WWII Summer Tunic with Canadian Jump Wings

[Captainofthe7th]

I don't think it is put together, if that means anything, and I love how weird it is. Without getting into too much right now, I just wanted to point out the Allied Forces ribbon a.k.a inter-allied victory ribbon. I think it's interesting to see it on here. I started a topic some time ago about this ribbon, trying to determine if there was some unofficial criteria for it more than just 'self awarded' or being part of a VFW or American Legion kind of organization. And here it is again on a uniform where a soldier served in some capacity with the U.S. and another Allied country. Take a look:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/260944-allied-service-ribbon-is-there-actual-award-criteria/

 

Many of the racks I've found from WWII have commonwealth awards. If you would please add this uniform to the thread it would be wonderful!

 

Thanks,

Rob

[Andrew]

Supposing the tunic is legit and original, then the Canadian/Commonwealth ribbons ought to prove that this soldier spent some considerable time in Canadian uniform before enlisting in the US forces. In order to receive the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, strictly speaking, the soldier must have completed at least 18 months of voluntary active service, either at home or overseas, between 1939 and 1947. (Whereas National Resources Mobilization Act conscripts would not be eligible for their home service, but that is another matter.) The maple leaf device on the CVSM shows that the soldier was indeed overseas in Canadian uniform for some period of time of least 60 days.

 

Putting aside later US service for a moment, it is unexpected to find a Canadian army battledress with campaign ribbons for Italy and Northwest Europe unless the man was in the (Canadian) 1st Division, or the 5th Armoured Division, or one of the independent armoured brigades (ie, he was somewhere in I Cdn Corps) in Italy at some point during 1943-45 and then also in Northwest Europe after I Cdn Corps moved there to join First Cdn Army in the spring of 1945 - very late in the war. (This would be a typical progression - most folks who were with I Cdn Corps would not have arrived in NW Europe until quite late in the war - of course, there could be exceptions.) If so, and assuming that this was an American who volunteered for the Canadian Army (not unusual) then where and when would it be possible to enlist with the US forces during the later part of the war, earn a CIB, and a whole range of unknown US awards? And this does not address the Africa Star, or for that matter, the Canadian jump wings, which were earned by a relatively small percentage of Canadian soldiers, and would not normally or widely be seen on uniforms in I Cdn Corps.

 

Looking at this tunic from the Canadian vantage point, the evidence suggests some type of contrivance, if not an actual put together.

[Jumpin Jack]

Please allow me to throw a bit of crap into the discussion. My brother, an American, enlisted in the Canadian Armored Corps early after the outbreak of WWII. While only a Trooper, he earned most of the awards shown being worn on the uniform in question (ex-ception being the awards for NW and NE Europe and parachute wings.) He fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was mustered out at the end of the war due to wounds received in Sicily. While not likely due to his wounds, let's assume he returned to the States and enlisted in the U.S. Army. Then such a rig would be highly possible. But then, there's the question about the Alaskan Dept. SSI. As for the Canadians not fighting in North Africa, tell it to my brother. Jack

[bheskett]

Check the bottom of the coat. The liner may not be sewn down. I have found identifiers in there written on pockets and such. Very cool looking coat.

 

Bob

[Kadet]

The owner may have also served as a Canadian in the SOE prior to his US service. This might explain the jump wings and variety of campaign awards.

[1canpara]

Very interesting thread, lots to discuss and speculate on! As a Canadian I find it very interesting for sure, but as a collector I would've jumped on this one too, just because it's such a mystery....plus those jump wings are very nice and as Klaxon said, worth more than the total price that he paid!

 

Rick

[Klaxon]

I don't think it is put together, if that means anything, and I love how weird it is. Without getting into too much right now, I just wanted to point out the Allied Forces ribbon a.k.a inter-allied victory ribbon. I think it's interesting to see it on here. I started a topic some time ago about this ribbon, trying to determine if there was some unofficial criteria for it more than just 'self awarded' or being part of a VFW or American Legion kind of organization. And here it is again on a uniform where a soldier served in some capacity with the U.S. and another Allied country. Take a look:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/260944-allied-service-ribbon-is-there-actual-award-criteria/

 

Many of the racks I've found from WWII have commonwealth awards. If you would please add this uniform to the thread it would be wonderful!

