Blue MA-1!

[watchmanjimg]

Also...at least in these photos...the D-Mods have leather pull tabs on the main zips and the Lions have cloth pullers.

AF

Good point, Geoff, and this distinguishing Lion feature carried over from the B-15D to the MA-1.

 

[watchmanjimg]

I can't say with certainty of course, but to me the sleeve zip is the giveaway. All the D-Mods I've seen with Crowns (Rolens?) have the spring-loaded puller.

Yup. Concur with that.

This discussion reminded me of an earlier thread in which we agonized over Major Carl Farmer's jacket, which appears below:

Most of our attention was focused on the collar stitching and main zipper, but does anyone still think it's a B-15D Modified after looking at this photo?

Correction--I just found the following link:

http://www.bakahorn.com/flightjacket/b- ... d4078.html

This unmodified Lion Uniform B-15D has the same type of Crown sleeve zipper as Major Farmer's jacket. Thus, we still can't say for sure whether Farmer was wearing a B-15D Mod or an MA-1 although Lion would seem to be the manufacturer.

 

[flightmac]

I wish I could decipher which wings those are.

Pepe, I was wondering that myself. My first thought was Enlisted Aircrew until I saw the Captain's rank, but if he was assigned to a position such as weather officer would he have worn Officer Aircrew wings like the ones depicted below?

A modern Aerial Weather Reconnaissance Officer would wear those. However, scanning through Air Force uniform manuals, the Non-Rated Officer Aircrew wings appeared about 1980. Another possibility is the WWII navigator wings:

or maybe AIrcraft Observer:

Wings that were no longer awarded could be worn for a period afterward by an individual originally presented them. I believe J. Duncan Campbell in his book "Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army 1913 - 1946" mentions people specifically wearing older insignia just to show their seniority - BTDT. But I a quick look and I couldn't find the reference.

 

[watchmanjimg]

I wish I could decipher which wings those are.

Pepe, I was wondering that myself. My first thought was Enlisted Aircrew until I saw the Captain's rank, but if he was assigned to a position such as weather officer would he have worn Officer Aircrew wings like the ones depicted below?

A modern Aerial Weather Reconnaissance Officer would wear those. However, scanning through Air Force uniform manuals, the Non-Rated Officer Aircrew wings appeared about 1980. Another possibility is the WWII navigator wings:

or maybe AIrcraft Observer:

Wings that were no longer awarded could be worn for a period afterward by an individual originally presented them. I believe J. Duncan Campbell in his book "Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army 1913 - 1946" mentions people specifically wearing older insignia just to show their seniority - BTDT. But I a quick look and I couldn't find the reference.

Pepe, great information! I hadn't realized that the Officer Aircrew wings didn't exist before 1980 so I guess that theory is out the window. I had considered the WW2-pattern navigator wings but couldn't find an example of these embroidered on sage fabric. I believe I read they were issued until 1951 so it's plausible that's what he's wearing.

 

[flightmac]

Pepe, I was wondering that myself. My first thought was Enlisted Aircrew until I saw the Captain's rank, but if he was assigned to a position such as weather officer would he have worn Officer Aircrew wings like the ones depicted below?

A modern Aerial Weather Reconnaissance Officer would wear those. However, scanning through Air Force uniform manuals, the Non-Rated Officer Aircrew wings appeared about 1980. Another possibility is the WWII navigator wings:

or maybe AIrcraft Observer:

Wings that were no longer awarded could be worn for a period afterward by an individual originally presented them. I believe J. Duncan Campbell in his book "Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army 1913 - 1946" mentions people specifically wearing older insignia just to show their seniority - BTDT. But I a quick look and I couldn't find the reference.

Pepe, great information! I hadn't realized that the Officer Aircrew wings didn't exist before 1980 so I guess that theory is out the window. I had considered the WW2-pattern navigator wings but couldn't find an example of these embroidered on sage fabric. I believe I read they were issued until 1951 so it's plausible that's what he's wearing.

Found it - Campbell, page 24, bottom of right hand column:

"The practice of wearing obsolete insignia is almost as old as the Army itself, not because an officer couldn't afford the current style, but to show he was an old-timer, or veteran of some recently concluded war." Of course overseas in places like Korea or Japan you can have just about anything embroidered. I'm gonna have to do some research when I find the time.

 

[FtrPlt]

Given the consensus is that a USAF blue MA-1 never existed, I'm presuming this is repro? The puller looks very Alpha-esquehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Air-Forc...ultDomain_0&hash=item257db151e8#ht_817wt_1086

 

[watchmanjimg]

Given the consensus is that a USAF blue MA-1 never existed, I'm presuming this is one really expensive repro? http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Air-Forc...ultDomain_0&hash=item257db151e8#ht_817wt_1086

Yes. Brent's is a known maker of reproduction jackets.