Before Fair Radio went out of business, I had the opportunity to pick through it a bit. Much of the WWII stuff was gone, but they did have a few PRC-6s.
I was able to find enough parts to complete the unit, including the mic and antenna.
The one thing it was missing was this JHY 3B4 tube. I found one on ebay for 9 dollars in Jan 2024. Below is what the box looked like. It was 4.5in long (from one end of the box wings to the other) and 2in high. You can download a pdf of the box if needed.
It was also missing the primary crystal, CR-23/U Quartz Radio Crystal HC-6/U, and the spare. I bought two for 32 dollars in Jan 2024. It did not come with box.
This page will outline food box and label printables associated primarily with the US Army or the home front. Other countries are listed if I have a box or label for them.
Vat 69 Blended Scotch Whisky – A curved whiskey label to print off on standard 8.5 x 11 printer paper. Then, glue the label to the Whiskey bottle. I’m not sure what kind of glue is needed, but you’ll likely need an original VAT69 bottle. Attributed to ChrisNZ.
For the stopper and the wax seal stamp, you can 3D print them using this guide. Use black for the stopper and red wax.
The bottles are green in color, and you can pick them up at various places online, like eBay.com or Etsy.com, etc. Google Images is a good place to start to see what’s available, as well as the old advertisements, to see where the label parts get placed. For a short history of Vat 69, see A History of VAT 69.
Peter Paul Choclettos – For use in K-rations or 10-in-1 rations. Though unsure how they appeared with this label. K-ration Info here has some, but they appeared in a tray format and not individually wrapped with a label.
Modoc Brand Yellow Cling Peaches – unsure if this brand shipped peaches overseas in cans, but the brand is highly collectible and was around during WW2, producing peaches.
K Ration Outer Carton Early War – This is the outer carton only and is the early non-morale version. Print on brown cardstock. Includes Supper, Dinner, and Breakfast.
K Ration Morale Version – This is the morale version for Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper. It is the outer carton only. print on cream or white cardstock. It’s considered to be the late-war version.
Poor Man’s D-Ration Label and Edited D-Ration Label: When I first started WW2 Reenacting back in the late 1990s, there wasn’t much way to get the authentic rations. This was a broke kid’s attempt to make a D-ration.
Essentially, print off the wrapper on brown cardstock. You may need to adjust tones (half-tone seemed to work in the past).
Trim, cut, and fold it. Use a few dabs of Elmer’s school glue to glue the sides together.
In the past, I used Hershey bars as the D-Ration, which is just ridiculous. These days, I might either make the D-ration myself or buy some protein bars, wrap them in wax paper, and stick them inside.
Once you have your ration inside, use a few glue dots to close the lid. That way, you can re-open it without damaging it and continue to reuse the box.
Poor Man’s C-Rations: When I first started WW2 reenacting back in the late 1990s, there wasn’t much way to get the authentic rations.
The unit I was with, 88th Infantry Division, 350th RCT, came up with a poor man’s way to make rations. We were all poor high school and college kids trying to make it work.
Essentially, buy two 12-oz cans. One can, the “M” unit, would be an off-the-shelf Pork n’ Beans. The other one, the “B” unit, would be a cheap 12-oz can. You then take a can opener that doesn’t leave rough edges and cut the top till you have about a fingertip left. The idea is that you could open and close the can and reuse it.
You then fill the “B” unit with biscuits (wrapped in wax paper), 3-5 caramels, a few sugar packets, and travel-size instant coffee.
Butter-Keks are a brand of crackers. Wikipedia goes into more detail on the brand’s history. Looks like you can print it on cardstock. I’m unsure how many crackers go into the box. I would also guess the crackers would’ve been wrapped in some kind of craft or wax paper.
