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AMERICAN MILITARY REFERENCE
AMERICAN MILITARY ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES IDENTIFICATION AND PRICE GUIDE - Welcome to the American WWII Military identification and pricing reference guide. This page is sponsored by MilitaryItems.com in an effort to provide the current and future militaria collector with free information.

The field of military antiques and collectibles is growing. Some people get involved in the field out of their passion for historical items. Other individuals happen to come across military antiques by pure chance. sometimes items are purchased at yard sales, flea markets, etc. Other times a person may inherit militaria from a relative.

Regardless of its point of origin, this website can provide you with information that will help you identify the items, and in many cases, find the value of the item.

To navigate our website with more ease you may use our maps.

  • American Site Map.
  • General Site Map.

  • PATCHES of the 1st CAVALRY DIVISION
    The 1st Cavalry Division played a key role during the Vietnam war.

  • 1st Cavalry patches
  • 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.

  • Montagnard photos
  • Riverine Forces

  • 1932 US PEARL HARBOR GROUP

    This is a grouping of an individual who served in Hawaii in 1932 for the US Army Corps of Engineers.

    US HAVERSACK ANATOMY

    This section provides a graphical breakdown of the haversack. Each component is identified and named.

    WAR RATION BOOK

    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.

    WWI GERMANY OCCUPATION GROUPING

    Expeditionary forces in Germany at the tail end of WWI and during the occupation thereafter. 50th Infantry.

    WEAPONS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

    The following is a comprehensive review of weapons used during the Vietnam war.

    AIRCTAFT OF THE VIETNAM WAR

    A pictorial look at the light aircraft used during the Vietnam war.

    THE AMERICAN FLIGHT JACKET

    View examples that cover the early days of the brown leather jacket to its modern nylon counterpart.

    THE AMERICAN MILITARY WINGS

    A study of the American aviation wings from WWII to the present.

    OTHER US MEDALS AND AWARDS

    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.

    UNIFORMS & EQUIPMENT OF THE AAF

    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.

    WWII US PARATROOPER

    View examples of WWII US Army Paratrooper Insignia.

    SPECIAL FORCES OF THE VIETNAM WAR

    The special forces played a very important role during the Vietnam war. This section of the site takes a look at the uniforms, equipment and insignia employed by the forces.

    WORLD WAR II
    On the summer of 1937 the Japanese began to invade China after a series of manufactured "incidents" took place. In July of 1940 president Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the United States. The Japanese decided to strike the first blow by attacking Pearl Harbor.


    WWII AMERICAN MILITARY UNIFORMS
    WWII American wool dress uniform
    WWII witnessed the development of a large variety of uniforms. Many of them provided the blueprint for the modern attire. This is a study of the American uniforms of WWII.

    WWII AMERICAN HATS AND HELMETS
    WWII American hat and helmet collection
    This section covers general headgear employed by the US troops during WWII.


    WWII US EDGE WEAPONS
    A study of bayonets, knives, swords and other edge weapons employed by the American troops during WWII.

    AMERICAN 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 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.

    US MEDALS AND INSIGNIA OF WWII
    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.

    WWII US MILITARY FIELD GEAR AND OTHER ITEMS
    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.


    CIVIL WAR AND SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
    The Spanish-American War was a military conflict between Spain and the United States that began in April 1898. Hostilities halted in August of that year, and the Treaty of Paris was signed in December.

    The war began after the American demand for Spain's peacefully resolving the Cuban fight for independence was rejected. Spain's remaining overseas territories were targeted.


    CIVIL WAR/SPANAM US UNIFORMS

    The uniforms employed during the Civil War and Spanish American war show some similarities in design. This is a display of some of the uniforms employed by the US armed forces.

    CIVIL WAR/SPANAM US HEADGEAR

    This section displays some of the headgear employed by the US armed forces during the conflict.

    CIVIL WAR/SPANAM US MILITARY 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. This section also displays photos of edge weapons.

    CIVIL WAR/SPANAM US MILITARY MEDALS AND 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.

    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.

    AMERICAN UNIFORMS OF THE KOREAN WAR
    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.

    AMERICAN HEADGEAR OF THE KOREAN WAR
    The headgear of the Korean war were heavily influenced by those employed during WWII. This section of the web site discusses the period.

    US FIELD GEAR AND OTHER ITEMS (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.

    IRAQI FREEDOM
    The Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq or Operation Iraqi Freedom, is a military campaign which began on March 20, 2003, with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.


    IRAQI FREEDOM UNIFORMS AND FIELD GEAR
    The terrain found in Iraq and Afghanistan is desert-like. Shades of brown, black and Gray are predominant colors. As such, the fighting uniforms and equipment have to be built to better accomodate to this conditions.

    IRAQI FREEDOM US MEDALS
    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.



    VIETNAM WAR
    The Vietnam War occurred from 1959 to April 30, 1975. The term Vietnam Conflict is often used to refer to events which took place between 1959 and April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the Communist-supported Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States supported Republic of Vietnam.

    US MILITARY UNIFORMS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
    The Vietnam war witnessed the use of new materials. This section of the website studies the uniforms used during the Vietnam war.

    HATS AND HELMETS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
    This section of the website covers the headgear used during the Vietnam war.


    VIETNAM WAR EDGE WEAPONS

    This section of the website covers the edge weapons used during the Vietnam war.

    VIETNAM WAR CLOTH INSIGNIA
    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. The members of these teams 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.


    VIETNAM WAR MEDALS AND INSIGNIA
    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. This section of the website provides a comprehensive study of the awards issued during the Vietnam war.


    VIETNAM WAR US FIELD GEAR AND OTHER ITEMS
    The miscellaneous items displayed on this section are interesting because they capture a time slice of the American history. The value comes mainly from the historical perspective than the monetary angle.


    WWI
    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 AMERICAN MILITARY 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.

    WWI AMERICAN MILITARY HEADGEAR

    This is a study of the military headgear employed by the American forces during WWI.


    WWI AMERICAN 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.


    WWI AMERICAN MILITARY MEDALS AND INSIGNIA

    This section is dedicated to explore the medals and insignia employed by the US armed forces during World War One. Much of the insignia employed was very similar to that developed during the previous wars.




    GRANADA & 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.


    AMERICAN MILITARY UNIFORMS OF PANAMA AND GRANADA

    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.

    AMERICAN MILITARY HEADGEAR
    This section displays some of the hats and helmets that were employed during the Invasions of Granada and Panama.


    AMERICAN MILITARY FIELD GEAR AND OTHER ITEMS
    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.

    DESERT STORM
    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.

    MILITARY UNIFORMS AND FIELD GEAR OF DESERT STORM
    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.


    DESERT STORM INSIGNIA
    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.




     
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