 

Thanks,

Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the link. I had always wondered about this ribbon as I have it in ahand full of US wwII tunics. It took some digging to try and find out what it actual was. Not in the books that I own. I think it was from posting it on this forum that the mystery of this ribbon was solved.

I'm traveling at the moment but when I get back I'll link this tread to yours. Your more than welcome to if that's possible from your end.

Cheers,

Matt

[Klaxon]

Very interesting thread, lots to discuss and speculate on! As a Canadian I find it very interesting for sure, but as a collector I would've jumped on this one too, just because it's such a mystery....plus those jump wings are very nice and as Klaxon said, worth more than the total price that he paid!

 

Rick

Thanks Rick.

Odd duck to say the least. Never seen anything like it before. Had to grab it. They are the nicest set of Canadian wings I've yet to come across. First black background pair as well.

Cheers,

Matt

[Klaxon]

The owner may have also served as a Canadian in the SOE prior to his US service. This might explain the jump wings and variety of campaign awards.

Wouldn't that be nice ?? one can only hope. Again wish it was named.

[VolunteerArmoury]

Could the indication that this guy had less than three years in the US Army (unless he just simply put his service stripe on as many didn't) but at least eighteen months (based on that he has overseas stripes that can attest for a period of 18-23 months overseas since each for six months) be beneficial to note? Would Alaska at that time have had the overseas stripes awarded to soldiers assigned there?

[12A54]

Curious that the "allied" ribbons are sew-on and the US ribbons are clutch back. Why the mix?

 

Wonder if there is any other SSI ghosting / stitch pattern inside each shoulder.

 

Lots of allied experience, Alaska, then Second Army which was stateside. Was there enough time to do all that? CIB for Alaska?

 

Any way this was worn later than 1945 as a veteran's jacket (for parades, gatherings, etc.) and the missing ribbons and CIB are for Korea?

[Andrew]

Please allow me to throw a bit of crap into the discussion. My brother, an American, enlisted in the Canadian Armored Corps early after the outbreak of WWII. While only a Trooper, he earned most of the awards shown being worn on the uniform in question (ex-ception being the awards for NW and NE Europe and parachute wings.) He fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was mustered out at the end of the war due to wounds received in Sicily. While not likely due to his wounds, let's assume he returned to the States and enlisted in the U.S. Army. Then such a rig would be highly possible. But then, there's the question about the Alaskan Dept. SSI. As for the Canadians not fighting in North Africa, tell it to my brother. Jack

Canadians surely fought in North Africa (and in many other theatres we don't normally think of), albeit not normally in Canadian formations or units, but usually as individuals in British formations or units, as with the Canloan officers already mentioned. Still, in the case of this tunic, we have the less than typical circumstance of a CVSM, Africa Star, Italy Star, and France and Germany Star. This would suggest that the man was in Canadian uniform in all three of those locations. Now, it is possible that he found his way to France in 1944, having already served in Italy, and then somehow enlisted in US forces later on, but it might be more likely that he did not reach NW Europe until 1945, when I Cdn Corps arrived to join First Cdn Army. If so, I would lean toward very late or post-Second World War US Army service - Maybe after VE Day he enlisted in the US forces and ended up in Alaska, bound for an extended Pacific campaign that never happened. Then he stayed in the Army, or returned for Korea and earned a CIB. But in that case, why wear the Alaska patch, and not one from his division in Korea? I guess the missing US ribbons would give us some answers, if this is all legitimate.

[notinfringed]

When it comes to uniform regulation, my knowledge is mostly limited to what I have read on this forum. When you throw foreign awards into the mix, I know virtually nothing. But one thought did cross my mind. There have been discussions here on the forum about men being stationed in Alaska, then signing up for jump school or flight school with the sole intent on getting out of Alaska. Would it be possible that this individual was stationed in Alaska with the Canadian Army first, before his other tours. After all, Canadians were stationed in Alaska as early as spring of 1942 as part of the "Joint Canadian US defense plan".

Is it also possible that the only combat patch he would have been allowed to wear after joining the US army would be the Alaskan patch because it was the only theater he was assigned to a US command?

Very confusing. One way or another, I would have bought this uniform in a heartbeat. I love oddballs like this.

[Allan H.]

