Original Item: One-Of-A-Kind. This is a beautiful example of a WWII piece of trench art bearing the famed “Wild West Division” Fir Tree. The shell used in making this piece of art was a German 1940 dated 10 cm M. 14 Feldhaubitze round, which still has a waffenamt visible! During World War II the Feldhaubitze served as the standard medium howitzer of the Royal Italian Army with the designation Obice da 100/17 modello 14 and after 1943 captured weapons were used by NSDAP Germany's Wehrmacht under the designations 10 cm leFH 14(ö) and 10 cm leFH 315(i). After World War II an updated howitzer remained in service with the Italian Army until 1975.
 
The ashtray features the 91st Divisions Fir Tree has the following inscribed on it:

We have been unable to locate solid information about PFC Joe Curd, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to. Fortunately, PFC Curd has already told us a lot about his service information by what he had inscribed on the base of the ashtray.
 
The base of the ashtray has various locations inscribed on them, locations that the believe PFC Curd was at. The locations featured are as follows:


 
The ashtray stands at 7” tall with a base diameter of 4 ½”. The condition is excellent and without damage besides the expected brass tarnishing. This is a very attractive example and is more than welcomed into any WW2 trench art displays. Comes ready to display!
 
Nothing better captures the nature of human experience than the art chosen to depict it. Few human experiences are more dramatic than war, and this art-by soldiers in an American division in World War II-is particularly compelling. They answered their nation's call and gave their all on the battlefields of Italy, with unwavering loyalty to their comrades as their finest attribute. The men of the 91st Infantry Division fought to liberate Italy from the evils of Fascism. The battle was hard and the price was high, both for the soldiers and for the countryside over which they fought.