Release: JUNE 6, 2025
Eighty-five years ago, in 1940, John Wolfe was in grade school in St. Louis. From radio and newspapers, he knew problems in Europe were piquing. Germany was overrunning country after country. In 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. America was at war.
Wolfe so wanted to enlist. Of course, he was too young. As he went through high school, he continued to want to join. The Battle of the Bulge increased that desire. Upon graduation he was able to sign up. He went through basic training for the Army infantry and was sent to Italy. There, he was tapped to be in the Military Police. In many respects, MPs had carte blanche. They could travel pretty much at will....
Germany had surrendered so Wolfe missed the fighting he had dreamed about. He wanted to see some of where it happened. With his credentials, he and a friend secured a jeep and headed for the German border. His MP armband and ID were his pass.
He and his friend ended up in the southern German village of Berchtesgaden. That was where Goering, Himmler and all the Nazi High Command had impressive villas. There was also an abandoned SS barracks. Overlooking the village and majestic surrounding mountains, Hitler had his “Eagle’s Nest” compound.
When Wolfe and his friend arrived, a young Bavarian boy around age 14 offered to show them around Hitler’s now-empty lair. In return, they traded the boy American cigarettes.
During and especially at the end of the war, US cigarettes were highly prized. They became a medium of exchange for most everything. Soldiers were given packs by the Red Cross. Most were smoked. For the few, like Wolfe, who did not smoke, they were precious currency.
After they came down from Hitler’s retreat, the young boy asked Wolfe if he’d like to buy a gold Nazi party pin once owned and worn by Martin Bormann, Hitler’s indispensable right-hand man. For anyone to get to Hitler, they had to go through Bormann. He was the gatekeeper. He also had a home in Berchtesgaden.
Wolfe was quite sure the pin was simply a common souvenir trinket, if not a fake, and had never actually belonged to Bormann. Still, he made the trade for some cigarettes. The two soldiers climbed in their jeep and headed back to Italy.
Years later, Wolfe purchased a small apple farm in the Normandy region of France. Appreciable fighting had taken place in the region. One day, while digging in his garden, he heard a clank. He dug up a German dagger errantly dropped by a Nazi soldier. A genuine souvenir!
Half a century after the war, Wolfe ran across that pin. Still curious, he contacted a friend who knew about such memorabilia. He sent a photo of the pin. His friend asked if there were a number on the back. There was. Number 60508. A few days later, Wolfe’s friend responded.
Incredibly, the pin he had traded a few cigarettes for so many years before was genuine and had actually belonged to Martin Bormann. The number was the key. Germans were fanatics about data. They fastidiously kept detailed records. Bormann had been assigned the gold pin with that number. Photos from the era show Bormann wearing the pin on his uniform.
Today, there are countless collectors of war memorabilia. World War II is of special interest – chiefly German artifacts. Online and at military shows, knives, helmets, buttons, lighters and more are actively traded and sell for top dollar. Currently, a box of cigars labeled and authenticated to have been part of Hermann Goering’s personal stash is listed for thousands of dollars.
What is the collector value of Wolfe’s pin? Estimates are in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s certainly unique. But, it’s tricky. Some warn that German war items could glorify Nazism. Any sale would also need to be outside of Germany or Austria where it’s illegal to sell such things. And, by law in Germany, any image of a swastika must be covered.
Today, Wolfe is a 98-year-old veteran who still travels back to his small farm in Normandy for D-Day anniversaries. There, he handles the dagger he so luckily dug up. He even still has and can fit into his old uniform. Of course, he also ponders the priceless pin once worn on the uniform of a high-ranking enemy official.
Monetary values aside, artifacts and collectibles literally let us hold history – good or bad – in our hands. That’s invaluable – particularly for those who lived it…and were there.
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