A dental bridge with the roots of two teeth attached was extracted by a soldier from a Japanese sniper he killed in combat during World War II and is one of many artifacts housed beneath Crescent Jewelers in Lansing.
Taking such souvenirs now is prohibited, owner Bill Crescent recently told a group from the South Suburban Genealogical Society, but then it was common to hunt for weapons, medals and other items. Thousands of such remnants pack the 3,500-square-foot, climate-controlled basement at 18049 Torrence Ave. and include an ancient samurai sword and uniform, a Tiffany sword from the Civil War, and a variety of antique firearms.
Most items were acquired from World War II veterans or their families. In the case of the dental bridge, the donor’s name is kept under wraps because of the circumstances surrounding its acquisition.
As the story goes, the serviceman had befriended a fellow member of the 3rd Marine Corps Division who unwisely decided to return the cursing and insults of a Japanese sniper. While tipping his head back to yell, the comrade was shot in the forehead, spurring his companion to rise out of his foxhole and pickup a Browning 30 caliber machine gun.
For most people, the powerful weapon, normally operated on a stand, would be too hot and too heavy to handle, but the Marine held it close while raking nearby trees with bullets. He killed the Japanese soldier, then cracked open his skull and took the teeth.
“Items like these make many people uncomfortable,” Crescent said. “But they say more about history than most textbooks.”
His collection also includes German uniforms, custom tailored by fashion designer Hugo Boss,which line the walls along leather flak jackets worn by American fighter pilots. Some objects were mass produced, but others may be the last of only a few ever made — like the schematics manual for a German submarine identified as U-1194.
Norman Neitzke of St. Louis — one of the men immortalized in Stephen E. Ambrose’s book Band of Brothers — decided to snap up remnants of fan mail intended for Hitler. The corresponding letters are missing, but several post-marked envelopes bear an assortment of salutations, ranging from “Excellence Adolphe Hitler Chancellor drei Reich” to a more casual “Herr Hitler.”
Other unusual objects include gold-rimmed china bearing the gold eagle insignia of the Third Reich, a storm trooper’s uniform and overcoat, and Nazi daggers carried by German train conductors.
Crescent considers the backstories of these objects as important as the objects themselves. One favorite involves a Hammond, Ind., veteran from the 101st Airborne Division who “liberated” a bust of Hitler from Nuremberg.
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“To keep it from getting stolen, he wrapped it in a blanket and used it as a pillow at night,” Crescent said. “He even showered with it.”
Raymond J. Skrobuton of Chicago used the three-inch pocket knife that now sits in a glass display case to defend himself after being wounded and disarmed while guarding a foot bridge at Guadalcanal with the U.S. Army’s 24th Infantry Division.
A virtual shrine of distinguished flying medals, photographs and news clippings represents the life of Arthur Singer, a World War II double flying ace from the Milwaukee area who downed at least 10 planes and sank a Japanese submarine. After the war, Singer appeared in ads for Evinrude Outboard Engines and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He also earned a Ph.D. and taught English.
Besides displaying artifacts with corresponding letters of commendation, and personal effects such as pipes, watches, dog tags and even driver’s licenses, Crescent and David Hilpp, the collection’s curator, have transcribed related oral histories. After verifying personal recollections with original sources and relatives, the stories have been notarized as official historical accounts.
Crescent’s private military museum is free and offers guided tours by appointment only to veterans’ groups, school groups, historical societies and others interested in wartime relics. For information, call 708-418-8200.
Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.