Fountain Pens Of Wwii

[Princeps Anglorum]

Apparently the Italians were the only nation who switched sides between WWi and WWII and move from the winning side to the losing side.

[jdllizard]

I have a fondness for military related items, such as pens, knives, and watches.

 

I recently added these two desk sets to my collection simply for their connection to the military.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/281045-picked-up-another-military-desk-set/

 

I always keep a sharp eye out for any fountain pen or related item with that military connection. That stuff really captures my interest. I've seen Esterbrook Dip-Less pens marked Property US Government, which I hope to add one to my collection someday, and I also know there are Esterbrook 407 Desk Sets marked USAF and US Army that I'd like to add to the collection as well.

[jdllizard]

You might do a search on quartermaster and supply catalogs of the period as the volume of pens and ink purchased and shipped overseas was probably substantial. The Red Cross also may have played a role in providing writing materials for Joes to write their families.

 

Interesting question. Good luck!

 

Jack

 

P.S. - I'm a volunteer in service to the 10th Mountain Div.'s WW2 vets here in Colorado. Next time I'm with them I'll ask about letters home and their recollections of pens they might have used.

Good idea, I might see if I can research what fountain pens were purchased by the military using old quartermaster records.

 

P.S. Thank you for your assistance volunteering with our WWII Veterans!

[Buckandball1842]

Ernie Pyle, perhaps the greatest of many great war correspondents, wrote of another creative use of a fountain pen in Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe...

 

"Lieutenant Richard Cole, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was commander of Company K. In midafternoon a German shell found him as he lay hiding with his men in the wheat. One leg got only a slight wound, but the other was shattered. Lieutenant Cole saved his life by using his head. He made a tourniquet of his handkerchief, and using a fountain pen for a lever he twisted the tourniquet and held it, and at the same time began slowly crawling to the rear."

 

I know of many pen models and colors that paid tribute to to the troops in one way or another. Wahl-Eversharp made Skylines in Marine Green, Army Brown and Navy Blue, and I have an ad from the first world war showing soldiers and sailors in uniform heartily endorsing the Parker, 'leakproof pen'.

 

Military regulations (enforced in garrison, rarely in combat) dictated that a pen in the chest pocket could not show. As a result, there were 'military' pen models that had the clip mounted to the top of the cap so that the pen could stay hidden under the pocket flap.

 

You might do a search on quartermaster and supply catalogs of the period as the volume of pens and ink purchased and shipped overseas was probably substantial. The Red Cross also may have played a role in providing writing materials for Joes to write their families.

 

Interesting question. Good luck!

 

Jack

 

P.S. - I'm a volunteer in service to the 10th Mountain Div.'s WW2 vets here in Colorado. Next time I'm with them I'll ask about letters home and their recollections of pens they might have used.

 

 

 

 

Climb to Glory! I'm current 10th MTN, but I recently got to meet some WWII vets who were at Riva Ridge and Mount Belvedere (a few live around the Fort Drum area). Didn't get a chance to ask them about their pen carrying habits though, too much else to pick their brains about.

[Tasmith]

Apparently the Italians were the only nation who switched sides between WWi and WWII and move from the winning side to the losing side.

People forget the Japanese switched from the WWI winning side to WWII losing side.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Tasmith

[carlos.q]

Any investigation on WWII pens should consider this amazing story of personal courage and remarkable pen restoration:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/211230-pelikan-101n-after-72-years-in-the-grave/

[Larry Barrieau]

" he mentions a battalion commander who was saved from a shrapnel wound by a Parker fountain pen carried in his breast pocket(he doesn't mention what type)."

 

Ooh! This answers a question I've had for a while. "When were Nerf guns first used in battle?"

[jonperry]

In the course of researching my funky Stratford 77 I inherited from my grandparents, I came across these LIFE magazine ads explaining that the "shortage of Stratfords" (who knew?) is because they are being supplied to the US military (links are here and here).

