The Aftermath of War Production, WWII

[Subdeacon Joe]

[Will E. Shoot]

Very interesting.

[JudgeBagodonuts]

As someone who used to regular go to DRMO (Defense Re-utilization and Marketing Office) auctions and sealed bid sales, I can tell you that the DoD keeps stuff LONG after the ships, planes, tanks, and trucks that use these parts are gone. I recall looking at batteries for torpedoes used in pre-WWII submarines, specialized tools for repairing WWII war generators, Periscope optics for early tanks, and field antennas last used 40 years earlier, all in the 1990's. When something cool, like a 1950's Leica, came up for sale, it went for top dollar. But, everything else was priced accordingly low due to an inability for the purchasers to actually re-use it. My best find was a carton of 288 rolls of surgical tape for $12. It was marked as "expired" 10 years earlier. I still have a few rolls left, 20 years later. It works fine, but the "sterile" packaging seams have split. So, no using it for dressing open wounds.