WWI 313th Machine Gun Bn 80th Div Soldier Grouping Dog Tags Discharge Letters

This is an exceptional, historically rich World War I soldier estate group belonging to Private Manuel C. Wentling, who served in Company B of the 313th Machine Gun Battalion, 80th Division.

The centerpiece of the collection is his original "Honorable Discharge from The United States Army" document, dated June 12, 1919, at Camp Dix. It details his personal history, stating he was born in Beaver Township, Pennsylvania, enlisted at age 23, and worked as a machinist.

The physical artifacts accompanying the paperwork include:

• Identified Dog Tags: A pair of matching original stamped aluminum discs bearing his name, serial number "1815793," and battalion details, complete with their original woven neck cords.

• Insignia & Buttons: A red-striped wool uniform chevron patch, along with seven blackened bronze military uniform buttons (including one featuring the crossed rifles and "MG" insignia for the Machine Gun corps) and four black four-hole trousers buttons.

• Handwritten Battle & Pension Letters: A fascinating, highly detailed multi-page verification letter written by Wentling in January 1941 from Knox, Pennsylvania. The letter describes a traumatic battlefield event during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in September 1918, where a shell exploded, killing men next to them and burying their sergeant, Thomas W. McCauley, under the dirt—leaving him severely shell-shocked ("very nervous and seemed frightened"). The letter was written by Wentling in 1941 and appears to be a reference letter attesting to the shell shocked soldier's ongoing disability.
  
  Wentling himself suffered life-long afflictions due to exposure to gas during WWI.
  
  There is a multi-page "journal" that appears to have been transcribed from a personal journal with details of wartime events.

The entire grouping is in excellent historical condition, offering a poignant and deeply personal look into the combat experiences of a Pennsylvania Machine Gunner on the Western Front.