I've sat back and observed on this jacket since it was first posted. At first, I just chuckled and thought to myself that this was an odd one for sure. After reading through the now two pages of posts, I figure, why not jump in myself? I, like everyone else, find the uniform to be very unusual, and I just have to keep scratching my head when it comes to the oddities that I see. For me, the most obvious anomaly that I see to the uniform is the British/ Canadian ribbons that are sewn to the blouse. I think that they were added by somebody who has no knowledge of British medals. Having collected British and Commonwealth RAF and airborne for years, I have consistently seen "the real deal" and when oddities pop up, big alarm bells go off in my head. For starters, the ribbons are in the wrong order. I know, all of you US collectors are going to shrug your shoulders and say "what's the big deal? US ribbons are out of order all of the time!" Yes, US ribbons are typically out of order, and that is normal. It is NOT however the least bit normal to see ribbons out of order on the uniforms of serving British and Commonwealth forces. Americans didn't know the proper order for campaign ribbons, and a lot of them came out late in the war. British forces on the other hand wore their ribbons regularly and not having them in proper order would have incurred the wrath of the regimental sergeant major or other subaltern. So, let's look at these ribbons on this uniform. I am giving you a link here to a website that will QUICKLY explain the ribbons and when I quote, I am referencing this site- http://www.petergh.f2s.com/medals.htm The first ribbon on the rack is the Canadian Volunteer Service ribbon with maple leaf device for foreign service. This would have been the last ribbon on the rack, as it was a territorial medal and not a medal prescribed by mother England.
As there are no decorations in the group, the first ribbon should have been the 1939-45 Star, which is the second ribbon here. The next campaign in order of precedence is the Africa Star. NOW GET THIS- SOLDIERS of the British army wore a silver NUMERAL on the ribbon- either a "1" or an "8" to denote the British army in which they served in North Africa, Abyssinia, Somaliland, Eritrea, and Malta, between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943. This ribbon doesn't have a numeral, it has a rosette. How can that be? Well, it is possible. Regulations state "A silver rose emblem is worn on the ribbon by personnel of the Royal Navy Inshore Squadron and Merchant Navy vessels which worked inshore between 23 October 1942 and 12 May 1943, and by personnel of the RAF serving between the same dates. Staff of the 18 Army Group Headquarters who served between certain specified dates under a specified General also qualify." It is most likely that if this man earned a rosette, he did so in the navy or merchant marine.
The next ribbon that SHOULD be in line is the Italy Star, but the next ribbon on this uniform is the France and Germany Star. The Italy Star was awarded for "operational service on land in Sicily, mainland Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Aegean and the Dodecanese, Corsica, Sardinia, and Elba, at any time during the campaign from 11 June 1943 (capture of Pantelleria) to 8 May 1945. Service in Sicily after 17 August 1943; in Sardinia, after 19 September 1943; or in Corsica, after 4 October 1943, did not count."
So, our Canadian hero puts the France and Germany Star before the Italy Star, but the bloke would have been getting these ribbons as he earned them, rather than getting a bunch of ribbons all at once like what happened to most American troops (which is why we had confusion on the ribbons). The France and Germany Star was awarded "for operational service in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, or Germany, between 6 June 1944 and 8 May 1945."
I'm not going to worry about the Defence Medal or the War Medal of 1939-1945. They are pretty obvious. The last ribbon is the biggest puzzler of all. It appears to be that of the Inter-allied Victory ribbon which was given to a lot of soldiers at the end of World War I Are we to assume that the soldier was claiming WWI service? What would be the reasoning for adding the ribbon? To me, the answer is that a WWII veteran would not have worn it. A collector adding ribbons to a uniform? Why not? Maybe they needed one more ribbon to even out the bars? Also, why would the British ribbons be sewn on and not put on a bar? British uniform regulations prescribed that the ribbons be sewn to the uniform. The ribbons were issued as a piece of cloth, so the only way to put them on a bar would be to find a bar and stitch them on. Last point- even Canadian soldiers serving in the First Special Service Force, were not being awarded US ribbons, just as US soldiers in the Force were not receiving British ribbons. There were some awards of decorations that crossed over from the Canadians to the US and vice versa (mainly to officers), but NOT campaign medals. Getting tired of reading yet? OK, I'll stop, but I can go on if anyone wants to cling to the hope that this is anything other than a fantasy piece.

 

Allan

[doyler]

Allan

 

Great post and a wealth of information......this is why I want to be like you when I grow up.

