10 Responses to World War II Militaria — Who Can Spot the Mistake?

1. Anne Papineau says:

   November 22, 2014 at 11:14 am

   Infantry lacks wings?

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2. Patrice Roe says:

   November 22, 2014 at 11:27 am

   The emblem looks a bit like the one my dad is wearing in his WWII photo. He was in the Army Air Corps. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204875190060811&set=a.1072515694401.2012067.1271419402&type=1&theater

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3. Ken J. says:

   November 22, 2014 at 11:36 am

   Army
   Air Corps…

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4. stanhope1929 says:

   November 22, 2014 at 11:44 am

   The Insignia don’t match. Shouldn’t they all be GOLD?

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5. Earl Boebert says:

   November 22, 2014 at 11:52 am

   Note to Larry: Feel free to can this if you think it’s too long/off topic.

   Those are glider pilot wings. Here’s what I wrote one D-Day anniversary about someone who wore them:

   “Every year on this day I think of Smitty. In 1962 I was a newly-minted 2Lt in Curtis LeMay’s Air Force, green as the new-mown hay. Among the sixty airmen and civilians in my programming shop was an A1C everybody called Smitty. Smitty wore glider pilot wings, and if you know anything about D-Day you know what that meant: crash-landing an overloaded flying cracker box into a flooded field laced with sawn-off telephone poles while the whole world is shooting at you. Smitty didn’t talk much and couldn’t do much, but the Colonel made it clear that it was my job to take care of him and I found things to keep him busy without insulting him with make work. Once a month or so the ghosts would walk and Smitty would drink himself to sleep in his regular beer joint. My NCOIC and I traded off who’d get the call at closing time, and one of us would go get him and pour him into his bunk at the Bachelor NCO quarters. I separated four years later, he was still there waiting out his retirement, and I never found out what came of him. Here’s to you, Smitty, wherever you are, and I hope you’re among friends.”

   I do not recognize the unit patch on the uniform, but somebody out there probably will. Definitely not the Big Red One. Seller probably was confused by an association with D-Day.

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   • lmharnisch says:

     November 22, 2014 at 12:09 pm

     Earl: I believe glider pilot wings had a “G” in the center.

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     • Earl Boebert says:

       November 22, 2014 at 12:30 pm

       You’re right, I’m wrong, I misread this page: http://www.wittworldwide.com/wings.htm and got carried away with my memories 😦 Smitty wore the “G” wings, I thought this was a variant.

       Interesting that they’re Australian made for USAAF crew members.

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6. Earl Boebert says:

   November 22, 2014 at 11:59 am

   Update: That “1” patch may have been for the glider unit of the First Division, but I haven’t the time to research it.

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7. beachgal says:

   November 22, 2014 at 12:06 pm

   That’s 1st Army Air Corp

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8. Kevin Distel says:

   November 22, 2014 at 8:24 pm

   Well, definitely not a Big Red One uniform (there was no glider unit in that division either). That is an Army Air Corps Officer’s uniform, looks an early insignia of the stateside First Air Force. The cloth badge over the right breast is the Ruptured Duck which signifies honorable service or honorable discharge.

   The wings over the left breast are “aircrew member” wings, (WW2 Glider pilot wings indeed had a G in the center) the lapel pins are officer’s wings.

   I’m not all that familiar with the conventions of our WW2 AAF, but I thought the aircrew member badge was usually only worn by enlisted personal, so I do not know if a Captain would wear that particular set of wings, presumably they would have their own specialty wings.

   Looks like someone at the auctioneer’s shop made a mistake.

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