Luftwaffe KRS shoulder board with gold piping acquired by US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm) | Width: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
Creator(s)
- Germany. Luftwaffe (Issuer)
- Bernard B. Cohen (Subject)
Biographical History
Bernard Baruch Cohen was born on June 22, 1920, in Philadelphia, PA, to Simon and Sarah Cohen. His Yiddish speaking parents had immigrated to the United States from Imperial Russia. Bernard was the second of four children. After completing high school, he worked in a restaurant, and then at Sam Gerson’s apparel shop. In 1941, he married Estelle Elias (1922-2008.). In December 1941, the United States entered World War II (1939-1945.) Bernard enlisted in the US Army, Warrant Officers Branch, on February 11, 1943, and entered active service on February 18, He served with the Third Army under General Patton in combat across Europe from late October 1944 - mid-July 1945. Bernard was honorably discharged from the military on November 1, 1945. He returned to Philadelphia. Bernard and Estelle had a son and a daughter. They owned and operated two maternity and baby shops, Dorebel's Maternity and Baby Shops in South Philadelphia and Mayfair. They were members of Adath Shalom synagogue and active in the wider Jewish community. Bernard, 63, passed away on August 23, 1983, in Philadelphia. In 1986, Estelle received the Israel Freedom Award from the State of Israel Women's Division. Estelle, 86, passed away on August 26, 2008.
Archival History
The epaulet was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1985 by Estelle Cohen, the wife of Bernard B. Cohen.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Estelle Cohen
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Luftwaffe officer's Kraftfahrschule [KRS, Motor Transport School] shoulder strap with gold piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army. The shoulder board appears to have been cut off a German uniform. Cohen was in combat with the Third Army from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular, dark gray wool shoulder board with yellow-gold wool piping, gray cloth lining, a finished buttonhole at the rounded end, and a roughly cut straight edge with a row of gray hand stitching at the opposite end. The upper board has 3 intertwined, uppercase letters, KRS, chain stitched sideways in yellow-gold thread, which is dark and discolored. The back has a row of gray, zig zag stitching. The piping is very worn with stitches along the frayed edge. When worn, the board rests on the shoulder and it has an attached extension strap which is passed through loops on a coat so the buttonholes align to fasten. This appears to have been cut off a uniform.
front, embroidered, yellow-gold thread : KRS [Kraftfahrschule / Motor Transport School]
Corporate Bodies
- Germany. Luftwaffe
Subjects
- Soldiers--United States.
- Jewish soldiers--United States.
- Souvenirs (Keepsakes)--Soldiers--United States.
- World War, 1939-1945--Uniforms.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.
Genre
- Uniforms
- Object
- Military Insignia