Sgt. Paup's Story

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Shell Casings - Souvenir of WWI Souvenir with Two Lives

These two identical brass shell casings have hollow brass simulated projectiles. Each case is approximately 2.7” diameter at the base and 8.7” tall, the overall height including the projectile is Approx. 16” tall. The base of each case is arsenal marked “EP” and “97”.

These two shell casing were purchased from Mr. William Paup who,during WWII, served in Company C, 33rd Armored Engineers, 7th Armored Division. The following describes how Mr. Paup acquired the two shells.

In the early spring of 1945, then Sgt. Paup was traveling alone in a jeep through a rural area in Germany back to his Company, after visiting his brother from another nearby unit. He encountered a large farm, the barn was extraordinary and the largest he had yet seen in France, Holland or Germany.

Sgt Paup entered the house and searched the basement. He found a picture of a Nazi soldier and smashed it. He also found a large vat with eggs floating in it and a quantity of hams. After loading the hams in the jeep, Sgt. Paup re-entered the house and found that an older woman had appeared in a formal room. He admired two brass shells that were on the mantle behind the woman. She told him that they were souvenirs brought home from WWI by one of her relatives. Sgt. Paup offered the woman some German currency and she agreed to sell him the two shells. He made his way back to his Company and was warmly greeted, as any man with a load of hams would be.

These shell casings were on display in a home in Germany serving duty as souvenirs for at least 27 years.

Their second life was in a small town in Pennsylvania serving as souvenirs in Mr. Paup’s American home for 60 years.