[Klaxon]

I've sat back and observed on this jacket since it was first posted. At first, I just chuckled and thought to myself that this was an odd one for sure. After reading through the now two pages of posts, I figure, why not jump in myself? I, like everyone else, find the uniform to be very unusual, and I just have to keep scratching my head when it comes to the oddities that I see. For me, the most obvious anomaly that I see to the uniform is the British/ Canadian ribbons that are sewn to the blouse. I think that they were added by somebody who has no knowledge of British medals. Having collected British and Commonwealth RAF and airborne for years, I have consistently seen "the real deal" and when oddities pop up, big alarm bells go off in my head. For starters, the ribbons are in the wrong order. I know, all of you US collectors are going to shrug your shoulders and say "what's the big deal? US ribbons are out of order all of the time!" Yes, US ribbons are typically out of order, and that is normal. It is NOT however the least bit normal to see ribbons out of order on the uniforms of serving British and Commonwealth forces. Americans didn't know the proper order for campaign ribbons, and a lot of them came out late in the war. British forces on the other hand wore their ribbons regularly and not having them in proper order would have incurred the wrath of the regimental sergeant major or other subaltern. So, let's look at these ribbons on this uniform. I am giving you a link here to a website that will QUICKLY explain the ribbons and when I quote, I am referencing this site- http://www.petergh.f2s.com/medals.htm The first ribbon on the rack is the Canadian Volunteer Service ribbon with maple leaf device for foreign service. This would have been the last ribbon on the rack, as it was a territorial medal and not a medal prescribed by mother England.

As there are no decorations in the group, the first ribbon should have been the 1939-45 Star, which is the second ribbon here. The next campaign in order of precedence is the Africa Star. NOW GET THIS- SOLDIERS of the British army wore a silver NUMERAL on the ribbon- either a "1" or an "8" to denote the British army in which they served in North Africa, Abyssinia, Somaliland, Eritrea, and Malta, between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943. This ribbon doesn't have a numeral, it has a rosette. How can that be? Well, it is possible. Regulations state "A silver rose emblem is worn on the ribbon by personnel of the Royal Navy Inshore Squadron and Merchant Navy vessels which worked inshore between 23 October 1942 and 12 May 1943, and by personnel of the RAF serving between the same dates. Staff of the 18 Army Group Headquarters who served between certain specified dates under a specified General also qualify." It is most likely that if this man earned a rosette, he did so in the navy or merchant marine.

The next ribbon that SHOULD be in line is the Italy Star, but the next ribbon on this uniform is the France and Germany Star. The Italy Star was awarded for "operational service on land in Sicily, mainland Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Aegean and the Dodecanese, Corsica, Sardinia, and Elba, at any time during the campaign from 11 June 1943 (capture of Pantelleria) to 8 May 1945. Service in Sicily after 17 August 1943; in Sardinia, after 19 September 1943; or in Corsica, after 4 October 1943, did not count."

So, our Canadian hero puts the France and Germany Star before the Italy Star, but the bloke would have been getting these ribbons as he earned them, rather than getting a bunch of ribbons all at once like what happened to most American troops (which is why we had confusion on the ribbons). The France and Germany Star was awarded "for operational service in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, or Germany, between 6 June 1944 and 8 May 1945."

I'm not going to worry about the Defence Medal or the War Medal of 1939-1945. They are pretty obvious. The last ribbon is the biggest puzzler of all. It appears to be that of the Inter-allied Victory ribbon which was given to a lot of soldiers at the end of World War I Are we to assume that the soldier was claiming WWI service? What would be the reasoning for adding the ribbon? To me, the answer is that a WWII veteran would not have worn it. A collector adding ribbons to a uniform? Why not? Maybe they needed one more ribbon to even out the bars? Also, why would the British ribbons be sewn on and not put on a bar? British uniform regulations prescribed that the ribbons be sewn to the uniform. The ribbons were issued as a piece of cloth, so the only way to put them on a bar would be to find a bar and stitch them on. Last point- even Canadian soldiers serving in the First Special Service Force, were not being awarded US ribbons, just as US soldiers in the Force were not receiving British ribbons. There were some awards of decorations that crossed over from the Canadians to the US and vice versa (mainly to officers), but NOT campaign medals. Getting tired of reading yet? OK, I'll stop, but I can go on if anyone wants to cling to the hope that this is anything other than a fantasy piece.

