Grouping, Pfc. Franklin Mesler, 81st AAA Bn., 101st Airborne Division, WIA, Normandy & Holland, 1944
Rare genuine WWII US Army grouping, which belonged to some Private First Class Franklin M. Mesler, Battery A, 81st (Airborne) Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, 101st Airborne Division and includes the following items:
- 'Ike Jacket' of the type adopted in April 1944, retaining all original insignias: 'U.S.' and Coast Artillery collar disks, 101st Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia, Private First Class rank stripes, glider badge bearing two stars, ribbon bars (Bronze Star, Purple Heart with bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal bearing one arrowhead and four stars, WWII Victory Medal), Presidential Unit Citation with bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, 'Ruptured Duck', Overseas Service Bars and fourragere of the French Croix de Guerre; label is dated June 30, 1944, size 36L; name Mesler has been written in the collar;
- garrison cap featuring the red piping of the artillery and bearing the generic airborne insignia; size 7 ¼;
- various personal belongings: Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Marksman badge with 'Rifle' bar, 17th Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia, 'invasion flag', 10K gold-filled ring in which initials FMM have been engraved, three original photographs, and some Arbeitsbuch likely taken as a souvenir.
Franklin Merrill Mesler was born on February 21, 1917 in Gasport, New York and joined the US Army on October 24, 1942 (ASN 32554180). He went on to serve with 81st AAA Battalion, 101st Airborne Division and deployed to Europe, where he was injured in a glider crash on June 6, 1944 in Normandy prior to sustain a second injury during Operation Market Garden in September of that year. He was discharged on September 20, 1945 as a Private First Class, and passed away on November 28, 1996.
https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/81/81.html
https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/47068498/franklin-m-mesler
Illustration documents available in digital format only.
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