125th history for sale - Printable Version

On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 2:59 AM, Bobb Dumaine wrote:

That is weird, Ms. Chard. I assume you are trying to call up the article from a computer in the US, and why would Ebay block a US Army unit history for US buyers? But I have seen Ebay do stranger things with books in the military category. To save you more bother, I am quoting here the article description and attaching a scan. If you are interested, I can cancel the Ebay auction and sell the book to you directl ($175.00). Just let me know, but do hurry.

WW2 UNIT DIARY 14TH ARMORED DIV, 125TH ARMD ENG. BN

HISTORY

125TH ARMORED ENGINEER BATTALION

Camp Shanks, New York to V-E Day Inclusive

written by officers and men of the battalion and privately printed in Munich/Diessen, Germany in 1945

This authentic, unit history (not a reproduction!) was written and professionally printed for unit members at the Munich end of the battalion’s long and hard-fought crossing of the Siegfried Line in Alsace with its parent division, 14th Armored, and a march which took it through the length and breadth of largely enemy-held Bavaria, where it liberated some 110,000 Allied POWs. (The full route the battalion followed is shown on a 17 by 22 inch folding map at the back of the book). A small staff, comprising the editor, Capt. Franklin Wallace, Jr. and his three assistant editors, Pfc. William Olpp, Tec 5 Samuel Wilson, Pfc Eugene Osequeda and Pfc John Dickmann, gathered personal experiences and photographs from unit personnel while the battalion was still intact in Germany, but was being prepared for demobilization and return to the States or transfer to other commands.

The book chronicles in operational diary form the movements and actions of the individual companies while the battalion was part of Seventh Army and after the link-up in Bavaria with Gen. Patton’s Third Army. Considerable attention is paid to naming officers and men involved in individual actions, and the book is overall a rich source of information on unit personnel, organization, personal valor awards and combat losses.

(The reproduction of the above text in part or whole requires the consent of the copyright-holder, audioartbooks.)

The book has its original composite hardcover (board and simulated leather spine) with the division and engineer corps insignias. Approx. 8 x 12 inches, 96 pages and 14 glossy plates of b/w photographs. Bound in the book at the back is a large folding map of the battalion’s route, annotated to show points at which significant engagments took place.

Condition overall is very good, especially considering the age of the book and the near-wartime circumstances under which it was edited and printed. Other than general age toning of the paper, the most noticeable defect is the smudging in the upper right corner of the front cover (see scan), with a corresponding but smaller smudge on the back cover. The covering on the spine has a 1 ½ in. wear spot. Inside the book is free of tears and stains, but the pastedown hinge of the front cover at two points has lost some adhesion, but without, weakening the tight binding.