Description
5th Infantry Regiment, 71st Infantry Division Augsburg, Germany World War II Trench Art Ashtray US Army
An original WWII 71st Infantry Division Augsburg Germany, 5th Inf Regiment aluminum ashtray. With a Brass medallion in the center, cast with the insignia of the 5th Infantry Regiment “I’ll Try Sir”. This item appears to be too good to be called trench art, but I’ve found a reference to a similar one which stated it was made from an aluminum aircraft piston head. It is solid aluminum and measures 4-3/4″ in diameter, and 1-1/8″ thick. This was recently purchased as part of a lot of World War II items at an auction.
The reference to the 5th Infantry Regiment as part of the 71st Infantry Division dates this ashtray to between 10 July 1943 and 1 May 1946, the period of time when the 5th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 71st Infantry Division. The reference to Augsburg, Germany further narrows down the potential date for the ashtray to no earlier than January of 1945, when the 5th Infantry Regiment arrived in Europe.
This purchaser of this item will also receive a vintage patch from the 71st Infantry Division free of charge.
