Search Results: Militaria from Langdon Manor Books LLC

Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory: N.P., 1865. Very good. 19 7/8" x 15 ¾". Hand colored photograph with "Stonewall" written in pencil in large script on verso as well as a pasted-on sheet adhered to verso with handwritten ink inscription, "For Ollie E. Russell/Richard D. Russell/taken in Santa Fe. N. M. in 1865." Very good: lightly bowed at edges; light to moderate edge wear and dust soiling; 2" x 1.5" patch of staining, along with several smaller stains, none of which affect the subject. This is a large portrait of a Colorado frontiersman who died leading a group of homesteaders against a giant land company that attempted to evict them from the town they spent nearly 20 years building. Richard D. Russell was born in Canada in 1839, raised in Illinois, and ran away from home to California at the age of 16 where he became a rancher. He joined the First California Volunteers early in the Civil War, ultimately ending up at Fort Union in New Mexico, serving with the New Mexico Volunteers. While at Fort… Read More

N.P.: Department of the Army Directorate, United States Dependents Schools, European Area, 1974. 10¼" x 7¾". Stapled printed thin card wrappers. Pp. [2], 34. Very good: all leaves three-hole punched, possibly as issued, corner crease and light stains to front wrapper. This is a book focused on Jewish American history and culture. It was designed to help educators who taught the children of members of the United States military who were living overseas. Please see item 3, above, for background on the United States Dependents Schools, European Area (USDESEA). The book opens with a letter from the USDESEA Deputy Director, explaining the goal of helping educators [i] "become more aware of the diverse cultural backgrounds of America's minorities, more sensitive to the problems each group has faced, and more actively involved in America's efforts to solve cultural problems."[/i] It features background information on the history of the Jewish people, including contributions to Columbus' famous voyage to… Read More

[Nanking, China]: Engineer Section, Army Advisory Group, 1947. Good. 9½" x 6¾". Illustrated thin card wrappers. Pp. [5], 88, [1]. Good: lacking the map; wrappers heavily soiled and worn with some loss to edges and spine; internally very good with light toning at extremities. This is a heavily illustrated guidebook to China produced for the wives and families of American soldiers. The first section provided a "Greeting" and backdrop of information: "This small booklet is intended to give you an insight into China from the point of view of an American Army or Navy family. Your husband may be stationed in Shanghai, Nanking, Hankow, Hangchow, Tsingtao or Peiping. We have tried to tell you a little about each of these places: where you will live, what kind of a home you may expect to find awaiting you, and what there is to do and see." At the time of publication, the United States Army Advisory Group was stationed in Nanking, the Nationalist capital. Americans stayed on in China post-World War II… Read More

[Philadelphia]: N.P., 1940. 20 3/8" x 13". Broadside/small poster. Very good: several small chips and a few tiny tears at edges, lightly toned at extremities. This is a striking poster for the Betsy Ross Air Corps, the first of several paramilitary women's aviation organizations that hoped to support the Army Air Corps and assist during times of national emergency. The Corps was founded in 1931 by Opal Kunz, a charter member of the Ninety-Nines organization of women pilots and the first woman to race men in open competition. The Corps had its own uniforms and was divided into nine regions across the country. We think this poster was part of a membership drive ignited by the war in Europe. We list the place of publication as Philadelphia as it references Marcelle Warner Lower as the commander of the 3rd area and an address of 2601 [Benjamin Franklin] Parkway which was where the 3rd Area headquarters was located. Also, Lower was married near the end of 1940 and immediately began using her married… Read More

Omdurman, Khartoum and surrounding areas in Sudan, 1927. Good. 9¼" x 14½". Steel two ring binder with faux leather flexible card covers. 56 pages with 305 black and white photographs adhesive mounted. Photos measure from 1¼" x 2" to 4¾" x 9", with the average around 3" x 4". 217 are captioned, though many are faint and ten are probably unreadable. Album good: front cover and all leaves detached; photos generally very good or better. This album depicting Sudan in the mid-1920s was compiled by an unknown member of the British military who was there to assist in training the newly created Sudan Defence Force (SDF). It's filled with exceptional imagery of Sudan and its native peoples taken not long after political turmoil and violence in the area led to a drastic shift in Great Britain's approach to the country. After World War I, anti-British sentiment in Egypt leached into Sudan. This led Great Britain in 1920 to create plans to replace Egyptian officials, officers and troops in Sudan with their… Read More

Kelly Air Force Base, Texas: Base Photographic Laboratory, 1955. Very good +. Six black and white 8" x 10" photographs. Generally very good plus: a bit curled with light edge wear and scattered spotting. This is a group of fantastic photographs showing internal views of the general store at the Kelly Air Force Base (KAFB) near San Antonio, Texas. The site for KAFB was chosen in 1916 and the base opened one year later, its quick growth spurred by the United States entry into World War I. The base was known for the "Kelly Katies," the name given to the over 10,000 women who worked there and helped make it the world's largest air depot by the end of World War II. At KAFB's closing in 2001, it was the oldest continuously operating flying base in the United States Air Force. These photographs reveal internal shots of KAFB's general store. There are great images of the grocery aisles, teeming with canned and fresh fruits and vegetables, shelves of dry goods, price lists for sodas and baby foods, and… Read More

Fort Des Moines, Iowa and Pasadena California: 1943-1945. 24 autograph letters (approximately 65 pages on sheets measuring around 7½" x 5¼") , one typescript letter, eight greeting cards and two dinner menus. Two steel spiral stenographer's note books measuring 9" x 6" with 123 pages of handwritten notes. Uniforms include two shirts, one jacket, two skirts and a hat. Letter, notebooks and menus very good or better; uniforms in excellent condition with minimal wear. This is a group of items documenting the military career of Dorothy Schutt who served in the WAC from 1943 until at least 1945. She trained at Fort Des Moines and was with the 78th WAC Hospital Company at Birmingham General Hospital in Van Nuys, California as of 1945. In addition to her uniforms, the collection includes printed menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at Fort Des Moines in 1943, as well as over 30 items of correspondence. She received a number of greeting cards while at Fort Des Moines in December 1943 and several… Read More