Description
WWII US ARMY 711TH TANK BATTALION COMBAT PHOTO ALBUM, MEDAL & KNIFE GROUPING – 7TH INFANTRY DIVISION – OKINAWA – CORPORAL GALEN HECKBER – SHERMAN TANKS – JAPANESE ARMOR – PACIFIC WAR
An exceptional and extensively captioned WWII American soldier’s photograph album and personal effects grouping belonging to Corporal Galen E. Heckber of South Bend, Indiana, who served with Headquarters Company, 711th Tank Battalion, attached to the 7th Infantry Division during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Accompanying the album are Heckber’s knife with an engraved scabbard (WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF HIM WEARING IT IN THEATER!), dog tags, military medals, and insignia, making this a particularly desirable named grouping of wartime photographs, documents, and personal military artifacts. The album documents Heckber’s military experiences from training in the California desert through Hawaii, Leyte in the Philippines, and the brutal Okinawa campaign. Particularly noteworthy are the numerous original photographs of American Sherman tanks, including tanks bearing individual names and markings, as well as destroyed and abandoned Japanese tanks, artillery, vehicles, fortifications, caves, and battlefield scenes. Several photographs show American tanks knocked out by Japanese fire, including one captioned “One of our M4 tanks that didn’t fare so good,” another described as having struck a land mine, and images of Japanese medium tanks and antitank guns. One particularly interesting photograph depicts an American flamethrower tank projecting a stream of fire across an Okinawan hillside. Other photographs document Japanese prisoners of war, Okinawan civilians, captured Japanese positions, burial sites, and a 7th Infantry Division cemetery dedication. The album also includes a photograph of the 711th Tank Battalion’s sign, reading “THE 7TH’S 711TH,” and photographs of the battalion’s camp and outdoor theater, described by Heckber as the place where he spent most of his evenings. An especially significant inclusion is an original wartime newspaper clipping identifying Heckber by name and describing his tank, nicknamed “Hangover,” which reportedly bore painted clown faces on its sides. According to the clipping, Japanese artillery fire struck the vehicle and Japanese soldiers subsequently charged it, suffering heavy casualties. A separate photograph shows the tank “Hangover” and its five-man crew, with the men individually identified in Heckber’s handwriting. The album also contains personal material including a Western Union telegram sent to Heckber’s parents from Needles, California, and his original February 1944 furlough authorization identifying his assignment to Headquarters Company, 711th Tank Battalion. Throughout the album, Heckber’s unusually detailed handwritten captions identify fellow servicemen, military locations, vehicles, and incidents, preserving an intimate firsthand record of his experiences. Additional photographs document military life in Hawaii and the Philippines, including camp scenes, recreation, native wildlife, and fellow soldiers. Together with the engraved knife and scabbard, dog tags, medals, insignia, and accompanying documentation, the grouping represents an unusually comprehensive personal record of an American tanker’s service in the Pacific War.
