Bidspirit auction | A Collection of WWII US

A Collection of WWII US Army 45th Infantry Division Medals and Documents Awarded to Leo S. Trela - This personal archive and medal grouping documents the World War II service of Leo S. Trela, who served as a rifleman in Company A, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. The collection features two officially named medals. The first is a cased Purple Heart medal, hand-engraved on the reverse: FOR MILITARY MERIT Leo S. Trela 36784435. The second is a Bronze Star medal, stamped on the reverse: LEO S. TRELA within the border for HEROIC OR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT. The group includes a sterling silver-toned Marksman qualification badge with four hanging bars for Rifle, Marksman, B.A.R., and Carbine. Two embroidered shoulder sleeve insignia are present: a yellow thunderbird on a red square for the 45th Infantry Division and a triangular patch for the 12th Armored Division. Personal identification includes one notched stainless steel dog tag stamped: LEO S TRELA 36784435 T44 O C. Documentary evidence includes a Company Morning Report for Company A, 180th Infantry, dated 23 October 1944, listing Trela as assigned from the 2nd Replacement Depot at Fremifontaine, France. Also included is an extract of Special Orders No. 275, dated 21 October 1944, listing Trela as a 745 - RIFLEMAN. Additional items comprise a 1923 Weimar Republic Zehn Millionen Mark banknote, a War Department official business envelope, and a contemporary newspaper obituary confirming his service, his awards, and noting he was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge.