Historic Military Impressions

Got two new books for the library today. Both references books. The first arrived in the mail on Third Reich daggers original published in 1990.

The second Third Reich collectibles, published in 2015. I found it in a local antique store on sale for 20% which made it a steal in comparison to what you find them for online . Its prices are off however it has excellent photos to reference.

Yesterday, Rachel and I went out hunting. I was told about a US Civil War shell that was going to be but out at a local antique shop. Did not find what I was looking for, however, I did find three ancient coins. The first two are Greek, one from the third century BC, the other from the first century BC. The final larger Coin is byzantine (Easter Roman Empire), and dates between 602 to 620 A.D..

These will be nice addition to the collection as we attempt to redesign the entrance area, where the Greek stuff is set out for display.

I’m planning on putting up a nice display case on the wall that will have the authentic artifacts in it like these coins.

Stay tuned for more, and thank you for your time and consideration in reviewing our posts!

Cool new acquisition be picked up for the collection today.

This is a SG-886T/UR interference generator. It’s a very crude radio jammer.

You could connect it to a AN/PRC-8, 9, 10 with adapter cable, or AN/PRC-25 or 77. Once it was turned on whatever frequency the radio was set to will broadcast noise or a tone until the battery died or you turned it off.

The battery was by today’s standards an AA size battery, however, were today’s battery only puts out 1.5 volts this one put out 15.25 Volts.

This item will be added to the Radio communication section of our Vietnam Vietnam.

It’s worth noting the premiere of the new Exhibit and the GP large is scheduled for De Pere, Wisconsin Memorial Day weekend 2027.

Out hunting today, found these at a St. Vincent de Paul in Calumet County..

New home will be on the ceiling for the Museum room shortly!

Celebrate De Pere, 2026
Theme World War II in the Pacific

This is the newest addition to the collection. It was acquired one week ago at Elkhorn flea market.

It’s A/N PRS-1 mine detector. Unlike traditional mind detectors that are designed to find metal housed mines it’s designed to find mines that have very little metal in them. These late were mines used by the Japanese and German military were in detectable by traditional metal detectors.

The AN/PRS-1, used radio waves to pe*****te down into the ground to find voids of unnatural ground composition. The upside is it could find mines were very small and did not use any metal in that the downside is until you dug it out. You didn’t know if it was a mine or just a Large rock.

Most people coming through the tent think it’s some kind of flame thrower.

One disadvantages of its use because it uses radio waves if it wasn’t pointed down to the ground, it could be picked up by equipment design to isolate and triangulate radio signals being broadcast.

Either way it was a piece of technology that was very temperamental how to tune in a little before it’s time for World War II use.

This is probably the rarest item on display we have in De Pere. It’s the ceremonial head bandanna that would be used by a kamikaze in World War II.

The two Japanese characters are the words Divine and Wind.

Small World War II nurse display.

Here is what google Gemini has to say about this flag.

This is a Yosegaki Hinomaru (寄せ書き日の丸), commonly known as a Good Luck Flag, which was a traditional gift presented to Japanese servicemen during World War II, typically upon their deployment.

Family, friends, and neighbors would sign the flag, often writing patriotic slogans, prayers for safety, and well-wishes around the central red sun (Hinomaru).

Here is a breakdown of the specific text and features visible on this flag:
Main Slogan (Left Side)
The large, bold vertical calligraphy on the left reads from top to bottom:
尽忠報国 (Read as Jinchū Hōkoku)
Meaning: "Loyalty and Patriotism" or "Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty." This was one of the most common nationalistic slogans used during the war era, emphasizing absolute devotion to the Emperor and the nation.

Recipient and Presenters (Right Side)
The text on the right side provides the context of who the flag was for and who gifted it.

The Recipient: The central vertical line on the right side contains the name of the soldier or sailor receiving the flag: 櫻井 基重 君 (Sakurai Motoshige-kun).
櫻井 (Sakurai): The surname.
基重 (Motoshige): The given name.
君 (Kun): A respectful suffix used for peers or younger men, typical for a departing service member.
The Presenters: To the left of the name, the text reads 祝 出征 (Iwai Shussei), which translates to "Congratulations on your deployment/going to war."

The Organization: On the far right edge, partially cut off, you can see text ending in 福祉會 or a similar neighborhood association/welfare group name, indicating it was presented collectively by a local community or workplace organization to honor his departure.
Condition and Characteristics

Material: The fabric shows the typical texture of wartime cotton or silk, with visible aging, light staining, and creasing consistent with field wear or long-term storage.
Reinforced Corners: You can see a dark leather or heavy cloth reinforcement tab on the bottom-left corner. These were standard on Japanese flags of the era to allow the flag to be tied securely to a bamboo pole or rifle bayonet without tearing the fabric.