mtnman Posted July 2, 2019 Share #1 Posted July 2, 2019 Greetings Wing Collectors…I wanted to give you the fruit of several years of tracking some of the earliest examples, extant from the WWII the CBI theater, of theater made Flight Surgeon Wings as well as Glider Pilot Wings, which of course would be associated with the first air commando group, which were the glider pilots active out of India in their invasion of Burma behind Japanese lines in early March 1944, the first aerial invasion behind enemy lines in history. Notice with flight surgeon wings' small round shield with the caduceus confined within the circumference of that shield. This is the earliest interpretation by the theater wing makers, most likely out of Calcutta, of the flight surgeon wing utilized by US officers. In Calcutta there were extensive markets to serve the US echelon of servicemen as they arrived in theater. These servicemen were on the other side of the world from ready supply and support and thus they had to make do with supply lines in no way commensurate with the European or even the Pacific theater. Because of this some of the most innovative and beautiful theater made wings came to fruition from the CBI as the theater wing makers advanced in their ability to emulate standard US military insignia. The glider pilots of the first air commando group under Cochran and Allison who were veterans of the flying Tigers, had a particular stylized "G" set upon their jackets and this was brought to the theater wing makers for incorporation into theater made glider pilot wings for the first air commando group glider pilots. You will see this clearly on the shields of two examples of these first air commando group glider pilot wings from the China Burma India theater. One example is silver and marked as such, the other is silver plated brass which were the two formats most commonly used in theater made wings in the CBI. One can see clearly the similarity of design regarding the glider pilot wings as well as the flight surgeon wings, including the embroidered flight surgeon wing which was another early example of theater made wings commensurate with the time, later 43 and early 44 which was the time of the buildup to and execution thereof Operation Thursday by the first air commando group under Cochran and Allison.. Here is a writeup I did regarding the flight surgeons who flew with the first air commando group glider pilots in the initial invasion echelon of Operation Thursday… I started putting this group together when I learned about the four flight surgeons who served the 1st air commando group as they flew in gliders for the first aerial invasion behind enemy lines in history, Project 9 / Operation Thursday, under Cochran and Allison as their leaders, two veterans of the flying tigers. There was one flight surgeon who flew in the early glider echelon, c-47s towing not one but two gliders each, toward Broadway which was the American landing strip in the middle of the Burmese jungle, unfinished, untested, and only known through aerial reconnaissance sporadically taking pictures of the open area because they did not want to give indication to the Japanese in any way that the invasion was coming. This particular flight surgeon was in one of the two towed gliders which took off early in the mission before Cochran stopped the towing of two gliders by the c-47s because the commandos, Indian troops and the chindits had heavily over loaded the gliders so the weight of the gliders far surpassed the standard which they had set and several of the first echelon broke Free including this particular glider with the flight surgeon in it. They crash-landed over the Burmese border near a Japanese Outpost where the flight surgeon took command of the unit organized a plan of tactical defense and withdrawal from the area so that the Japanese did not discover their position and then the flight surgeon lead these troops 80 miles to The landing zone Broadway where they were supposed to land in the glider on that raw field in the middle of the jungle where Burmese loggers had cutaway some of the timber, making it possible, not by their knowledge, for the gliders to land but many crashed and died in The landing process during operation Thursday which is what project 9 eventually was named. These are some of the earliest examples of world war II china-burma-india theater flight surgeon wings theater made in the earliest days of our joining the Chinese and the Indians in the fight against the Japanese in late 43, early 44, which was the time that we began to elevate with significant numbers, the presence of the 10th and 14th Air Force in the area as well as transporting the equipment and personnel to accomplish operation Thursday which was a direct order from Roosevelt and Churchill after hearing Wingate oh, the leader of the chindits give his presentation and Canada during a meeting of top leaders in 43. Cochran and Allison were put in charge after Marshall gave them the go-ahead and the rest is history. But these theater made wings would have been utilized by some of the earliest flight surgeons stationed in India because later on the theater made wings began to resemble the two piece construction with the caduceus set upon the face of the escutcheon as a separate attachment affixed to the obverse. Enjoy buddy, I haven't shown all three of these to anyone but you. The identifying characteristic of the earliest wings created for the flight surgeons in the CBI is the small roundel shield with the caduceus set within the circumference of that roundel, which mimics the small roundel shield with the stylized "G" of the 1st air commando group glider pilots on their jackets which were theater made as well during the same period. Between you and me I have found over the past 12 years two examples of the 1st air commando group glider pilot wings that were theater made with the stylized "G"...