U.S. Army Ordnance Corps – Cartridge

The United States take over the North Atlantic air route – the shortest path between America and the European front. As way stations on this route both Greenland and Newfoundland acquired a new importance, as one of the terminal points.

Black crackle Zippo with a U.S. Army officers collar insignia and a U.S. Army Ordnance Corps insignia on the front, a Newfoundland One Cent 1942 coin and a Greenland 50 Øre 1926 coin on the back, and an applique of a half .30 M1 carbine cartridge and bullet on the side.

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Ordnance Corps – General Campbell

Multiple awarded Levin H. Campbell Jr. was the 16th chief of ordnance during WWII from 1942 until 1946 in the rank of a major general and temporary as a lieutenant general. His optimizations and major changes to the ordnance corps were war deciding. A letter from General Patton sums up his accomplishments. Patton said that his «admiration for Ordnance products does not stop with the M-1 Rifle.» He goes on to say that the «machine guns, mortars, artillery, and tanks of the United States are without equal».

Chrome plated Zippo with the unit insignia of the U.S. Fifth Army on one side and the U.S. Army Ordnance Corp insignia flaming bomb with two sterling rank stars applied and the owner's name «Levin H. Campbell Jr.» engraved on the other side. Double stamp on the top and the bottom.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

Gulf Oil

Without oil WWII could never have been won. Gulf Oil was a major global oil company and the eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941.

Worn Zippo with diagonal lines and original manufacturing Gulf metal emblem on the front.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1937 - 41
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – G C

Well worn black crackle Zippo with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insignia on the front.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Coins

Army engineers built airfields, roads, bridges, ports, military camps, hospitals, and dozens of other facilities, including the Pentagon completed in 1942. Among the most acclaimed of the combat engineers' achievements were the Alcan Highway, the Ledo and Burma Roads and the clearing of mines and underwater obstacles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supervised the Manhattan Project, the construction of the atomic bomb.

Black crackle Zippo with a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insignia, a Royal Air Force insignia and a small British coin on both the front and back as well as a small U.S. Army Great Seal insignia on the side.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. 105th Engineer Combat Battalion

The 30th Infantry Division landed at Omaha Beach, France on 10 June 1944. With them came their Divisional Engineers, the 105th Engineer Combat Battalion. One notable campaign in which the 105th Engineer Combat Battalion participated was Operation Market Garden. Among others the batallion took part in September in the liberation of the Valkenburg in the Netherlands.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insignia and a coat of arms of the Valkenburg on the front and two Netherland coins with the image of Queen Wilhelmina. In 1941 the Germans seized all the silver and copper coins. This was on the one hand because the old coins bore the image of Queen Wilhelmina, on the other hand the metal was used for the German arms industry. The people had to hand in their old coins in exchange for new zinc coins or paper money. However, many people kept their old coins and as a symbol of resistance and as a reminder of the royal family.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Y. T. Kelly

ALCAN Highway also known as the Alaska Highway was constructed during WWII to connect the contiguous United States to Alaska across Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. When it was completed in 1942, it was about 2,700 kilometers long. Y. T. Kelly served 1943 as a safety engineer in the corps.

Worn black crackle Zippo with different engravings: «Whitehorse», the owner's name «Y. T. Kelly», «Yukon» and «1943» on the front, «Fairbanks Alaska» and «Alcan Highway» on the back and «Safety Engr.» on the side.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Signal Corps – Eddie M. Cain

Well worn black crackle Zippo with U.S. Signal Corps insignia and womens name «Tamara» on one side and «Eddie M. Cain» together with «Italia 44-45» engraved on the other side with a U.S. Army officers collar insignia.

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection

U.S. Naval Construction Force – W. W. Welker

The need for a militarized construction force became evident after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On D-Day Seabees were the first ashore as naval combat demolition units. Their task was to remove German defensive beach obstructions built to impede amphibious landings.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with Seabees logo engraved on the front and ownership details «W. W. Welker, 602 28 89, U.S. Navy» on the other side.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. Naval Construction Force

U.S. Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force. The Seabees nickname is a heterograph of the first letters «C B» from the words Construction Battalion.

Worn chrome plated Zippo with U.S. Naval Construction Force insignia on the front. The Seabees had a second Logo. It was of a shirtless constructionman holding a sledge hammer with a rifle strapped across his back standing upon the words «Construimus Batuimus USN» («We build, We fight» USN).

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection

U.S. 1st Cavalry Division – Bob Smetkal

The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division started activities in New Guinea 1944 and after different battles the division took part in the invasion of Leyte. Later, the division invaded Luzon and fought its way as a «flying column» to Manila by 3 February 1945. After the surrender of the Japanese, the 1st Division was given responsibility for occupying the entire city of Tokyo and the U.S. 8th Cavalry Regiment occupied the 3rd Imperial Guard Regiment Barracks in Tokyo, which provided greater proximity to security missions at the American and Russian Embassies and the Imperial Palace grounds.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with different engravings: The insignia of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division with 8 stars and the owner's name «Bob Smetkal» in original and Japanese characters on the front and the insignia of the U.S. 8th Cavalry Regiment with «1945» and Tokyo in Japanese characters on the other side.

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection

U.S. Mechanized Cavalry

During the war, many of the Army's Cavalry units were mechanized with tanks, which were an important weapons system in WWII.

Chrome plated Zippo with a U.S. Cavalry insignia on one side and a U.S. Armored Force Branch insignia on the other side.

Model:
four barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Tank Destroyer

Mint black crackle Zippo with an U.S. Army Aide-De-Camp insignia for an aide serving a major general and a WWII U.S. Army Tank Destroyer officer collar insignia on the front and with a U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps insignia and U.S. Army officer collar insignia on the other side.

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps

Well worn chrome plated Zippo with U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps insignia and a German iron cross medal as a trophy of the U.S. G.I. who owned this lighter and fought against the Nazis.

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection

U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps – engraved by Zippo

For the U.S. Army, WWII marked the high point in the history of American field artillery, best characterized by rapid movement, timely and accurate target location, massing of fires, and flexibility of control.

Mint black crackle Zippo with original factory engraving of the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps insignia.

Model:
four barrel hinge, flat bottom
Year:
1942 - 43
Status:
in collection

U.S. 93rd Chemical Mortar Battalion

The U.S. 93rd Chemical Mortar Battalion was an Army unit attached to U.S. Infantry Divisions during WWII. They were armed with 4.2 inch (107 mm) chemical mortars. Chemical mortars are so named because of their capability of firing not only high explosive, but also chemical, gas, incendiary and smoke marker shells. These mortars came to be acknowledged by U.S. Army commanders and GI's as being one of the most effective means of quickly striking at stationary targets, such as machine gunnests, prepared strongpoints, pillboxes and even German artillery positions.

Black crackle with painted U.S. 93rd Chemical Mortar Battalion insignia.

Model:
three barrel hinge, round bottom
Year:
1943 - 45
Status:
in collection