Zippos WWII

Worn Zippo with the U.S. Army Air Force insignia on the front and a British Three Pence coin on the back.

Very special, well worn black crackle Zippo with a framed picture of GI's darling and a U.S. Army officers collar insignia on the front and a U.S. Army Air Force insignia on the back with a centered Island 1 Eyrir coin underneath with a M1 Garand .30-06 Springfield bullet on the left and on the right of the coin.

Air transport command was a U.S. Army Air Force unit that was created during WWII as the strategic airlift component of the U.S. Army Air Forces. The north African wing (redesignated north African division on 1 July 1944) was established June 1943 from a split of the Africa-middle east wing. Moved aircraft, supplies and cargo from west African transport hub. Operated the Mediterranean Air Transport service from Casablanca to Cairo and later from Algiers to Naples in 1944.

Chrome plated Zippo with a U.S. Army Air Force pilot badge and an Air Transport command emblem on one side and a U.S. Army officers collar insignia along with an Egyptian 10 Milliemes 1943 coin with King Farouk.

The U.S. Army Air Force Combat units of WWII was constituted as 8th Bomber Command on 19 Jan 1942, the command conducted the heavy bombardment operations. Redesignated 8th Air Force on 22 Feb 1944. Afterward, engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets in Europe. These missions, however, carried a high price. Half of the U.S. Army Air Forces' casualties in WWII were suffered by 8th Air Force – more than 47,000 casualties with more than 26,000 dead. Seventeen Medals of Honor went to 8th Air Force personnel and there were 261 fighter aces in the 8th Air Force during World War II.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with different decorations: a St. Michael the saint of the U.S. Army Air Force units, a U.S. Army Air Force insignia, an emblem of the «The Mighty Eighth», a skull on the side, three different American coins and the following statements engraved: «Momento Mori», «Carpe Diem» and «Tempo Fugato».

During WWII the Italian city of Naples suffered approximately 200 air raids by the allies from 1940 to 1944. Almost all of the attacks — a total of 181 — were launched in the first nine months of 1943 before the four days of Naples and the allied occupation of the city at the beginning of October. In Naples, the primary targets were the port facilities at the extreme eastern end of the Port of Naples as well as the rail, industrial and petroleum facilities in the eastern part of the city and the steel mill to the west, in Bagnoli.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with various engravings: the U.S. Army Air Force bomber insignia and the place of action «Naples» and «Italy» on the front and «VE» known as Victory in Europe Day, the owners name «Paul. J. Stein», his personal service number «35398924» and the date «8.15.45» together with «VJ» the day that proclaimed Victory over Japan Day on the other side.

The need for bomb disposal became evident during WWII, and various branches of the U.S. Military, including the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, established 1942 first U.S. Army Bomb Disposal units. These units were responsible for identifying, rendering safe, and disposing of unexploded ordnance.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with U.S. Army Air Force Bomb Disposal Squad batch in the Shape of a bomb on the front along with a «B» and «D», the owner's name «Benson» and the year «1942» engraved on the front and the owner's full name «Irving Benson» and map symbol on the other side. Irving L. Benson from St. Louis, Minnesota with the Army serial number 17110968 served from 1942 in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a pilot and a member of a Bomb Disposal Squad.

Chrome plated Zippo with U.S. Army Air Force insignia, a sterling lucky gremlin charm were popular with the B-17 crew and an emblem of AAF eastern technical training command on the front. From a soldier with the service number 36755043 from Chicago who started 19 June 1943 at fort Sheridan Illinois and was honorably discharged 5 September 1945. On the back, the side and on the top all training camps and stays are engraved. In chronological order: 1631st SURRC Ft. Custer, Mich 3 Jul 43, 1177th Tng Gp BTC # 10 Greensboro, NC 11 Jul 43, 74th AAF TTD Greeley, Colo 5 Oct 43, 24th TSS, AAF WTTC Ft Logan, Colo 5 Oct 43, 23d TSS, AAF WTTC Ft Logan, Colo 25 Oct 43, ORD # 3, Seymour Johnson Field, Goldsboro, NC 9 Dec 43, Camp Patrick Henry, Va., Hampton Roads, Va., SS Livermore 2-28 Apr 44 Brindisi, Italy, 90th Dep. Rep. Sq., 15th AF AAF SC/MTO Naples, Italy, SS Mt. Vernon 8-18 Jul. 45, Hampton Roads, Va., Camp Patrick Henry, Va., Camp Grant, III, Ft. Sheridan, III. 

Worn black crackle Zippo with U.S. Army Air Force pilot badge on the top, three different emblems (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress airplane, Allison, SAAD) on the front and seven emblems (St. Christopher, Boeing airplane, British Legion, Masonic, ELKS, Pratt & Whitney and Wright engines) on the other side.

The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for WWII.

Mint black crackle Zippo with original factory engraving of the Bell Aircraft Corporation logo.

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered WWII. By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, nearly 600 P-39s had been built. When P-39 production ended in August 1944, Bell had built 9'558 Airacobras.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with a miniature metal Bell P-39 applied.

First flown in 1944, the first delivery was not until June 1945 and only a few entered service before the end of the war. In the end, only 223 C-82As would be built, a small number for a wartime production cargo aircraft. Most were used for cargo and troop transport, although a few were used for paratroop operations or towing military gliders.

Well worn black crackle Zippo with a miniature metal Fairchild C-82 applied.

The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 in Los Angeles County, California. During the WWII Vultee produced different combat airplanes like e.g. the P-66 Vanguard.

Zippo with original factory engraving of the Vultee Aircraft Corporation logo.

WWII saw the emergence of naval aviation as the decisive element in the war at sea. The principal users were Japan, United States and Britain. During the course of the war, seaborne aircraft were used in fleet actions at sea (Midway, Bismarck), strikes against naval units in port (Taranto, Pearl Harbor), support of ground forces (Okinawa, Allied invasion of Italy) and anti-submarine warfare (the Battle of the Atlantic). Carrier-based aircraft were specialised as dive bombers, torpedo bombers, and fighters. Surface-based aircraft such as the PBY Catalina helped finding submarines and surface fleets.

Worn Zippo with U.S. Naval Aviator emblem on the front and personal initials «F.B.» on the other side.

Submarines are very valuable attack vehicles. In WWII they were basically surface ships that could travel underwater for a limited time. The submarines of the United States were already very advanced and won the Pacific theatre. Charles Mc Henry (Avril 20, 1924 – December 19, 2011) served in the U.S. Navy during WWII aboard the submarine U.S.S. Finback. She arrived at Pearl Harbor in May 1942 and was dispatched to the Midway area in anticipation of a Japanese attack. Between 1942 and the end of the war, she embarked on 12 war patrols, 9 of which were designated successful. She sank a total of 69,383 tons of enemy shipping during the war, and rescued, among other downed aviators, future President of the United States George Bush.

Chrome plated Zippo with silver U.S. Submarine Warfare insignia for enlisted personnel plus personal items containing a launching button, a ring, a U.S. Submarine combat insignia and Charles Mc Henry's combat card, which he received after successfully completing his first patrol.

Black crackle Zippo with the insignia of the U.S. Maritime service and the applied number 44 on the front.

Black crackle Zippo with the U.S. Marine Corps insignia on the front. During WWII, the Marines performed a central role along with the U.S. Army, particularly in the pacific war.