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3rd/8th Air Force jacket & hat, Gunner wings Sgt Stripes


TreasureHunter
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TreasureHunter

Picked this up today for a c-note, hope that's not a crazy price. Any comments welcome on the laundry tag? Looks like I-7451? Any comments welcome on authenticity.

 

 

 

 

post-123772-0-84133400-1422825817.jpg

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I found 8 men that match, but three of those didn't enlist until 1945, so they would have been too late to earn those awards...But, this guy enlisted in Florida in December 1942:

 

Walter V. Infinger – 34537451

 

 

Mark sends

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Patches, I do believe it is a silver oak leaf, does that mean there is a DFC missing?

 

Thanks Bill

No, that means he was awarded 5 Air Medals. Air Medal Ribbon by itself=1st Award, 1 Bronze Oak Leaf=2nd Award, 2 Bronze Oak Leaves=3rd Award, 3 Bronze Oak Leaves=4th Award, 5th Award in lieu of 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Devices worn, a Silver one was worn instead, the same system applies to all Valor decorations

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Can you post a high quality close up of the ribbon bar? It still looks like it might be a bronze OLC, in which case it would be two awards of the AM vs. six awards with a silver OLC. Also, as mentioned the automatic awarding of the DFC after 25 missions was not done throughout the entire war, just mainly in the earlier period when the 8th was losing a lot of men and planes. By the tail end of the war a lot of guys flew 25+ missions but were often awarded an AM or two, due to the reduced impact of the Luftwaffe on the bombers.

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How late is late? My two gunners came home in the Summer of '44 with DFCs. I'd be interested to know.

 

For the life of me, I can't recall the exact date... I'm failing to find the regs right now, but I know there was something I read that said the 25-mission rule wasn't across the board to the end of hostilities. The summer of 1944 still seems like the rule would still be applicable, though, so the DFCs (and AM w/ 3 OLCs I assume?) seem A-OK -- of course, downing a Messerschmitt would get you an additional AM. If I recall it is was sometime around the end of '44 / early '45, hence the large number of late-war crews with guys who completed a full tour and earned AMs but not DFCs.

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I looked up the date at one point, too for the 30 mission bump, and it was just before both of my guys got to come home, so they had to do 30.

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  • 4 weeks later...
TreasureHunter

I found 8 men that match, but three of those didn't enlist until 1945, so they would have been too late to earn those awards...But, this guy enlisted in Florida in December 1942:

 

Walter V. Infinger – 34537451

 

 

Mark sends

 

No go on Inifnger, he was Pvt Antitank Co. 304th Inf. (from Golden Arrow), thanks for the info though.

 

Bill

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Here's the list for I-7451, excluding the three that enlisted in 1945, the last year is year of birth:

 

34537451 Infinger, Walter V. Walton, Florida 26 December 1942 b1916

34117451 Ingram, Lamatine G Jr, Panama Canal Zone 24 July 1941 b1916

20717451 Innes, William E., Brookings, South Dakota 9 February 1941 b1917

13087451 Irvin, Paul F., Fayette, Pennsylvania 1 July 1942 b1922

37667451 Isaacson, Albert R., Cerro Gordo, Iowa 26 March 1943 b1906

 

Ingram's grave record shows him as a PFC in the AAF: http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html

 

Innes served in the Corps of Engineers so it wasn't him. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=820815

 

Here's Irvin's obit: http://obituaries.triblive.com/listing/127964/Paul-F-Irvin/

 

And it's not Isaacson: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Isaacson&GSfn=Albert&GSby=1906&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=7660622&df=all&

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AAF_Collection

I wouldn't completely rule out the guys who enlisted in 1945, as they might have reenlisted or signed on for the reserves. I have a coat to an AAF vet who enlisted in the 1930's yet the NARA have him as enlisting in 45.

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Could be, so here they are, although Jack Ingram only turned 18 in 1945:

 

30117451 Ing, David F., Mexico 11 April 1945 b1925

35987451 Ingles, Eugene L Jr, Franklin, Ohio 14 May 1945 b1916

44087451 Ingram, Jack C., Caldwell, North Carolina 27 June 1945 b1927

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