Iron Ration– This was a German ration which appeared to have a unit of bread (Hartkeks) and a unit of meat (Fleischkonserve, Rinderbraten, Truthahnstucke, Schinkenstucke, and maybe Huhnstücke, but I’m unsure). The Fleischkonserve is essentially canned mystery meat. I don’t do German, but I guess some kind of potted meat or canned tuna, etc., type can would work with that label. The Hartkeks’ label goes with some unit of hardtack/crackers. The Halbeiserne Portion label that has both on it would be placed on top. So the meat and crackers are combined in a package, and that label goes on top. I guess the label could be white or the blue and tan colors shown in the colored images.
This will be a collection of WWII-era Civilian magazines and newspapers. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, War Time Press has a selection as well. However, it appears you only get a digital file.
Popular Mechanics – The 1940s versions are available for viewing in Google Library, but you do not seem able to download them. You can download the 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945 years via the Internet Archive. My guess is that you could print this on an 8.5×11 standard piece of printing paper (though back then, it appears to have been closer to newsprint?)
Collier’s – Is another popular American Magazine. This one was weekly, so there are a lot of issues to look through. Like other magazines, this one also captures the products available during the War years. You can find the full collection at Unz Review, though they don’t appear to be downloadable.
Below is a group of original SCR-300 radio images (though some images are also of field phones and switchboards as they are commonly seen together with a radio, especially in a command post type setting). These were collected by Chad Phillips on Facebook and reposted here to get it out of their walled garden and searchable on the broader internet. You can download the complete photo collection here.
I’ve recently discovered a fondness for Metal music (courtesy of Stranger Things and a few friends who like the genre). Now, other than Ghost (which is awesome) I haven’t explored the newer metal music. My metal tastes are stuck more or less in the 80s.
I’m a history guy by default and I can appreciate the early metal music more than the newer stuff because metal (and punk and rap) all come out of the same historical era, the deregulation and free market capitalism of Reagan (and Thatcher) which worked to kill the New Deal era programs/Welfare State and in doing so hurt the working class (both black and white). These policies were expressed as new musical genres.
In particular, I’ve been drawn to Metallica (though maybe one day I’ll explore Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeath) as they were first brought to my attention in the 1990s when they achieved more mainstream success. I like the fast pace and it helps me get out my frustrations and stress. I just feel a bit better after listening to it.
So I’ve gone back and mined their original roots.
I’ve been purchasing a few of their original records. I prefer the original vinyl instead of a reproduction. Partially, it’s a potential asset and partially is just the “vibes and feels” it makes me feel to hold something original from a period.
One item I happened to pick up was the Ride The Lightening on the Megaforce label. Inside this gem was a super cool Metallica Metal Militia Membership and Merchandise 8.5in. by 11in. form.
For 5 dollars you got a 1-year membership and included things like a quarterly newsletter, autographs, buttons, and discounts on merchandise. With inflation, it would be $15.45 in Aug 2024 dollars.
I got it scanned and wanted to post it here (or click on the image) for folks to download and print off as a neat accessory for the album. So enjoy it!
Advanced Guard Militaria offered a French repacked switchboard for $250 dollars, shipped. When I saw that I pounced on it as it was a good price and I wanted to rebuy the BD-71 switchboard I once had. I bought that one for $80 dollars at an auction in 2011.
The switchboard came in a large box and a smaller box contained the accessories.
Unpacking the switchboard was like peeling back an onion. First I had to peel back some paper coverings and open the box.
Next, I discovered some kind of canvas, metallic-backed waterproof bag. When I opened it up, I probably should have done it outside to be safe as the bag appeared to be vacuum sealed, and yet when I opened it, I heard gasses escaping.
Who knows what kind of gas might have been pumped into the bag prior to sealing? At any rate, I got a lung full of 1968 French air.
When I opened it up, there was another box!
When I opened the box, the switchboard finally came into view. It was packed tightly up against cardboard (which left packing lines on the unit). It also contained this weird brown cloth-like packing material (if anyone knows what that is let me know!) –
The accessories were all in waxy and gummy waterproofed cardboard boxes. I had to use scissors to cut it open.
