I stumbled across an odd one today.
I have been exploring an area approx 1 square mile in the jungle of Guam that was ranch land (Copra production) in the pre-war days and occupied by US soldiers following the liberation of Guam in 1944 until the end of the war in 1945. The area is covered with 1944-1945 era bottles, primarily beer and Hobbleskirt cokes.
Most Hobbleskirts are the clear variety, intended for US troops overseas. Some are your standard green glass with the city embossed on the base (primarily San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and Portland).
Today I found a pre-war dump site with older bottles, including a Colgate and Co. perfume bottle, some Chinese and Japanese embossed bottles, and this oddity.
It's a German Hobbleskirt bottle, with RUHRGLAS 29. on the heel and "NAME GES. GESCH." on both sides under the Coca Cola script (Ges. Gesch. is German shorthand for Trade Mark).
If the 29 indicates year, this is the very first year Coca Cola was bottled in Germany.
What a German bottle is doing on Guam I don't know. All the Pacific German territories were lost to other nations following the end of the 1st World War. This really has me scratching my head, because it makes no sense. As far as I know, no American units that served in the European theater were transferred to the Pacific theater when Germany was defeated. And even if they were - why would they bring an old coke bottle with them?
-Dave
I have been exploring an area approx 1 square mile in the jungle of Guam that was ranch land (Copra production) in the pre-war days and occupied by US soldiers following the liberation of Guam in 1944 until the end of the war in 1945. The area is covered with 1944-1945 era bottles, primarily beer and Hobbleskirt cokes.
Most Hobbleskirts are the clear variety, intended for US troops overseas. Some are your standard green glass with the city embossed on the base (primarily San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and Portland).
Today I found a pre-war dump site with older bottles, including a Colgate and Co. perfume bottle, some Chinese and Japanese embossed bottles, and this oddity.
It's a German Hobbleskirt bottle, with RUHRGLAS 29. on the heel and "NAME GES. GESCH." on both sides under the Coca Cola script (Ges. Gesch. is German shorthand for Trade Mark).
If the 29 indicates year, this is the very first year Coca Cola was bottled in Germany.
What a German bottle is doing on Guam I don't know. All the Pacific German territories were lost to other nations following the end of the 1st World War. This really has me scratching my head, because it makes no sense. As far as I know, no American units that served in the European theater were transferred to the Pacific theater when Germany was defeated. And even if they were - why would they bring an old coke bottle with them?
-Dave
