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

[Smithy]

British Type C helmet as well possibly on having a closer look.

 

[Smithy]

Dude of the Day...

Capt David W. Howe of 334 Sqn. He survived the war (Burt ), after two tours and amazingly without an abort and 502 combat hours. He had 8 and a half victories.

 

[B-Man2]

Tim;
This guy could have sold War Bonds with this photo. Thanks for posting...(Another happy ending)

 

[Smithy]

Sorry Burt, this one is a sad one but then we need to remember those who fell especially. Lest we forget.

Lt Ivan Moon of 334 Sqn was shot down and killed along with F/O Frank Gallion on the 3rd November 1943.

 

[Roughwear]

British '41 pattern Mae Wests too!

 

[Smithy]

The 4th are especially interesting as I find the combination of US and British flying kit really great Andrew. It reminds me a lot of the Norwegian aircrew who had trained at Little Norway, that mix of British and American kit for some reason tickles my fancy!

 

[Smithy]

Dude of the Day...

Roy Evans of 335 Sqn. Roy had the dubious honour of being the last former Eagle to become a POW and went from a weight of 225 lbs at capture to 167 lbs when he was liberated.

 

[Greg Gale]

Look, another baggy A-2....NOT Then again, he wears his A-2 looser than most of his squadmates. The first picture here in a long time where the sleeve length would be acceptable for most VLJ members I wonder why he's wearing his collars this way, not very flattering. Looking at the pants, I guess they're M37s rather than pinks, right? Somehow that was the trend at the 4th - I've got to get myself one for next years FL

 

[Smithy]

I wonder why he's wearing his collars this way, not very flattering.

It's more than likely due to personal preference to how he wore his harnesses (parachute and seat). He obviously liked them worn higher up the shoulders. I remember a former Spit pilot telling me how every pilot was different in how he liked to be strapped in.

 

[Pilot]

Stand-up collar? Jacket maker? Any hint?

 

[Smithy]

Andrew should be able to give a pretty good guess I'd wager!

 

[Roughwear]

The shape of the pockets suggest it is a RW.

 

[Pilot]

The shape of the pockets suggest it is a RW.

Thanks Andrew.

 

[Smithy]

There you go!

 

[Greg Gale]

"Red Dog" Norley:

 

[Smithy]

Red Dog had 16.3 kills and his first kill when flying with the K-14 sight was a rare bird, a Me163.

He was called Red Dog not because of his red hair like many think but because of his ability to lose money playing the Red Dog variant of poker!

 

[Brettafett]

The shape of the pockets suggest it is a RW.

Andrew, is there any way to distinguish between Roughwear contracts from WW2 B/W photos (without seeing zips)?

 

[Roughwear]

Yes, pocket shape/collar stand combination is always helpful. The zips are helpful to tie down the specific contract.

 

[Brettafett]

So the above jacket (Roughwear) for example, its tricky to say which specific contract ,without seeing more details, like zipper etc.
i.e. so pocket shape/ profile can not tell specific contract etc.? Thanks btw

 

[Greg Gale]

There are so many great photos in this thread, that I felt they needed to be collected in one place, so I created a pinterest board:

https://pin.it/ob5kvfcsmutg2i