Item Description
Original Items: One-of-a-kind Set. This is an incredible archive that belonged to Technical Sergeant George Foster (ASN 34 674 350) from Lexington, North Carolina. He was assigned to the 15th Air Force, 460th Bombardment Group, 762nd Bomb Squadron. who was shot down with his crew over Yugoslavia on October 17th, 1944. (He was actually shot down twice! The first was August 27th, 1944 but he survived and was not captured). After going down over Yugoslavia on 10/17/1945 he was captured and served the duration of the War as a Prisoner of War camp cook in Stalag Luft 1. Before arriving at that camp he was transported to various other Prisoner of War camps (Stalag Luft III and Stalag Luft IV) throughout occupied Europe and Germany until he was finally liberated in May 1945. T/Sgt Foster was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart (for injuries sustained on October 17th, 1944 in Southern Austria) the Air Medal with Oak Leaf cluster and the Prisoner of War Medal. He flew 9 combat missions as an on flight mechanic and aerial gunner. After approximately 75 hours of combined combat flight time, he and his crew were shot down. A link to his Prisoner of War Medal details can be found here.
Included in the collection of George's wartime belongings are the following notable pieces:
- Kriegeie's Cook Book - "Kitchen Kapers" by S/Sgt G.W. Foster - N.C. The Y.M.C.A. provided prisoners with a small, soft-covered book with blank pages and a blue cover. The book has nine handwritten pages of recipes. Most of the ingredients were from Red Cross parcels that were given to the prisoners. Foster's recipes included: Cakes and Cookies, Potato Cakes "Choc", "Kriege Creamed Custard Pie", "Kriege Cheese Cake", "Kriege Coffee Cake", "Mince Pie", "Sugar Snaps", "Peune Whip", "Jelly Rolls", Kriege French Toast", "Kriege Korn Krunchies". "Fosters Famous Stews" such as "Oyster Stew" (which contained 12 cans of Salmon), "Kriege Stew No. 1" (which was potato and cabbage), and "Kriege Stew No. 2" (which continue dehydrated vegetables and potatoes. "Sandwich Spreads", "Kriege D-Bar Spread", "Kriege Cheese Spread", "Meat and Fish Loafs", "Kriege Spam Loaf", " Kriege Fish Loaf".
A nearly identical book can be found in the excellent WWII POW book; "A War Time Log" by Art and Lee Beltrone.
- Hand drawn and colored "A Jackpot Menu" from April 22nd, 1945 with special "New Flash Today" noting that the "West Front" has "Berlin Encircled" and Russians now 9 miles from the city. Dinner that night was a "Spam - Cheese Burger Served Real Hot", break fast and lunch we all dishes with recipes in his cook book. This menu was likely posted so the men knew what was being served that day. Pay particualr attention to the details in the menu, the D-Bar, Swan Soap, Camel Cigarettes, and that in the lower right corner it reads Barth, Germany, '45 (the location of Stalag Luft I).
- Eight authentic Western Union Telegrams sent to his mother Mrs. Mannie Foster.
The first: September 9, 1944 and reports that George was missing in action having been shot down over Germany on August 27th, 1944.
The second: 14th September, 1944 George reports reports "All Well and Safe Please Dont worry Love George"
The third: informing that "Your Son Staff Sergeant George Foster has been reported missing in action since seventeen October over Yugoslavia"
The fourth: (unknown date) reports that her son is a "Prisoner of War of the German Government".
The fifth: May 12th, 1945 (not sent by George) "My Brother Sam Northcross cabled yesterday All Well Hope to be home soon. Thorn Lord."
The sixth: May 27, 1945 "The Secretary of War Desires to inform you that your son S/SGT Foster George W Returned to Military Control".
The seventh: June 16th, 1945 "Your Son George is being returned to the United States"
The eighth: June 19th, 1945 "Arrived Safely Expect to see you soon dont attempt to contact or write me here love George W foster"
- Eight authentic Kriegsgefangenenpost Postkarte (Prisoner of War Post Cards). The range from as early as November 1944, the first was written at Stalag Luft III an tells his mother that we was shot down on October 17th and that he won't be getting any Christmas presents. Three more are sent in the Month of November 1944 and then the fifth is sent December 9th, 1944 from Stalag Luft IV. His mother responds by sending a postcard to Stalag Luft 4 on February 15th, 1945. George sent two more to his mother from Stalag Luft 1 beginning February 18th 1945, then on March 20th, 1945. All cards are legible and postage stamped.
- Incredible Hand made POW Camp Wings on display mounted board photo album. The manufacture of insignia became a cottage industry in some camps. The insignia, mostly American and foreign aviators' wings, were made from lead removed from used corned beef containers. They were traded for tobacco products, chocolate D-bars, and other items. Display boards were some- times used to mount collections of prisoner-made insignia. This is a red, blue and white fabric-covered photo album with nine wings. From top to bottom, left to right, the insignia are those of an American pilot, a British Paratrooper with POW in center, a Royal Air Force pilot, a French pilot's device, Polish air gunners badge, a Czechoslovakian air gunner, a Polish pilot, a Soviet pilot, Polish Parachute Badge. The display board measures 9 1/2 inches wide and 8 inches high. A very similar POW wings display board, also from Stalag Luft I, can be found in the excellent WWII POW book; "A War Time Log" by Art and Lee Beltrone.
In addition to lead, the gold lining of empty toothpaste tubes was placed over a pair of wings or other insignia and a pointed object, such as a sharpened twig, was used to press the malleable toothpaste tube material into the original insignia to form a hollow duplicate of the wings with a gold-colored finish. One postwar American Y.M.C.A. publication, The Yankee Kriegies, also reported that wings were made with the lead foil from packages of cigarettes. This foil was also melted and poured into molds.
- German Dog Tag converted for POW use with crude stamping that read STALAG - I S/SGT GEORGE W. FOSTER on both vertical sides.
- Original U.S. WWII Dog Tags named to George Foster.
- Original Wartime and postwar Documents including Honorable Discharge, Separation Qualification Record and loads more.
- Original copy of the small book; A Sad (But True) Story by Roger Wilco - Disarmed Forces Edition created at Stalag Luft I, Barth Germany.
- Original Photo of Foster and his crew
- Original framed colorized picture of Foster.
- Two Original Copies of the Yankee Kriegies magazine.
- Multiple replacement medals.
- Wartime patches.
- Wartime Wings and insignia.
- Newspaper articles and other ephemera.
Some of the rarest WWII Alien POW pieces known to exist are contained in this named archive including a POW Stalag Luft 1 cook book, POW made Wings display board, hand drawn and colored Menu from late in the war, wartime Western Union Telegrams, Kriegsgefangenenpost Postkarte and so much more. This is a collector opportunity that very likely won't come around more than once in a lifetime.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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