The 88th Infantry Division, known by its wartime nickname «Blue Devils», was the first U.S. Army draftee (Selective Service) division to enter combat in WWII. The division deployed to Italy in early 1944 and participated extensively in the Italian campaign, fighting northward through the peninsula against entrenched German forces. Stationed in the Naples area during the spring of 1944, the division witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in March of that year, an event that affected Allied installations in the region. The division later advanced through central and northern Italy during the final Allied offensive of 1945.
Nickel-plated Zippo lighter engraved on the lid «FRED C. WEAVER» above the Army serial number «33398136». The front face features an engraved depiction of Mount Vesuvius in eruption above the Bay of Naples.
