Question about the age of the Wright Field patch

[mulceber]

Hey, I have a Five Star A-1 I'd like to patch up and I'm trying to decide on a patch. I really like the Wright Field patch as worn by Jimmy Doolittle on his A-2 jacket, but I don't know if that design was around back when A-1s were the latest and greatest thing. So I thought I'd put the question to the VLJ brain trust. Was this patch around circa the late '20s/early 30's? Have you seen any period photos of A-1 jackets with this patch? Thanks!

 

[Spitfireace]

Preliminary investigation says it was used 1931-1942. This is not comprehensive but that's all I could come up with. There's a Douglas plane on this page with caption that says the spearhead was used during that time.

Wilbur Wright Field - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Spitfireace]

Or maybe it's the plane that was used during that time. Kind of ambiguous I guess.

 

[Spitfireace]

Ok, just found out the O-46 didn't enter service until 1936, so they mean that the patch was established in 1931. There you go.

 

[mulceber]

Thanks Ace! That was very helpful.

 

[Spitfireace]

So did you decide to put this patch on the A-1? Since the A-2 was just entering service in 1931 as the Goldsmith (not really being made in numbers until 1932), putting it on an A-1 could have happened.

 

[mulceber]

Agreed - possible, but it’s a narrow window. At this point I’m leaning toward the 95th bomb squadron. It’s attested on A-1s, and it’s also associated with the Doolittle Raiders.

 

[B-Man2]

I like this combo Jan . Who are you thinking about for making the patch ?

 

[Spitfireace]

Cool, as it happens, my Monarch A-2 was owned by a pilot from that squadron. He was after the fact of the Doolittle Raid though. He was in from 1942 to 1945 and served in the MTO.

 

[Spitfireace]

Ya that would be a specialized patch. Smaller than the standard WW2 five inch. Tough to tell if it's painted on the jacket. Exact colors also hard to tell in black and white.

 

[Yogie]

Maybe this color pattern will fit for the 95th ?

 

[Spitfireace]

Yes.. I've also seen more golden type color for the mule. There is some variation.

 

[Spitfireace]

The surrounding color in the black and white photo above is lighter than a darker blue.

 

[Spitfireace]

 

[Spitfireace]

I've done a lot of homework on this squadron patch so I know there is a lot of variation. The above patch is from the Smithsonian.

 

[2BM2K]

In this photo a chap in the second row is wearing an A1 jacket and the Wright patch is
just visible, I don't have a date for the photo;

 

[mulceber]

Who are you thinking about for making the patch ?

Well I was thinking Ties, but I don't know if he'd be interested. We'll see.

Exact colors also hard to tell in black and white.

From what I've been able to gather, the 95th's logo came in two color combinations: the yellow or beige donkey/mule on a light blue background, and red on a medium green background. Just looking at how light the background looks in the photo, I'm guessing his jacket is the former.

In this photo a chap in the second row is wearing an A1 jacket and the Wright patch is
just visible, I don't have a date for the photo;


View attachment 85024

Damn good find, @2BM2K ! Well, I guess that proves that there were A-1s with the Wright Arrow. Also a good photo of a B-1 or B-2 that still has its chest pocket.

 

[Chandler]

In this photo a chap in the second row is wearing an A1 jacket and the Wright patch is
just visible, I don't have a date for the photo;


View attachment 85024

Any background on this photo? Great character shots of an era.

The gentleman in the second row, third from the left, has some sort of patch in the same shape as the Wright arrow.

 

[Spitfireace]

It appears that A-2's had been issued at that point since there are a couple in that photo.

 

[Yardstick]

The gentleman in the second row, third from the left, has some sort of patch in the same shape as the Wright arrow.

Looks like it might be a chenile version of this variation on the Wright patch.