Working estate sales, I often come across military memorabilia. Most times it is simply a uniform, a photo album, or some other odds and ends. Very rarely do we stumble upon large groupings complete with an archive and high-end war souvenirs. Recently we uncovered just that, a treasure trove of artifacts from a soldier who fought in the Pacific, including Japanese weapons and the crate he shipped them home in!
This post is part of an ongoing series called ‘Workplace discoveries’, which documents interesting Second World War related artifacts that I discover at work. My regular job is to manage an estate sale company. Artifacts documented in this series are not necessarily in my possession, and may been saved by the homeowner or sold to another customer. Any item I do buy has first been made available to the general public.
From rural Wisconsin to the jungles of the Pacific
Elroy H. Schmitt was born in the small rural city of New Holstein, Wisconsin, on October 16, 1918. Of German heritage, both of his parents were born in Wisconsin, but his paternal grandmother immigrated from Hannover. The family belonged to a Lutheran parish and owing to the community’s strong ethnic roots, Elroy’s baptismal certificate was in German. His father found a comfortable income as a general store owner. Life in the close-knit community was slow but thanks to the presence of several factories, New Holstein prospered during the Great Depression.
The war would take the Wisconsin native away from his home and to places unfamiliar. Registered for the draft in October 1940, the army called Elroy up who reported for duty on January 27, 1941. Rising up in the ranks, he became promoted to master sergeant on August 9, 1943, his specialty being administration. He left for the Southwest Pacific a little over a year later, arriving in September 1944.
From 1941 to 1945, Australia was a major staging area for American forces in the Pacific Theater. By mid-1943 the Americans numbered 150,000 personnel. Although their presence bolstered Australia’s defense and local economies, it was not without major social tension. Disagreements over pay, American soldiers receiving significantly more than their Australian counterparts, women, food rations, race relations, and fighting skill, all led to confrontations between American and Australian forces. In the Battle of Brisbane, a two-day riot in November 1943, for instance, one Australian soldier was killed, and several hundred persons were left injured, military and civilian alike.
At some point Elroy arrived in Australia. Wanting to become an officer, he applied to and was accepted into officer candidate school (OCS). He attended the eighth class of the Medical Administrative Corps OCS at Camp Columbia, outside of Brisbane. He graduated on June 1, 1945, and commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant. The war in Europe recently over, the Japanese continued to put up a stiff resistance in the Pacific.
Wartime photos of New Guinea and elsewhere in the Pacific taken by Lt. Elory M. Schmitt.
The army assigned the newly minted lieutenant to an outfit out in New Guinea. The 543rd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment was no stranger to combat, having been in theater since late 1944. It operated landing craft and carried out countless vital supply missions along the New Guinea coastline. Its companies scattered, the regiment also participated in several assault operations in New Guinea and the Philippines.
In the summer of 1945, the 543rd prepared for the invasion of mainland Japan. Fortunately for the engineers, along with the rest of the American forces, Japan’s surrender ended the need for such an attack. Landing in Aomori on northern Honshu in September, then moved to Yokohama in November, the unit partook in the Occupation of Japan.
A crate full of souvenirs
Fast forward 79 years later, in October 2023, I had the privilege of selling the military collection of Lt. Elroy H. Schmitt. His widow was being moved into assisted living and required an estate sale. Very rarely do I find such complete groupings with paperwork, photos, souvenirs, and more. What made the collection even more unique was its weapons, along with the original shipping crate!
While on occupation duty in Aomori, Japan, the officers of the 543rd Engineers all received war trophies. Japan became littered with stockpiles of surrendered weapons in the immediate postwar period. Ripe for the taking, these weapons became prized souvenirs for American servicemen. Military commanders allowed trophies with some exceptions, such as unexploded ordnance, and U.S. government property.
Soldiers stuffed duffle bags and footlockers, also swelling the postal system with large packages. To get around customs, as well as noisy commanders, enlisted personnel found creative ways to sneak their treasures home.
Officers, on the other hand, did not need to worry about the prying eyes of superiors.
Lt. Elroy’s particular bring-backs, another term for war trophies, comprised the holy trifecta: rifle, sword, and bayonet. Largest of all was a Type 99 rifle in good shape, with some dings to its wood stock. The mum, a chrysanthemum on the top of the receiver, a symbol of the Japanese Emperor, was grounded off. This act of defacement was standard practice for the Japanese after the war, not wanting American soldiers to take the emperor’s property. Rifles lacking a mum came from postwar surrender stockpiles and not directly off battlefields.
Coming at second is size was a Model 1889 Type 32 cavalry saber. Mass produced for noncommissioned officers, it did not exhibit the exquisite details or fine craftsmanship of its officer counterparts. Still, it made a nice wall hanger.
Although proud of their veteran’s service, the family decided it was best to pass the collection on to a better caretaker. Thankfully the family agreed to keep everything together and even provided additional military paperwork. The asking price was firm, over $1,000, and we received many offers to part out the items, which we refused. At the end we found the right buyer who is now preserving Lt. Schmitt’s story.
Type 99 rifle, produced for the Imperial Japanese Army from 1939 to 1945, with approximately 3.5 million made. Production quality decreased significantly towards the end of the war, with these examples termed “last ditch” rifles.
As apparent on this example the mum, a chrysanthemum, has been removed. Located on the top of the receiver, the marking signified that the weapon was the property of the Emperor of Japan. The Japanese removed the symbol from stockpiled weapons following their surrender.
Short snorter, a souvenir in which persons traveling or serving together autograph a banknote. The practice started with Alaskan bush pilots in the 1920s and then spread across commercial and military aviation. It achieved peak popularity in WWII with American servicemen.
Mr. Schmitt commemorated his short snorter, a late war 2-peso Philippine banknote, by including his coordinates, 9°N, 142°E. His location was in the jungles of New Guinea.
Type 30 bayonet, designed for the Imperial Japanese Army to be used with the Arisaka Type 30 rifle but could also be fitted on other weapons, like the Type 99 rifle. It’s very long and slender blade was grooved to reduce weight.
The marking on this example, three circles joined together, with a fourth in the center, was used by Tokyo Arsenal into the 1920s, and afterwards by Kokura Arsenal until 1945.
Shipping crate, used to mail war trophies, souvenirs, back home to the United States. Soldiers could stuff duffle bags or footlockers full of goods but if space was limited, another option was through the military postal system.
Mr. Schmitt managed to fit a rifle, sword, and bayonet, all in the same crate. His fellow officers in the 543rd Engineers received similar trophies while on occupation duty in Japan.