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Lot 240
Vintage 1952 / 1953 Lot of 2 Supreme Allied Commander Europe Invitations (Mathew Ridgway and Alfred Gruenther)

Matthew Bunker Ridgway (3 March 1895 – 26 July 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Although he saw no combat service in World War I, he was intensively involved in World War II, where he was the first Commanding General (CG) of the 82nd Airborne Division, leading it in action in Sicily, Italy and Normandy, before taking command of the newly formed XVIII Airborne Corps in August 1944. He held the latter post until the end of the war in mid-1945, commanding the corps in the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Varsity and the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Ridgway held several major commands after World War II and is most well-known for resurrecting the United Nations (UN) war effort during the Korean War. Several historians have credited Ridgway for turning the war around in favor of the UN side. He also persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to refrain from direct military intervention in the First Indochina War to support French colonial forces, thereby essentially delaying the United States' Vietnam War by over a decade.[4] He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 12 May 1986.[5] Ridgway died in 1993 at the age of 98. General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther (1899–1983) was a highly decorated United States Army officer renowned for his exceptional strategic planning and staff expertise. Nicknamed "the Brain" by colleagues, he became the second youngest four-star general in U.S. Army history and served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR) from 1953 to 1956. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request

  • Dimensions: 4.75" x 6"
  • Condition: Good Condition

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by One Source Auctions
July 27, 2026 5:00 PM EDT
177 S. Main St.
Canandaigua, NY, US 14424

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $99 $5
$100 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $9,999 $250
$10,000 + $500