 

Allan

Hi Allan,

Thanks for your insight and in-depth analysis. I collect WWII Canadian uniforms and hadn't even noticed that the order of the ribbons were not as they should. Hiding in plain sight. To busy scratching my head with this tunic. I opened my box of Canadian BD's and Officer tunics to see, of the ones that have ribbons, what they looked like and if there were any anomalies. All the ones with a full wwII and post awards like the UN and Korean War medal were in the correct order. Only difference was sometimes the CVSM was before the Defence medal These are all late war set ups. Almost all war time pics of Canadians I've seen have but one medal and that's the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal Not all were seen down though. Unless they have been awarded a decoration for bravery or an order. Also if they were wwI veterans you nay see the trio. Most of the Canadian medals that are on this tunic were not issued until 1945. With that being said if this fellow returned to or enlisted for the first time in the army of his mother country it most likely was close to war's end and perhaps before he was given the bulk of these Canadian medals. So if that's the case then he may not possible know the proper order of these end of war medals.

[Klaxon]

I've sat back and observed on this jacket since it was first posted. At first, I just chuckled and thought to myself that this was an odd one for sure. After reading through the now two pages of posts, I figure, why not jump in myself? I, like everyone else, find the uniform to be very unusual, and I just have to keep scratching my head when it comes to the oddities that I see. For me, the most obvious anomaly that I see to the uniform is the British/ Canadian ribbons that are sewn to the blouse. I think that they were added by somebody who has no knowledge of British medals. Having collected British and Commonwealth RAF and airborne for years, I have consistently seen "the real deal" and when oddities pop up, big alarm bells go off in my head. For starters, the ribbons are in the wrong order. I know, all of you US collectors are going to shrug your shoulders and say "what's the big deal? US ribbons are out of order all of the time!" Yes, US ribbons are typically out of order, and that is normal. It is NOT however the least bit normal to see ribbons out of order on the uniforms of serving British and Commonwealth forces. Americans didn't know the proper order for campaign ribbons, and a lot of them came out late in the war. British forces on the other hand wore their ribbons regularly and not having them in proper order would have incurred the wrath of the regimental sergeant major or other subaltern. So, let's look at these ribbons on this uniform. I am giving you a link here to a website that will QUICKLY explain the ribbons and when I quote, I am referencing this site- http://www.petergh.f2s.com/medals.htm The first ribbon on the rack is the Canadian Volunteer Service ribbon with maple leaf device for foreign service. This would have been the last ribbon on the rack, as it was a territorial medal and not a medal prescribed by mother England.

As there are no decorations in the group, the first ribbon should have been the 1939-45 Star, which is the second ribbon here. The next campaign in order of precedence is the Africa Star. NOW GET THIS- SOLDIERS of the British army wore a silver NUMERAL on the ribbon- either a "1" or an "8" to denote the British army in which they served in North Africa, Abyssinia, Somaliland, Eritrea, and Malta, between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943. This ribbon doesn't have a numeral, it has a rosette. How can that be? Well, it is possible. Regulations state "A silver rose emblem is worn on the ribbon by personnel of the Royal Navy Inshore Squadron and Merchant Navy vessels which worked inshore between 23 October 1942 and 12 May 1943, and by personnel of the RAF serving between the same dates. Staff of the 18 Army Group Headquarters who served between certain specified dates under a specified General also qualify." It is most likely that if this man earned a rosette, he did so in the navy or merchant marine.

The next ribbon that SHOULD be in line is the Italy Star, but the next ribbon on this uniform is the France and Germany Star. The Italy Star was awarded for "operational service on land in Sicily, mainland Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Aegean and the Dodecanese, Corsica, Sardinia, and Elba, at any time during the campaign from 11 June 1943 (capture of Pantelleria) to 8 May 1945. Service in Sicily after 17 August 1943; in Sardinia, after 19 September 1943; or in Corsica, after 4 October 1943, did not count."

So, our Canadian hero puts the France and Germany Star before the Italy Star, but the bloke would have been getting these ribbons as he earned them, rather than getting a bunch of ribbons all at once like what happened to most American troops (which is why we had confusion on the ribbons). The France and Germany Star was awarded "for operational service in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, or Germany, between 6 June 1944 and 8 May 1945."

