John Wayne was well known to the Japanese who were fascinated by classic Americana. In the alt-history, Wayne was killed at the "Battle of Dayton" in 1946.
In the alt-history, brothers Vince, Dom and Joe DiMaggio are still playing professional baseball, taking part in a match against a Japanese team. Joe is "on loan from the New York Valkyries", indicating that baseball has been Nazified. Baseball had little following in Germany before and during the war beyond a demonstration game at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, however it was encouraged as a morale booster for American prisoners of war. Baseball was moderately popular among Japanese university students from the early 1900s and Japan had a professional baseball league from 1936. Professional matches continued right up until August 1944 with the approval of the Imperial Japanese Army, skipping the 1945 season as nearly all professional players were in military service, but restarting only months after the end of the war.
Sabra means a native born Israeli.
The tank in Smith's dream is a Soviet T-54, modified to appear more German.