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A Sucker Born Every Minute ...

saunders

Member
I hope no one here got duped by this A-2 w/ bogus insignia: Ebay # 251107996503.

This A-2 stunk from the beginning. The 349th Bomb Sq. is from the 100th Bomb Grp. that operated B-17s in the 8th AF, not the B-24s in the accompanying photos, which don't even feature 8th AF a/c. And the name on the name tag matches no known roster for the 100th or the 349th, but you don't need to even go there. The insignia is the typical Pakistan-made type sold as copies by Andrew Butler on Ebay, ELC, etc., and I am not aware of the 349th having an embroidered insignia (which would have been made in England if they did have one embroidered); all legit 349th insignia that I've ever seen are painted on leather or canvas or directly on the A-2s. Lastly, genuine 100th-attributed A-2s are extremely rare, due to the unit having one of the tightest post-war organizations with a museum at their old air base at Thorpe-Abbotts; vets very readily donate their wartime gear and souvenirs, so seasoned collectors would pounce on a 100th A-2 with a patch and name tag, shooting the price up well beyond what this one achieved.

Did the seller know? Who knows. But knowing this hobby as well as I do, very, very few ever get the benefit of doubt from me. I'd watch out for this guy. :twisted:

Saunders
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
I agree. The patch is a later addition. This guy was not in the 100th BG. Here's what I've found out about him.

Harold Dumas Braddy (b 1 May 1923, D 10 August 1999) enlisted in the Air Corps in December 1941 in Florida. He was involved in an air accident in 1943. The lieutenant’s cap was unlikely to have belonged to this guy as he was a sergeant! On his grave stone there is reference to him being a MSGT in WW11, Korea and Vietnam.
 

saunders

Member
Roughwear said:
I agree. The patch is a later addition. This guy was not in the 100th BG. Here's what I've found out about him.

Harold Dumas Braddy (b 1 May 1923, D 10 August 1999) enlisted in the Air Corps in December 1941 in Florida. He was involved in an air accident in 1943. The lieutenant’s cap was unlikely to have belonged to this guy as he was a sergeant! On his grave stone there is reference to him being a MSGT in WW11, Korea and Vietnam.

The patch was indeed added later, and it was made later, too (in the last few years).

Nice research! Care to share with the forum where you got this?

Curiously, as a UK resident in easier reach than many of us in the USA, have you been able to visit the old USAAF air bases, especially Thorpe-Abbotts. The 100th museum likely has more A-2s than any other museum in Europe that I'm aware of or have seen.

Saunders
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member

saunders

Member
Roughwear said:
My starting point was the NARA records and then Google.

http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-deta ... 27,5081544

There are several entries for Braddy, including to his grave.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... Rid=398608

Accident report ref-

http://www.accident-report.com/crews/al ... br_bz.html

More on his enlistment-

http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/hillsb ... 323gmt.txt

Yes I have been to Thorpe Abbotts several years ago and was struck by their excellent collection of painted A2s.

Thank you for the tip and info. I hadn't realized that NARA now had that which we used to need to obtain from NPRC using Freedom of Information citations. I've been reading from NARA and, it seems, they even have the DD214 files that were once sole domain of NPRC and which needed the Freedom of Information citations unless we were next of kin. Alas, the vets and we are getting old(er), and privacy protection is no longer deemed necessary. I recall reading about this date some 25 years ago, when the records would become public domain - and now it has. Definitely makes me feel old and as if time is on warp speed.
 

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