Question about the age of the Wright Field patch

[Chandler]

Looks like it might be a chenile version of this variation on the Wright patch.View attachment 85096

Shorter guy, just in front of the gentleman with the pipe and behind the lone A-1, looks like he has the leather arrow patch.

Those zip-up sweaters in 3 of the group are interesting too.

Very cool vintage stuff. Like to know who these men are.

 

[mulceber]

Not sure if it’s possible to identify them, but it likely wouldn’t be too hard to pin down the year: after the first A-2s came in, but before May of ‘34, when the order came to rip the front pockets off the B-1/B-2. Looks like there are a couple different styles of A-2, so maybe 1933?

Btw, I thought it might be fun to show some progress pics on the jacket. Burt very kindly offered to tint it darker for me, so here’s the before pic:

And here’s a work-in-progress pic:

 

[2BM2K]

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.

Unfortunately I don't have any information about the photo. It was just something I found online when looking for A2 jacket with buttoned pockets.

 

[Wright Field]

Better late than never:
I’m the historian for Wright-Patterson AFB. The Wright Field spearhead emblem was designed in late 1930 and started appearing in use on jackets and on planes in early 1931. I got my own ELC Werber 1729 (the attached photo) specifically to match this period and had one of the members here make the patch for me. I had considered an A-1 but you can tell from the dates that the A-2 (thanks, Hap!) was introduced about the same time as this emblem. It certainly seems that some guys with A-1s retrofitted the Wright Field patch, but new jackets with it would presumably all be the A-2.
But to add to the confusion in that excellent photo above, the various air depots also adopted the spearhead design and just changed the name or initials inside and the colors. For example, the Fairfield Air (Intermediate) Depot next to Wright Field (part of Patterson Field after 1931) had a red and blue spearhead and you’d see FAD or FAID inside. I think that’s what several of those in the group photo are.

 

[Chandler]

@Wright Field -- any info on who actually designed the patch? Air Corp member, or someone commissioned from the outside?

 

[Wright Field]

@Wright Field -- any info on who actually designed the patch? Air Corp member, or someone commissioned from the outside?

Maj Hugh Knerr, who later headed Air Technical Service Command is usually credited with it, but that’s one of those things that’s been repeated without a clear original source of attribution.