Field Equipment | Graves Registration

Medical Department, form 52b ‘Emergency Medical Tag’ (Revised November 5, 1942)

Medical personnel was supposed to fill out an Emergency Medical Tag for each casualty. Just as doctors and nurses do in todays hospitals, it is critical to have the patients’ name and identity number. During World War II the medical and graves registration units used a similar administrative system. The Emergency Medical Tag, or EMT […]

200 Tags, Identification, M-1940 Monel Metal

Every American soldier in World War II was issued a set of M-1940 identification tags, or “dog tags”. Embossed on it was information like name, Army Serial Number, tetanus, religion etc. The graves registration units used this same concept to identify a fallen soldier on the wooden cross. These blank tags came in small cardboard […]

Flag, Burial, 48 stars – Albert Bergerhofer, Jr – (301st Bombardment Group, 353rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)

Albert Bergerhofer Jr joined the US Army on September 16 1942 and recieved his personal service number: 17059667. When enlisting at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas he was only 19 years of age. After completing basic training he got assigned to the 301st Bombardment Group, 353rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) and sent to England in August 1942 with […]

Dust Respirator, M1

Standard equipment for Graves Registration Service personnel to protect themselves against odors and small particles. Originally, the M-1 dust respirator was issued during WWII to vehicle drivers and to troops in areas such as North Africa in order to prevent the inhalation of dust or sand. It was usually used with goggles to protect the […]

Mattress Cover, for Felt Mattress

Standard Medical Department white cotton mattrass cover. Obviously used to sleep on in the first place, but in reality these were also used by Graves Registration Service personnel to bury deceased soldiers in. By the Medical Department also known as ‘Mattress Cover, for Felt Mattress – Item #71620’. More pictures:

Methyl Bromide – Delousing Agent (20cc Ampoule)

Methyl Bromide is a delousing agent used to disinfect clothing from louse. Used by Graves Registration personnel when handling deceased personnel who had been dead for several days, weeks or even months. In areas where no decontamination facilities were available, for example rear units or combat zones, a specially developed rubber bag, about 25 by […]

Bag, Delousing, Synthetic Rubber

Large bag made out of synthetic rubber to delouse infected clothing. A seperate ampoule of Methyl-Bromide must be used as an louse killing agent. Those came in glass ampoules and to get the procedure starting, that ampoule has to be broken by standing on it. More pictures:

Model 70 Addressograph Imprinting Machine (Medical Item #99387)

The Model 70 Addressograph is a pistol-type Imprinting Machine used by the US Army Medical Department and Graves Registration units to transfer dog tag (or burial tag) identification data directly to his of her (Medical) Records. More pictures:

Bag, Personal Effects (Stock No. 27-B-250)

Used to store small personal effects from deceased soldiers. For example (wrist)watches, bracelets and billfolds were stored in these. After the paperwork has been filled in, the bags were put into a large Personal Effects Pouch to be shipped back to the United States for further processing. More pictures:

Typewriter, Royal Aristocrat, 1941

World War II period U.S. Army marked Typewriter from type Aristocrat, as made by the Royal Typewriter Company in 1941. During World War II hundreds of thousands of typewriters were used by all armies around the world. In the States States, typewriter manufacturing companies produced solely for the government during this time of war. This […]