Some of the 4th FG and a lot of A-2s

[Pilot]

My grand uncle’s goggles and knife...
Was an early version of the Vietnam war FAC... in a Cricket the French Fi 156 Fiesler Storch in Indochina...( Vietnam)..
German origin... enlisted in the 6th Frunsberg...by birth on the wrong side... flogged it in 1945...so “Légion Etrangère” or “échafaut” ( google it pls).., he was 17 y.o in April 1945 .and starving...He survived...

 

[Brettafett]

Now that knife has my attention!

 

[B-Man2]

I’m pretty sure that’s a Puma boot knife, WWII German time frame. Interestingly we here in the US call it a boot knife however most troops carried them in the chest area of there tunic. I believe they were issued to the Luftwaffe airborne. There were a couple of different manufacturers however Puma is the most desirable as a collector item.

 

[Pilot]

 

[Pilot]

A family photo ( BTW spread on the web)... note his belt... never ... gave up his Wa. Frunsberg past... not even in the French Legion...Still have it all...

 

[Pilot]

I’m pretty sure that’s a Puma boot knife, WWII German time frame. Interestingly we here in the US call it a boot knife however most troops carried them in the chest area of there tunic. I believe they were issued to the Luftwaffe airborne. There were a couple of different manufacturers however Puma is the most desirable as a collector item.

 

[Pilot]

Yup it is... and by all means and definitions...

 

[Pilot]

 

[B-Man2]

Pilot
I also collect knives of all makes and that is one of the finest examples of a Puma Luftwaffe that I’ve seen lately. I did see one that was still in it’s issued box but yours is right up there.
Thanks for showing it.
Cheers

 

[Pilot]

Thx. Appreciate...Its almost mint... still has the little leather dumper to avoid a harsh push in the scabbard.
Nicely Waa marked as well... never sharpened...
I do have a few others sharpened and without scabbard..all from his legacy...
If interest ...happy to get rid of the besaid ones.
Thx a lot.
Could not keep his MP40 nor his StuG 44...
...would have loved it... (of course not...hence my new home in Charlotte -NC...)
Anyway... on his tracks travelling throughout ex- Indochine... North Vietnam.. but all privately... carriying a few of his items..knife, binos, watch as a lucky “rabbit foot”.

 

[Smithy]

Dude of the Day...

Lt Charles Shilke of 336 and Black Lace.

 

[Pilot]

Nice A-2 fit...( I cannot stop crying... )..sure its a 27752 RW ...

 

[B-Man2]

Thx. Appreciate...Its almost mint... still has the little leather dumper to avoid a harsh push in the scabbard.
Nicely Waa marked as well... never sharpened...
I do have a few others sharpened and without scabbard..all from his legacy...
If interest ...happy to get rid of the besaid ones.
Thx a lot.
Could not keep his MP40 nor his StuG 44...
...would have loved it... (of course not...hence my new home in Charlotte -NC...)
Anyway... on his tracks travelling throughout ex- Indochine... North Vietnam.. but all privately... carriying a few of his items..knife, binos, watch as a lucky “rabbit foot”.

Pilot
PM me a photo of your next best condition Puma and scabbard if you are considering letting it go.

 

[Pilot]

Pilot
PM me a photo of your next best condition Puma and scabbard if you are considering letting it go.

Thx, ok will do, but the ones I am happy to put on the bench have no scabbard...but very good condition anyway...
When Foreign Legion had to leave Algeria their beloved home Sidi Bel Abbes, they evacuated all goods..including these goodies...

 

[B-Man2]

Thx, ok will do, but the ones I am happy to put on the bench have no scabbard...but very good condition anyway...

Ok go ahead and send a photo.
Thanks

 

[Officer Dibley]

Interesting points about fit. I'm a long & slim fella', so when I bought my dream jacket that is supposed to last a lifetime (Eastman Star A-2) I spent 2 hours trying on a size 40 and a size 42. The 40 was trim, but still comfy and roomy in the torso, slightly on the shorter side in the sleeves. The 42 had longer sleeves although by not much, but the torso was way too roomy, so I went with the 40.

Ever since the I've spent hours thinking about how I perhaps should have gone for the 42, but I always remind myself of the fact that these jackets were issued back in WW2, none of these pilots spent 2 hours in front of a mirror at the supply depot

I'm Late to this party (as usual) but you won't get longer and skinnier than Jimmy Stewart and he rocked his A2......look up what make and size of his .

 

[Officer Dibley]

Da-yum, he looks cool!

PS: Looking at all these photos I came to the conclusion that most 4th FG pilots wore M1937 pants rather than pinks or OD-s, isn't that right?

Could that be because wool is better than synthetics in a cockpit fire ?

 

[Greg Gale]

@Officer Dibley , Stewart had a size 40 RW 1401, he was 190 cm tall, and weighed 66-67 kg.

As far as I know pinks (trousers) are also made of wool. Or is it twill? Not sure, but they're not synthetic as far as I know. I could be wrong though.

 

[Smithy]

@Officer DibleyAs far as I know pinks (trousers) are also made of wool. Or is it twill?

Greg, pinks are made of wool and they are twill. Twill just refers to how the fabric is woven to produce that diagonal line look for want of a better description.

 

[Greg Gale]

Ah, one learns something new every day. I'm terrible at telling the difference between wool/ cotton/ twill/ gabardine/ whatnot...thanks!