The results look great! I really like the switchboard, the white/tan cardboard lines not so. If anyone had an idea on how to remove them without damaging the wood let me know!
When I began to open up the switchboard, there were documents and manuals. There was a French inventory list, a French wire and circuit test, a wiring diagram, and a field manual, TM 1-330.
The wiring diagram can be downloaded as a pdf here and is 7in x 9in. The material isn’t quite computer print paper, but not cardstock. I’d say if you could find a lightweight cardstock, that’s probably the best, or just printing it off on white computer paper would also work. The diagram would be glued or taped (unsure which) to the inside access panel in the back of the switchboard.
Now to make the switchboard more historically accurate to WW2, I bought a data plate and swapped it out. I kept the old French one and just added it to my bar as kitsch.
Hobsons Soap 4oz Airborne – Looks to be some kind of 101st Airborne -branded soap box. Made by the Hobson Soap Co. out of New York. Print on cardstock and then cut and fold where applicable. The soap was likely wrapped in paper inside the container. Use any standard 4-oz soap bar.
Soap OQMG No. 100-A-Type 1 4 oz – Bar of soap wrapper. Print regular paper. Use a standard 4-oz soap bar. The soap wrapper was made waterproof somehow. Maybe dipped in wax or used white waxpaper to wrap the soap, and then put the soap in the box.
Foot Powder 1/5 Ounce packet – Print on brown bag-like paper, fold and glue, and wrap in cellophane. Put 1/5 ounce of foot powder into it. Five of these go into a Foot Powder, 1 Ounce box. For another packet to print, see here.
US Condom wrapper – Forthcoming. For a historical review of condoms in wartime service, see Condoms in WW2.
Toilet Paper Package – The US Army got 22 sheets wrapped up in brown kraft paper. About 6in in wide by 4in. long
Fold in the sides to the center. Fold up the bottom to about a third. Use some Elmer’s type glue to glue the bottom. Put toilet paper in the top. You can glue the top down or leave it open so you can reuse the package. Note that you really have to smash the paper in.
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Permit No. 157416 | For use by a member of the US armed forces or its allies. It is dated 2 Dec 1944.
3.5in wide by 2.25in long.
The paper type is unknown, as is the use case. There is no PDF associated with this; you’d have to take the images and create one.
V-Mail and Writing
V-Mail Envelope – This has two parts. The front and the rear. Print off the front first on a standard 8.5×11 sheet of printing paper. Then, flip it over such that the address on the rear is at the bottom (link to my Google Drive) when holding the front. See the image gallery for specifics.
Then fill out the V-mail using a pencil or a WW2-era pen. Fold the sides inward and then close it.
Note that the actual V-Mail is 9.25 inches high by 11in. wide. This is because the envelope closure lip extends out.
Fighting Man’s Notebook and The Service Tablet – Two types of notebooks. I made the Fighting Man’s one, and it turned out pretty well. The Service Tablet doesn’t include the number of pages.
Cadie Polishing Cloth – The cloth itself is a metal polishing cloth. Probably a kind of Jewelers Rouge Polishing cloth. Size is unknown, but I doubt the size of that cloth has changed.
I would recommend using an Adhesive Printer Label when you print to make it easier to wrap the label around the battery. You’d likely need to experiment a bit with which label is going to work best.
Tobacco Box Tax Stamp – A stamp that would be affixed to secure the box and verify that taxes on it have been paid. The stamp banner seems to be cut off, but that may not matter, as you would fold this over the lid to secure it.
1943 CIGARETTE TAX STAMP – Cigarette Tax Stamps are numbered by year. Look at the small blue number below the “0” in the number 20. The date of manufacture is 1910 years greater than the 3-digit number shown. So just add 110 + 1910 = 1940 / 111 + 1910 = 1941 / 112 + 1910 = 1942 / 113 + 1910 = 1943 / 114 + 1910 = 1944 / 115 + 1910 = 1945
