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Military Air Transport Service


JCFalkenbergIII
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Hello Robert...hope you're doing well? MATS wasn't formed until the late 40s under the auspices of the new USAF, so it's a post-war patch.

 

Ian :thumbsup:

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JCFalkenbergIII
MATS was established 3 March 1948. Prior to that it was USAAF Air Transport Conmmand.

 

So its the Postwar MATS not the WWII USAAF Air Transport Command? Robert

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So its the Postwar MATS not the WWII USAAF Air Transport Command? Robert

Definitely MATS - anytime between 1 June 1948 to 8 January 1966.

 

A few variants primarily involving borders and background color, and then there was this uncommon one:

post-3976-1318459768.jpg

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So its the Postwar MATS not the WWII USAAF Air Transport Command? Robert

Here's a MATC variant, for comparison, and of course the familiar Air Transport Command of 1942-48 to compare with the Army Air Forces Ferrying Command of 1941-42 (Orange one):

post-3976-1318460065.jpg

post-3976-1318460076.png

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Patchcollector

Nice patches everyone :thumbsup: I have been wondering;were any of these worn by personnel when flying for the CIA under the guise of the various "cover" units they set up?

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To tie everything together, the patch depicted in the original thread is an approved USAF Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI), approved on 22 June 1953. USAF approved and authorized the wear of SSIs into the mid-1950's. The patches depicted in subsequent entries are probably for wear on flight suits and fatigue uniforms. PS: There never was a Military Air Transport Command, so that patch is an error.

 

Attached pictures are of a MATS SSI and two Flight Suit Patches

post-14361-1318461898.jpg

post-14361-1318461927.jpg

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Hello Robert...hope you're doing well? MATS wasn't formed until the late 40s under the auspices of the new USAF, so it's a post-war patch.

 

Ian :thumbsup:

 

That is a really common misconception: that most USAAF patches were wartime patches. A large number of your non-numbered USAAF patches were not worn until after WWII. Alaskan Air Command, ATC, and most of the tabs are just the tip of the iceberg.

 

-Ski

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To tie everything together, the patch depicted in the original thread is an approved USAF Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI), approved on 22 June 1953. USAF approved and authorized the wear of SSIs into the mid-1950's. The patches depicted in subsequent entries are probably for wear on flight suits and fatigue uniforms. PS: There never was a Military Air Transport Command, so that patch is an error.

 

Attached pictures are of a MATS SSI and two Flight Suit Patches

 

Thats right, I have an early undated OG 107 cotton sateen fatique shirt with the above white bordered MATS patch on the right pocket the other on is a large early Air Rescue Service patch. In fact there is a well published photo that has croped up in vietnam war history books in the past showing a Airman 3rd class being escorted with hands tied by a North vietnamese female milita member, he has on fatiques of the 2nd pattern(If he was wearing a flight suit it no doubt was taken off most likley by him after landing or bailing out) this white bordered MATS patch, no indication on the type of craft this juinor ranking enlistedman was a crewman on ( rescue chopper,transport plane ).The photo if I remember has it captions in the various books I have seen it as being 1966( No month If I can remember ).

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Thats right, I have an early undated OG 107 cotton sateen fatique shirt with the above white bordered MATS patch on the right pocket the other on is a large early Air Rescue Service patch. In fact there is a well published photo that has croped up in vietnam war history books in the past showing a Airman 3rd class being escorted with hands tied by a North vietnamese female milita member, he has on fatiques of the 2nd pattern(If he was wearing a flight suit it no doubt was taken off most likley by him after landing or bailing out) this white bordered MATS patch, no indication on the type of craft this juinor ranking enlistedman was a crewman on ( rescue chopper,transport plane ).The photo if I remember has it captions in the various books I have seen it as being 1966( No month If I can remember ).

 

This would be a early undated 3rd pattern fatique shirt that I have this white bordered MATS patch on.

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