Nice period photos of A-2's

[jeremiah]

Loving these photos. Keep them coming.

 

[Officer Dibley]

A photo of a photo. Halesworth-based pilots.

 

[Edward]

Lt later Capt Frank R Boyles. 121 [Eagle] Sqn RAF later 335th FS, 4th FG, 8AF,

 

[Smithy]

Great photo Edward and once again look how young that guy is, fresh out of school.

 

[Edward]

Great photo Edward and once again look how young that guy is, fresh out of school.

baby faced. if he survives he'll look 43 years old after his tour of duty! average age was 20. most guys enlisted right out of high school and some lied about their age so they could serve. balls of steal these kids!

 

[Smithy]

He didn't survive Edward, he was KIA on the 8th April 1944 on a bomber escort over Brunswick. 75 to 100 109s and 190s were engaged and Boyles was most likely killed in a collision with another 51.

 

[Edward]

Jimmy Stewart was considered an old man when he entered service in 1942 at the age of 32, he was almost six years beyond the maximum age restriction for Aviation Cadet training.

this is him in 1942. eager, young and full of life. then just 2 years later at the age of 34 (two months of maximum effort combat missions) he looked ten years older!

 

[Edward]

He didn't survive Edward, he was KIA on the 8th April 1944 on a bomber escort over Brunswick. 75 to 100 109s and 190s were engaged and Boyles was most likely killed in a collision with another 51.

ugh! I'll drink to him tonight. these guys were brave. damn.

 

[Smithy]

It's amazing how much combat ages people Edward, and for some reason specifically the eyes.

And you've got that right, anybody who served their country honourably in harm's way, no matter whether it was in the air, at sea or on land, was brave beyond what most of us can understand.

 

[zoomer]

Ralph Royce pops up in several early A-2 threads. Here he is as a brigadier general in April, 1942, right before he led a series of raids on Japanese bases and shipping in the Philippines. The Royce Raids were the first U.S. aerial counteroffensive of WW2, but they took place the week before the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and have been thoroughly forgotten.

 

[unclegrumpy]

Lt. Norman L. Smith. 376th Fighter Squadron pilot. Bottisham, Cambridgeshire, 20th Sept. 1944.

View attachment 8412

Looks like a US Army whistle like this:

 

[Greg Gale]

Captain W Mahurin of the 56th FG, Boxted

 

[Greg Gale]

 

[Brent]

Notice the guy in the back row, second from the right has a knife, fork and a spoon in jacket pocket. I may need to do that to one of my A-2s.

Regards,

 

[B-Man2]

Must be a late war photo as all the jackets are the same color.

 

[unclegrumpy]

Must be a late war photo as all the jackets are the same color.

This was colorized. If you notice the green side caps and green uniforms, they are all the wrong shade of green...more the 1956 shade, not even close to WW II.

 

[B-Man2]

Good catch Unc
I blew that one entirely!

 

[Brettafett]

Another of my favourites. Don Lopez, 23FG, Flying Tiger Sharks... Wearing his Star A-2 (russet) patched up nicely.

 

[zoomer]

This was colorized. If you notice the green side caps and green uniforms, they are all the wrong shade of green...more the 1956 shade, not even close to WW II.

This is exactly how an Army colorizer would do it!

 

[Greg Gale]

That collar!