I'm not going to worry about the Defence Medal or the War Medal of 1939-1945. They are pretty obvious. The last ribbon is the biggest puzzler of all. It appears to be that of the Inter-allied Victory ribbon which was given to a lot of soldiers at the end of World War I Are we to assume that the soldier was claiming WWI service? What would be the reasoning for adding the ribbon? To me, the answer is that a WWII veteran would not have worn it. A collector adding ribbons to a uniform? Why not? Maybe they needed one more ribbon to even out the bars? Also, why would the British ribbons be sewn on and not put on a bar? British uniform regulations prescribed that the ribbons be sewn to the uniform. The ribbons were issued as a piece of cloth, so the only way to put them on a bar would be to find a bar and stitch them on. Last point- even Canadian soldiers serving in the First Special Service Force, were not being awarded US ribbons, just as US soldiers in the Force were not receiving British ribbons. There were some awards of decorations that crossed over from the Canadians to the US and vice versa (mainly to officers), but NOT campaign medals. Getting tired of reading yet? OK, I'll stop, but I can go on if anyone wants to cling to the hope that this is anything other than a fantasy piece.

 

Allan

Hi Allan,

Please ignore my last post. Doing it on my phone and it posted before i could finish my thoughts. Aplogies for the fractal 1/2 post.

Let's try it again.

Thanks for your insight and in-depth analysis. I collect WWII Canadian uniforms and hadn't even noticed that the order of the ribbons were not as they should. Hiding in plain sight. To busy scratching my head with this tunic. I opened some boxes of Canadian BD's and Officer tunics to see, of the ones that have ribbons, what they looked like and if there were any anomalies. All the ones with a full wwII and post awards like the UN and Korean War medal were in the correct order. Not all were sewn down. Many are pin on bars. Almost all war time pics of Canadians I've seen have but one medal and that's the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. Unless they have been awarded a decoration for bravery or an order. Also if they were wwI veterans you may see the trio. Most of the Canadian medals that are on this tunic were not issued until 1945. With that being said if this fellow returned to or enlisted for the first time in the army of his mother country it most likely was close to war's end and perhaps before he was given the bulk of these Canadian medals. So if that's the case then he may not possible know the proper order of these end of war medals. If that's the case they are in the order (almost) in which they were issued. Volunteer medal and Africa Star ( issued 1943) 1939-'45 star, Italy star and the France and Germany star (issued 1945. Just a theory. I know you said it's a fantasy piece but I wonder who's fantasy? It's so inglorious in some of their choices of badges and insignia. Why MP? Why Alaska Command and 2nd Army? Why Canadian medals and Jump wings? I found a pic (below) in a book about the Canadian Airborne that has a 1st SSF Canadian officers Tunis tunic with US wings, no Canadian ones. The '39 to '45 Star, the Canadian Service Medal, Purple Heart, Asiatic Pacific and European-African-Middle East Theatre medals. I'm not in anyway trying to say this American hero who owned my tunic was 1st SSF by any means just using it as an example. Finding any uniforms with inter-allied awards on them isn't easy. I have that last medal/ribbon, what I had been told was a Legion medal on a couple WWII uniforms and they always last in the row.

​Mind you they were strictly on US uniforms.

Cheers,

matt

[Klaxon]

Here's some more pics of the interior of the jacket. I turned it inside out and look everywhere for any markings. Here's what the was…..

A series of numbers and letters. Not a service number so perhaps a dry-cleaning number or something factory info pertaining to the manufacturing of the garment.

 

[Klaxon]

Looks like it's private purchase jacket by Nudelman Bros. Portland and Seattle. West coast maker fits with the Alaska Command patch.

 

[Klaxon]

Drycleaner tag and union garnet label.

[Klaxon]

Reverse of ribbon side. Stitching of Canadian ribbons and holes from US pin on rack.

[Klaxon]

Reverse of puffy Canadian Jump wings and US overseas bars.

[Klaxon]

I figured out why the Africa Star is before the France and Germany star. The ribbons are flipped. These are the only two that are attached to each other and aren't independent so when they were sewn on upside down it screwed the sequence. All these ribbons including the Inter-Allied Ribbon are on the same type of old card/paper. This is quite common for Canadian ribbon bars of this era to be on board. Many of the loose ribbon bars I have are on board, plastic or metal. The only ones I have that are singles and not on a rack/strip are the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. All the others are Tandem which is unlike this tunic and another oddity. Where they all together on strips and then cut up into single other than the African and France/Germany combo?

