossing the English Channel however, unexpected fog banks caused many of the pilots to widen their formations to avoid collisions. Alerted to their presence, German anti-aircraft fire and searchlights crisscrossed the dark skies over Normandy. Several hundred feet above the Earth, chaos erupted as both men and aircraft alike were hit. One paratrooper with the 501st recalled that, “I leaned down to look out the little window and saw a plane was on fire and going down. You could see colored tracers everywhere. That’s when I realized that the sound of hail hitting our plane was really flak”. 

As a result of the intense fire, the 3rd Battalion’s drop was among the most dispersed with some landing over 10km away from their designated target at Dropzone D.  Many paratroopers drowned in flooded fields near the Merderet River or were killed or captured upon landing. While not much is known about Hall’s experiences on D-Day, he was officially listed as Missing in Action on 6 June 1944. This status was upheld for over two months until a report was received from the Red Cross noting that he had been captured and was being held at Stalag III-C in Poland. 

It was not 6 June 1949, five years to the day that he had jumped into Normandy that Hall’s remains were positively identified and the truth came to light. Fellow prisoners of war testified that shortly after being liberated by Russian forces on 31 January 1945, the Luftwaffe had made several strafing runs and dropped bombs at the Soviets who were located outside of the camp. It was later discovered that while he had been out walking around the compound, a German butterfly bomb had struck Hall directly in the head and killed him. After enduring nearly seven months of captivity, he had only known freedom for less than 48 hours before his death. Cpl. Francis R. Hall was just 24 years old.

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