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted July 2, 2019 rear shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted July 2, 2019 1st ACG Glider Pilot Wings Theater Made with stylized G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted July 2, 2019 Closeup of Early Theater Made CBI Flight Surgeon Wings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted July 2, 2019 Rear Shot Flight Surgeon Wings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share #6 Posted July 2, 2019 SILVER marked 1st ACG Glider Pilot Wing and Silver Plated Brass Version Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschwartz Posted July 2, 2019 Share #7 Posted July 2, 2019 Stunning wings and great history. Thank you very much for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USARV72 Posted July 2, 2019 Share #8 Posted July 2, 2019 Outstanding and very hard to find CBI wings, thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nack Posted July 3, 2019 Share #9 Posted July 3, 2019 Not sure there’s an adjective that’s good enough! Wow! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted July 3, 2019 Share #10 Posted July 3, 2019 Very Nice! Great wings! I love CBI made wings. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted July 3, 2019 Share #11 Posted July 3, 2019 Some really nice wings...congrats and thanks for posting! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share #12 Posted July 3, 2019 Thank you for the replies gentlemen, the China Burma India theater of war has always held a very special place in my heart from the stories I heard while taking care of a gentleman, as a hospice volunteer, who flew the hump as a radio operator in a C47 transport. That was one of the greatest blessings of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share #13 Posted July 3, 2019 I forgot to mention, if anybody else has earlier CBI wings of theater make, please feel free to add to this thread so that we can give as much information in the form of knowledge and wisdom, to wing collectors out there working hard to preserve our history as good stewards over these tiny monuments to the men who were blessed to forge that history in our military. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted July 8, 2019 Share #14 Posted July 8, 2019 I forgot to mention, if anybody else has earlier CBI wings of theater make, please feel free to add to this thread so that we can give as much information in the form of knowledge and wisdom, to wing collectors out there working hard to preserve our history as good stewards over these tiny monuments to the men who were blessed to forge that history in our military. I'm not certain if this full size gilt theater--made Flight Surgeon badge is as old as MTNMAN's rare examples posted above? But the fact they're gilt in color, instead of silver, puts them in the short lived first pattern era of July 1942 to September 1943. I believe the badge below was likely made in India. The reverse is unmarked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share #15 Posted July 8, 2019 That is one of the most beautiful world war II flight surgeon badges I have ever seen from an aesthetic and historically significant standpoint! Well done Russ but I wouldn't expect anything less from such a dedicated historian collector. Thank you so much for bringing this beautiful piece to the thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted July 8, 2019 Share #16 Posted July 8, 2019 Here's a post September 1943 shirt-size second pattern Flight Surgeon wing in silver, instead of gilt. The reverse is also unmarked. The findings on the reverse are near identical to the full size variation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted July 8, 2019 Share #17 Posted July 8, 2019 Included in this image are a couple of shirt-size CBI made and likely theater altered Glider Pilot badges. The Glider Pilot badge in the middle lost its pin long ago, but the tubular hinge remains in tact. The Glider Pilot badge depicted at the bottom has a Chinese style hinge and one of those unique secondary locks which secures the pin inside the "C" clasp. There are several advanced badge collectors who suspect this type of locking catch may have been made in Central America, possibly Panama, rather than the CBI theater. But I'm not in tune with USAAF Glider operations in that area during WWII, so I'll continue to view it as a CBI relic until additional info is unearthed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted July 8, 2019 Share #18 Posted July 8, 2019 A few months ago, ebay had a militaria listing which included a few US Army buttons. ribbon bars, sewing kit, CBI patches and a WWII era advertisement sales pamphlet highlighting the "J. MANIKRAI & Sons - Silversmith Jewelers & Diamond Merchants, Elphinstone St., Karachi." On the front cover of that advertisement was illustrated a very stylish US Army Air Forces Pilot wing with a most unique feathering pattern: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted July 8, 2019 Share #19 Posted July 8, 2019 After comparing the advertisement with a two inch shirt size wing in my collection, I feel fairly confident this wing was made by silversmiths at "J. Manikrai &Sons" in Karachi. The reverse is stamped "SILVER." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share #20 Posted July 8, 2019 OUTSTANDING research conclusion!! Well done Russ and beautiful wing! I have a wing which is similar yet not as absolutely commensurate in design as your own, with the advertised wing. I am going to take it out of storage and picture it tomorrow hopefully. I think it might be a wing from the same outfit in Karachi during World War II. Karachi which is the now capital of Pakistan, was once a part of India. When Pakistan was nationalized In 1947, it was because it primarily contained Muslims, Karachi became its capital eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted July 9, 2019 Share #21 Posted July 9, 2019 Thanks for your kind response Mel... I look forward to seeing your similar theater-made badge! All of the minor variations out there is what makes collecting these local artisan crafted wings so interesting. Thank you for your efforts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share #22 Posted July 10, 2019 As promised Russ, the China Burma India theater made wing which actually is identical to your own, made by the same outfit in Karachi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share #23 Posted July 10, 2019 rear image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share #24 Posted July 10, 2019 Side view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnman Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share #25 Posted July 10, 2019 Side view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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