[Force136]

Hi Guys

 

Firstly the Canadian Parachute Badge is not WW2. It is a post war variant of the Type 2 as noted on my site www.airbornehistorycanada.com

 

This variant seems to appear sometime after 1947 and there are two versions both with a US style cheesecloth backing as found on US wool badges of that period. I have no solid proof they are US made but ALL versions I have found have come from the US. It is possible that the No1 ARDC at Rivers ordered a lot from the US. I have two photos on my site showing an American wearing them on the right breast as found on this uniform.

 

There are SO many reasons why an American or even a Canadian who moved to the US could be wearing this badge. It does mean he served in either the 1st Canadian Parachute or Special Service Battalion. For one he could have been injured in parachute training badly enough to preclude his training. This entitled the man to wear the badge. He may have been injured trying to get into one of these units and then went on to a regular unit and went overseas. There were a number of Canadians serving in N Africa as part of a scheme to gain experience. This involved more than a handful. You also have to remember that Canadians served as liaison and as part of allied HQ in every theater of war on the planet.

 

The other possibility is the guy served in the Canadian army during the war ( as an American or a Canadian who moved to the US ) and took parachute training at Shilo after the war as an American OR Canadian before moving to the US. As far as I know the Alaska patch was worn well into the post war years and is not exclusive to WW2. Anyway an interesting set up but not something impossible. If a Canadian or an American that served in the Canadian army was entitled to wear Canadian medals, then he would be permitted to wear them in addition to any US medals earned AFTER that. I have photos of Canadians that oddly served in the US military and retain US wings on their Canadian uniforms.

 

BTW- Canadians that were wounded in Italy/S France acquired US service ribbons and wore them in the UK until they were told to remove them. I have photos of this that I will be posting on my site in the future as I complete the last part of the FSSF history. www.airbornehistorycanada.com

 

So unfortunately, as stated, the wings are not wartime but immediate post war. Thanks for posting the uniform!

 

Regards

 

Ken

[Klaxon]

Hi Guys

 

Firstly the Canadian Parachute Badge is not WW2. It is a post war variant of the Type 2 as noted on my site www.airbornehistorycanada.com

 

This variant seems to appear sometime after 1947 and there are two versions both with a US style cheesecloth backing as found on US wool badges of that period. I have no solid proof they are US made but ALL versions I have found have come from the US. It is possible that the No1 ARDC at Rivers ordered a lot from the US. I have two photos on my site showing an American wearing them on the right breast as found on this uniform.

 

There are SO many reasons why an American or even a Canadian who moved to the US could be wearing this badge. It does mean he served in either the 1st Canadian Parachute or Special Service Battalion. For one he could have been injured in parachute training badly enough to preclude his training. This entitled the man to wear the badge. He may have been injured trying to get into one of these units and then went on to a regular unit and went overseas. There were a number of Canadians serving in N Africa as part of a scheme to gain experience. This involved more than a handful. You also have to remember that Canadians served as liaison and as part of allied HQ in every theater of war on the planet.

 

The other possibility is the guy served in the Canadian army during the war ( as an American or a Canadian who moved to the US ) and took parachute training at Shilo after the war as an American OR Canadian before moving to the US. As far as I know the Alaska patch was worn well into the post war years and is not exclusive to WW2. Anyway an interesting set up but not something impossible. If a Canadian or an American that served in the Canadian army was entitled to wear Canadian medals, then he would be permitted to wear them in addition to any US medals earned AFTER that. I have photos of Canadians that oddly served in the US military and retain US wings on their Canadian uniforms.

 

BTW- Canadians that were wounded in Italy/S France acquired US service ribbons and wore them in the UK until they were told to remove them. I have photos of this that I will be posting on my site in the future as I complete the last part of the FSSF history. www.airbornehistorycanada.com

 

So unfortunately, as stated, the wings are not wartime but immediate post war. Thanks for posting the uniform!

 

Regards

 

Ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks very much for your insight on this and for adding the link to your website. Just want to say loved your first book on the Canadian Airborne "Into the Maelstrom" and I'm looking forward to checking out your new book "Wings" when I get my hands on a copy. I studied your first book as closely as I could when referencing the wing type on this tunic. So hard to tell from period b&w pics. Makes sense that it's US manufactured Type 2 wing being its a U.S. Uniform.

I'm going to send you a PM about a BD uniform I have that's from a 1Can Para officer that I see you have a pic of on your site.

Cheers,

Matt