Kadet Posted March 14, 2015 Share #1 Posted March 14, 2015 This set was lying on a table at the SOS with a bunch of other uniforms, and I was surprised no one had snapped it up. I bought it right before leaving the show on Sat for what I felt was a bargain, all things considered. The uniforms are named to 1LT Arthur W. Thomas. Thomas was the pilot of the B-17 "Bottle in Bond". It was hit over Posen, Poland and forced down in neutral Sweden in April 1944. The crew spent the rest of the war interned in Sweden...a fascinating story in its own right, and one of the little-known "factoids" of WWII. It turns out Sweden wasn't so neutral though. One of Thomas' gunners was killed by Swedish flak prior to the plane crashing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share #2 Posted March 14, 2015 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted March 14, 2015 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted March 14, 2015 Share #4 Posted March 14, 2015 This was literally my fallback find if I didn't see anything else! I have had a pretty good run of luck with the 8th AF lately, so I passed and got a Japanese NCO sword instead. Nice to see it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted March 14, 2015 I worked the seller down pretty good on his price...I don't think he wanted to carry it home I intended to sell the set, but decided to request his record and award cards instead. The crew was lost on their fourth mission. The AM citation might be interesting if it makes reference to the Sweden part somehow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timberwolf Posted March 14, 2015 Share #6 Posted March 14, 2015 Great score! That was definitely an unexpected find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted March 14, 2015 Share #7 Posted March 14, 2015 Very nice Andy! I have a YMCA Wartime Log POW diary from an AAF Internee in Sweden. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted March 14, 2015 Thanks Kurt....thought you might have an interest in this one What was his name?...perhaps he was part of the Thomas crew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted March 15, 2015 Share #9 Posted March 15, 2015 He was Donald Cairns , he was in a different crew with the 93rd BG, Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted March 15, 2015 Share #10 Posted March 15, 2015 Very nice. Great to have the dog tags! JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cperkins510 Posted May 3, 2015 Share #11 Posted May 3, 2015 What a gem! Internee groupings are so unique. There are some pretty interesting stories coming from airmen interned in both Sweden and Switzerland. I have a grouping from a B-24 navigator who was interned in Switzerland, which is one of my favorites. There's just something inherently intriguing about the internees and their unique war experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theinsigne Posted May 5, 2015 Share #12 Posted May 5, 2015 Fun times in Sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now