From Alaska´s Digital Archieve

[lazar]

I found theses pictures on this site:

http://vilda.uaf.edu/cdm4/results.php?f ... OSTART=1,1

The link was posted first by Sally on the FL.

Winter of 1942-43

VS-49 Pilots in Aerology

Two military aviators with a man in civilian clothing.

Three men and a husky standing in front of and airplane.

Royan Canadian Air Force bombers and officers

Mathias

 

[Stony]

The civilian in the first picture, who's probably an Alaskan native, is probably saying, "why are you all in fur coats? it's not cold!

 

[khiattP-51]

My favorite is the big old boy in the first picture, far right with his hood up. He just looks funny standing there!

I also love the staged publicity photos like the second. There are bunch of them taken with the same premise - a whole gaggle of men preteding to gather arround a mission map in a nice, organized semi-circle while the CO explains the objectives.

Does anyone else have any of the books by the late warbird pilot/author/historian Jeffrey Ethell? I'm sure many do. He reportedly held one of the largest collections of privately taken Kodachrome color candid shots from the war. He published them into books with journal entries and stories by the men to took the pictures. If you want to see a little of what I'm talking about, here's a link to his work:

http://www.ethell.com/jethell/jeffbooks.html

Few of what made his books were staged pictures. Most were taken by the airmen and the ground crews. It's an awesome view into what it really looked like.

-Kevin

 

[Chandler]

Two military aviators with a man in civilian clothing.

The "military aviator" on the left is Hap Arnold, isn't it?

Interesting cut on that A-2. Long and baggy around the waist, sleeves seem long -- but no tunneling at the cuffs at all.

Collar on the other officer is just plain funky!

Chandler

 

[greyhound52]

Yes I believe you are right that is Hap. Now I don't feel so bad about some loose fitting A2s. It does look a bit big for him... mmm maybe a hot water treatment and in the dryer to make it more of a wartime fit.

 

[Chandler]

It does look a bit big for him...

Maybe, except the sleeves don't appear too long and there's no big shoulder droop. Modern garment manufacturing must have evolved greatly over 7 decades.

Chandler

 

[zoomer]

Yes I believe you are right that is Hap. Now I don't feel so bad about some loose fitting A2s. It does look a bit big for him... mmm maybe a hot water treatment and in the dryer to make it more of a wartime fit.

He has about 7 years to worry about that yet - this was taken during the (once) famous B-10 flight to Alaska in the summer of 1934. Compare with this shot from the same period.

The following pic, "Three men and a husky," dates from that time as well - note the "Kodiak" map painted on the B-10.

 

[DJS48]

Perhaps the picture of Gen. Arnold's jacket is an Aero Leather as the pocket corners are square?
Don

 

[zoomer]

Catch: Aero's first known A-2 contract wasn't till 1938.
The only ones we know about from this time are the Security 32-485, which had button pockets, and the Werber 33-1729.
Of course there could always have been some we don't know about.

One more pic just for the heck of it.

Washington, DC, July 19, 1934—"Officers and men who will pilot ten Army bombing planes in a massed formation flight from Washington to Fairbanks, Alaska, arrived today in the Capital and were greeted by high officials of the War Department. Photo shows Acting Secretary of War Harry Woodring, greeting Colonel H.H. Arnold, who will command the flight. Glenn Martin, designer and builder of the planes, stands on the left and Major General B.D. Foulois, Chief of the Air Corps, on the right of the group."

 

[deeb7]

Catch: Aero's first known A-2 contract wasn't till 1938.

Okay, it's still too late, but Aero's first known A-2 contract is 37-3061 P from 1936/1937.

 

[Chandler]

[/quote]

The other thing I feel compelled to point out about the A-2 on the right (and Rottenhahn would tell me I was nuts) is how far from center those pockets are -- well, at least the left-hand pocket.

Chandler