Offered here are the World War II personal effects belonging to United States Army Air Forces pilot William R. Verheyen. The standout piece to this archive is a 50 ½ x 64 inch tapestry said to have been removed from the New Reich Chancellery, the headquarters of the Third Reich in Berlin, by Verheyen. Verheyen’s included personnel flight log book, which traces his flight hours back to his training days in September 1942 and ends in September 1945, clearly has an entry showing him in Berlin from July 15-26, 1945. The accompanying Soviet issued pass that allowed Verheyen passage in and out of the Soviet occupied sector of Berlin is dated July 23, 1945. Without a doubt Verheyen was in Berlin in the weeks after the fall of the Third Reich, giving him the opportunity to acquire this tapestry from the Reich Chancellery, which was located in the Soviet occupied sector of Berlin. His remarks in the flight log suggest that these July 1945 flights carried the U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Secret Service agents. Most of Verheyen’s World War II service was in the China-India-Burma Theater and he made it to Europe at the end of the war. The tapestry features a black swastika in a white circular panel surrounded by embroidered gold oak leaf, rectangular border of black, white and gold, fringe trim at the bottom, and hemmed at the top for a not included wall hanging rod. Other items owned by Verheyen include the following: Painted leather 1328th Army Air Force Base Unit (India China Division, ATC) patch, painted leather Transport Command patch, pin back Transport Command insignia, two CBI patches (one leather and one velvet/bullion), two USAAF patches (one leather and one velvet/bullion), two blood chits (one silk and one leather), painted leather 2nd lieutenant rank, May 16, 1945 dated 503rd Army Air Force Base Unit operations orders listing Verheyen as a 1st lieutenant copilot aboard a Douglas C-54 Skymaster being ferried from New Cattle, Delaware to Washington, D.C., November 26, 1944 dated Transport Command memorandum providing a checklist to aircrews preparing to be deployed overseas, Red Cross map of Paris, France, photo believed to be Verheyen and his wife, various handwritten flight hour calculations. William Verheyen (1923-2018) was born in Ohio, served as a pilot with the USAAF during World War II and retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of major after 24 years.

The tapestry is very fine showing minimal wear and tight stitching overall. All other artifacts are fine or better. A notable USAF pilot's archive that will make great addition to your WWII collection.