June 29 was an exciting day for war historians who attended or bid remotely in Milestone Auctions Premier Military Auction. Collectors boldly stepped up to claim their unique prizes from a widely-varied 700-lot selection that represented conflicts from the Civil War through Vietnam era. The auction closed the books at $900,000, and, as predicted, the top-lot position was claimed by a U.S. Navy D-Day archive whose centerpiece was a 48-star Ensign #10 American Battle Flag. The iconic red, white and blue textile was flying on LCI-538 as the first wave of naval craft landed at Omaha Beach during the Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. A symbol of the coordinated effort in which the Allied Armies land, air and sea forces united to achieve the largest military invasion in history, the flag was retrieved as a souvenir by Motor Machinists Mate First Class Frank R. Maratea, who was aboard LCI-538 as it made landfall on that fateful day. The archive also included a WWII U.S. Navy Commission streamer flag, Marateas own Honorable Discharge and military papers, original photographs taken on Omaha Beach and on the deck of LCI-538, ephemera from the D-Day Landings 50th Anniversary Reunion (including a photo with then-President Bill Clinton), and more. A unique grouping with impeccable documentation, it sold for $73,800 against a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000. Another highly important D-Day memento was a map critical to the Omaha Beach West assault phase of Operation Neptune, the code name for the Battle of Normandy. Showing the area in and around the community of Vierville-sur-Mer, the map also included landing and associated airborne plans for the D-Day invasion. It was marked TOP SECRET BIGOT BIGOT being an acronym for British Invasion of German Occupied Territory. Carefully preserved for 80 years, the map came to auction in mint condition and found its way to $23,370 against an estimate of $4,000-$5,000. The auction included many items from the now-closed American Armored Foundation Inc. Tank and Ordnance Memorial Museum in Danville, Va. With a mission to display and preserve as many tank and cavalry artifacts as possible, the 333,000-square-foot museums core holding was the private collection donated by high-tech entrepreneur and military history expert William Gasser. Among the museums artillery holdings was a 1940s 20mm Orlikon MK II cutaway cannon of a type that was used for instruction by both sides during WWII. Mounted on a four-legged stand, the teaching device became a staple on U.S. Navy warships. The auction example displayed ship/anchor proofs throughout and was marked GM for its manufacturer, General Motors. It sold within estimate for $11,070. The museum selections also included several remarkable uniforms and other military apparel. A uniform grouping of U.S. Army Three-Star General Bruce C. Clarke (later promoted to Four-Star General) consisted of doeskin riding breeches, an officers shirt, and an Ike jacket with bullion Lt. Generals Stars to the epaulets and a 12-place ribbon bar that included a Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and many additional awards. A 4th Armored walking cane and selection of ephemera accompanied the uniform lot, which sold above high estimate for $3,393. Helmets inspired bidding competition, with one of the highlights being a WWII U.S. Army 1st Division swivel-bail helmet with the distinctive 1st Division Unit Insignia painted to its front. Formerly part of the museums collection, it was bid to $2,398 against an estimate of $800-$1,200. There is no way to overstate the wartime contributions of the fabled Tuskegee Airmen, the African American military pilots who skillfully escorted WWII Allied bombers into enemy territory and were in constant demand due to their record of low losses. At the auction, Milestone took particular pride in presenting a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot grouping identified to Tuskegee Airman Hiram E. Mann. The grouping included a leather Type B-3 flight jacket, officers uniform jacket and dress shirt, silk flight scarf, two flight suits, the officers wool visor hat and overseas cap with captains insignia, and several items of ephemera. This outstanding and especially-complete archive associated with a member of a legendary air unit realized $6,150 against an estimate of $3,500-$4,500. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of buyers premium as stated on Milestones website. For more information, call Miles King at 440-527-8060 or email info@milestoneauctions.com. All images courtesy of Milestone Auctions.