Lot 120

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Description:

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND ORDNANCE SCHOOL ARCHIVE
Large collection of World War II-era mimeographed documents and manuals, approx. 400pp., all belonging to a William J. Sullivan and related to his training at the Ordnance School at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, circa 1943. The archive includes data sheets for the U.S. Army's standard pistols, revolvers, rifles, submachine guns and machine guns, including the Colt M1911, the M1 Garand, the M1903 Springfield, the Thompson submachine gun, and the Browning M2. Specific troubleshooting instructions for the M1911, the M1 Carbine, the M1928 Thompson, and the Army's .30 and .50 caliber machine guns are also present. Other illustrated manuals present address the identification of small arms ammunition, military rockets, explosive shells, the storage of ammunition, and much else. Documents present address the organization of ordnance disposal units and storage areas, and property accounting procedures, as well as Sullivan's knowledge assessment sheets and his handwritten notes and diagrams on ruled notebook paper. Also present is a printed manual, 16pp. 4to., giving directions on the best methods to destroy weapons to prevent their capture, as well as a second printed 16pp. 4to. on the recovery and evacuation of damaged vehicles and other equipment, and a third manual on the "Responsibilities and Operations of the Ordnance Light Maintenance Company", all printed by the Reproduction Plant at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Lastly, the archive features two items alluding to Sullivan's late-war service in India. The first is a typed history of the Roman Catholic Choir of the Military Chapel at the 20th General Hospital in Assam, India, listing Sullivan as a tenor, while the second is a souvenir booklet celebrating the homeward-bound voyage of discharged soldiers from Karachi, India to Seattle, dated Jan. 29, 1946. It opens with a basic explanation of atomic energy and its potential use as both a fuel source and a weapon, and continues with a "G.I. Bill of Rights", explaining education and unemployment benefits available to returning soldiers. A wealth of weapons information. Very good overall.

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May 14, 2018 1:00 PM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000