 

The below photos show my Stratford 77 along with a US Army Air Corps issue Elgin A-11 that saw action aboard B24s against the Japanese in the Northern Pacific and as a POW at the hands of the Soviets in Siberia.

Edited December 24, 2014 by jonperry

[Miz Black Crow]

Jonperry, neat items! Did the watch and the pen serve together? Or are they of separate origins?

[AZBennett]

 

This technique is taught to this day to EMTs and paramedics performing emergency tourniquet applications, pen and all. ("Fountain" usually is not unspecified )

 

ETA: Unfortunately, I have literally no knowledge of WWII fountain pens, but I *do* know that the title auto-capitalized US to Us in a recent post, so I don't think it likes all-caps (even when they're appropriate).

When I went through Army Combat Lifesaver course in 2003 our medics taught us this techinique. I am thankful I never had to use it, but I always carried a metal pen during my deployments for this reason.

 

My mother has a bunch of photos from WWII of her father, in Guadalcanal and other islands. They are all written on with pencil and don't show any pens but I always wonder what my grandfather carried. The pictures were taken by Oscar Meyer Jr. Who was a photographer with the USMC in my grandfathers unit. I love military history and looking through his items brings back strong emotions.

[jonperry]

@Miz Black Crow - they served separately but seemed like a nice pair when I took the photo. The pen was part of my first exposure to FPs as a kid along with various Wearevers, Eversharps, and my first P51 via my grandparents - one of whom was a Pearl Harbor survivor. I'm unable to confirm that the pen was connected to his military service since he, like so many WWII vets, is no longer with us.

[Mari1013]

Another vote for Parker: My father was ship's doctor during WWII and sailed all around the South Pacific. My older sister is lucky enough to own the Parker 51 he carried then. (I'm not complaining; I have the Sheaffers he owned during the 50s and 60s, including a stunning PFM-V.)

[jdllizard]

No telling whether the owners of these two pens "saw the elephant" in WWII, but I imagine there's a very good possibility, since I believe most all USMC personnel were combat troops. The quite worn first quarter '44 stacked coin band silver Vacumatic is personalized for T. R. HALE, U.S.M.C. The slightly better condition coin silver cap third quarter '42 blue cedar 51 is personalized for FRANK E. RATHKAMP, U.S.M.C. So two votes for Parker. As the saying goes, if they could only talk.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/nihontochicken/IMG_0324_zps11f1a907.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/nihontochicken/IMG_0325_zps5a132216.jpg

 

Those are seriously cool! My problem is, I'd be torn as to whether to keep them, or embark on the journey of finding the original owners or their remaining family. Just think if someone called you one day saying they had your grandfathers long lost personalized fountain pen, watch, *insert cool item here* and the story of it's travels?

 

I'm not saying you should do that, you should do whatever you want with them as you've come by them honestly I'm sure, I'm just saying it's something I'd consider doing if they were mine. But then again, I may just keep them and show them off from time to time too.

[zubipen]

In the other side: Pelikan, Montblanc, Kaweco; Aurora. I have no information about the Japanese

[Nihontochicken]

 

Those are seriously cool! My problem is, I'd be torn as to whether to keep them, or embark on the journey of finding the original owners or their remaining family. Just think if someone called you one day saying they had your grandfathers long lost personalized fountain pen, watch, *insert cool item here* and the story of it's travels?

 

I'm not saying you should do that, you should do whatever you want with them as you've come by them honestly I'm sure, I'm just saying it's something I'd consider doing if they were mine. But then again, I may just keep them and show them off from time to time too.

I've tried a simple Google search and looked at a few pages of results without success. I'm afraid that's the limit of my search fu power, I'm not into genealogy myself, alas.

[jar]

I've tried a simple Google search and looked at a few pages of results without success. I'm afraid that's the limit of my search fu power, I'm not into genealogy myself, alas.

 

A suggestion. Contact a local USMC member and they will be able to point you down the right trail.

[Princeps Anglorum]

People forget the Japanese switched from the WWI winning side to WWII losing side.

 

Tas

 

Thanks for correcting this error.