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

[Steve27752]

Dude of the Day...

I know we've had a few shots of Blakeslee but this is great and what I think is the perfect A-2 fit. Yeah he's whippet thin but talk about cutting a dash. Cooler than a block of ice in a fridge at the South Pole.

Looking at the heels, I think cowboy boots were the uniform of the day.

 

[Smithy]

Very probably Steve. Vic France was another one in the 4th who wore them.

 

[Kennyz]

Very cool indeed, Smithy!

Anybody know what make and contract of A-2 Blakeslee is wearing here?

Ken

Dude of the Day...

I know we've had a few shots of Blakeslee but this is great and what I think is the perfect A-2 fit. Yeah he's whippet thin but talk about cutting a dash. Cooler than a block of ice in a fridge at the South Pole.

 

[Greg Gale]

The Boss

 

[Smithy]

Those are awesome Greg!

 

[Marv]

Movie Star looks indeed....

 

[Greg Gale]

Don't get mad at me Smithy, but I'm going to hijack this thread and post some pics of my other favorite unit, the Blue Nose Bastards of Bodney, the 352nd FG:

I love the Donald Duck painting on this one:

Escape whistles seem to have been more common, than in the 4th FG?

Looking at Preddy's jacket, I seems to me that slim pilots wore their jacket short, rather than having one that's long enough for their frame but ill-fitting in the body, but that's my 2 cents only. Also interesting to note how wide those collars are spread on every picture, laying almost flat against the chest.

 

[Smithy]

Go for it Greg, the more the merrier I say!

 

[Lorenzo_l]

Great pictures, Greg, thanks for posting. Nice to see some pictures of G. Preddy I had not seen before. Where did you get them from, btw?

 

[Greg Gale]

Thanks! I just googled different word combinations. By the way, the Eastman website states that most of the 352nd had Monarchs. Is that so? Preddy, for instance, has an Aero....Was it common for one unit to have A-2s from the the same contract? What was the most common contract at the 4th?

 

[Smithy]

Was it common for one unit to have A-2s from the the same contract?

I wouldn't have thought so Greg as the jackets were issued during flight training so I imagine there were "clumps" of the same contracts when they were issued. But considering that men would be assigned to different commands not to mention groups and then squadrons different contract jackets would be spread throughout the Army Air Force.

You can see in this picture of the 4th when they were still on jugs and before the B-10s turned up how there's a variety of different jackets and obviously contracts too.

EDIT: (helps if you actually attach the photo!)

 

[Pilot]

Thx for all these nice pics...
Great docs...
Love the pics with pilots with watches and gloves...
Again thx for sharing.

 

[Brettafett]

I'm busy reading 'Fighter Group' at the mo, very good. Very interesting.
I had a few pics of guys wearing Broncos from the 352FG....

 

[Greg Gale]

I'd love to see them, Brett!

 

[Brettafett]

Will try and have a look. I've had so many pics over the years, some are stored on old HDs...
Theres a book on the 55th Fighter Group that had some cool pics. Great book. Great stories.

 

[Smithy]

I'd love to see them, Brett!

I'm with Greg, post them up it you can Brett!

 

[Greg Gale]

Jim Clark, CO of the 334th in the middle in his trim A-2. Goodson and Gentile are next to him.

 

[Smithy]

Brilliant photo Greg! That's Bunte next to Goody as well.

Also I might be wrong but the guy in the "middle" row, second from left could very well be wearing a tanker jacket.

 

[Cocker]

I'll second the tanker jacket! Far more common with the 9th AF guys than the 8th, but I've seen a couple lately when looking for pictures of the 56th FG, amongst other.

 

[Brettafett]

Look how short Bong's A-2 sleeves were...