The John Bannister Collection - D-Day and Militaria
Lot 2263:
Description
This is an extraordinary and museum-grade artifact of the Pacific Theater: a hand-inscribed souvenir "capture flag" belonging to the 1st Platoon, 162nd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division. The 162nd, originally an Oregon National Guard unit, became one of the most battle-hardened regiments in American history, serving 45 months overseas. They famously adopted the fearsome "Bloody Butchers" moniker during the grueling Philippine campaign—a nickname proudly inscribed on this piece. Constructed of heavy field-tan cotton, the flag features hand-rendered regimental crossed-rifles and the 41st "Sunset" Division patch. It serves as a permanent roster for the 1st Platoon, meticulously listing the names and hometowns of the soldiers who participated in the capture, including Platoon Sergeants Art Castro and Heriberto R. Hernandez. At the center is a captured Japanese Hinomaru (meatball) flag, also of cotton, sewn into the base and inscribed with the unit’s primary combat theaters: Hollandia, Finchhafen, Leyte, and Mindanao. This flag represents the "Jungleers" at their most lethal, documenting their path from the New Guinea "leapfrog" operations to the liberation of the Philippines.
Condition: This artifact bears the "salt" of true battlefield history. The base cotton shows heavy staining, age-related discoloration, and fraying at the edges. The central red cotton Hinomaru exhibits significant tearing and material loss, likely from age and the fragile nature of field-sourced dyes, though the hand-lettered names and locations remain largely legible. H 38.5", W 61", D 0.1" Please see photos.
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