Tough Wings To Find

[ponyradish]

Here are three from my collection I thought you might like to see or comment on. The Navigator/Bombardier wing came from the original Vet who claimed he performed both duties during WW2. The ATC Radio Operator and ATC Navigator are both early WW2. Pony.

[Paul S]

I've run into a couple of stories where the Bombigator wing might have been a legitimate statement of a guy's duties even if the wing was never authorized.

 

Starting in early 1944 and the arrival of Doolittle as CO of the Eighth, Bombardiers were not assigned to all bombers. Usually those duties were transferred to one of the Waist Gunners who then became known as a Togglier (never have been able to spell it consistently). The Togglier would simply watch the lead aircraft and toggle his bombs when the lead dropped.

 

Less frequently the Navigator would move up in the nose to perform the same duties and could then be seen as another legitimate claimant on a wing of this type.

 

However, there is even another possibility. When the PFF ships were integrated into the formations, the Mickey operator was often a rated Bombardier. The Mickey operator who flew with my father wore Bombardier wings. As a navigator, my father was always intrigued with the PFF equipment and recognized that it could also be used for navigation. They often flew on top of cloud layers and dropped through the clouds without ever getting a visual on their targets. My father used the Mickey operator's inputs to find his location on one instance where they had gotten caught in a Jet Stream and blown wildly off course. So the Mickey operators might have seen themselves as legitimate claimants also.

 

Great wing!!

 

PS

[ponyradish]

I've run into a couple of stories where the Bombigator wing might have been a legitimate statement of a guy's duties even if the wing was never authorized.

 

Starting in early 1944 and the arrival of Doolittle as CO of the Eighth, Bombardiers were not assigned to all bombers. Usually those duties were transferred to one of the Waist Gunners who then became known as a Togglier (never have been able to spell it consistently). The Togglier would simply watch the lead aircraft and toggle his bombs when the lead dropped.

 

Less frequently the Navigator would move up in the nose to perform the same duties and could then be seen as another legitimate claimant on a wing of this type.

 

However, there is even another possibility. When the PFF ships were integrated into the formations, the Mickey operator was often a rated Bombardier. The Mickey operator who flew with my father wore Bombardier wings. As a navigator, my father was always intrigued with the PFF equipment and recognized that it could also be used for navigation. They often flew on top of cloud layers and dropped through the clouds without ever getting a visual on their targets. My father used the Mickey operator's inputs to find his location on one instance where they had gotten caught in a Jet Stream and blown wildly off course. So the Mickey operators might have seen themselves as legitimate claimants also.

 

Great wing!!

 

PS

I believe this to be an extremely difficult wing to find. I have not seen another one like it. The bomb is professionaly applied to the front, not something someone had soldered on.Hope the pix help. No family left to tell this Hero's story. Pony.

[mshaw]

I've run into a couple of stories where the Bombigator wing might have been a legitimate statement of a guy's duties even if the wing was never authorized.

 

Starting in early 1944 and the arrival of Doolittle as CO of the Eighth, Bombardiers were not assigned to all bombers. Usually those duties were transferred to one of the Waist Gunners who then became known as a Togglier (never have been able to spell it consistently). The Togglier would simply watch the lead aircraft and toggle his bombs when the lead dropped.

 

Less frequently the Navigator would move up in the nose to perform the same duties and could then be seen as another legitimate claimant on a wing of this type.

 

However, there is even another possibility. When the PFF ships were integrated into the formations, the Mickey operator was often a rated Bombardier. The Mickey operator who flew with my father wore Bombardier wings. As a navigator, my father was always intrigued with the PFF equipment and recognized that it could also be used for navigation. They often flew on top of cloud layers and dropped through the clouds without ever getting a visual on their targets. My father used the Mickey operator's inputs to find his location on one instance where they had gotten caught in a Jet Stream and blown wildly off course. So the Mickey operators might have seen themselves as legitimate claimants also.

 

Great wing!!

 

PS

 

I think the navigator/bombardier was one job on medium bombers such as the Martin Marauder B-26. I have a friend who actually held such a position on the famous B-26 "Flak Bait". He said he could wear either the bombardier or navigator wing. He chose Navigator.

[ponyradish]

I think the navigator/bombardier was one job on medium bombers such as the Martin Marauder B-26. I have a friend who actually held such a position on the famous B-26 "Flak Bait". He said he could wear either the bombardier or navigator wing. He chose Navigator.

How about the ATC wings? Those things are scarce as pig feathers. Pony.

[John Cooper]

Paul - nice write up and I agree with your thoughts on this. I think the wing does not really fall into the catagory of hard to find in that it is not an offical wing. I think it is more a rare custom item and very cool! I wonder if the vet got any "flak" for wearing this custom wing

 

John

[pconrad02]

How about the ATC wings? Those things are scarce as pig feathers. Pony.

 

 

Love the ATC stuff.. but then check my "avatar" picture... "he's" wearing a Radio Operator wing.

[Cobrahistorian]

There were a lot of Navigators that went to Bombardier school right after they finished Nav school. Most of these guys ended up on B-29s in the Pacific. One of my uniforms belonged to 2Lt Morris Rosenthal (posted elsewhere on the forum) and that is exactly what happened to him. I'm wondering if this type of wing may have just been for a guy who went to both schools, and therefore was dual rated?

 

REALLY nice wings!

 

Jon

[JPMMILITARY]

Here are three from my collection I thought you might like to see or comment on. The Navigator/Bombardier wing came from the original Vet who claimed he performed both duties during WW2. The ATC Radio Operator and ATC Navigator are both early WW2. Pony.

NICE COLLECION

[5thwingmarty]

Pony,

 

I just picked up a set of Crosshairs newsletters from Bombardiers, Inc. In one of the issues there was a write-up about this particular bombigator-type wing. It said a group of men who had just completed their navigator training (after they had previously completed their bombardier training) went to a local jeweler and had these wings made by taking the standard bomb off a bombardiers wing and applying it to a navigators wing at a 45-degree angle. I believe there was a period photo of the man who had submitted the article showing him wearing his bombigator wing. I will look through the newsletters this weekend and find it so I can scan and post the article here.

 

There was an article in another of the newsletters about a different version that one man had made for him during the war. He had a small (probably a 1-1/2" sweetheart) navigator wing mounted to the top of his bombardier wing. There was also a period photo of him wearing the attached wings.

 

Both articles said the men had worn their customized wings throughout their service careers without ever having them be questioned.

 

Marty

[Third Herd]

I've seen more fake ATC wings than real ones for sale. The bronze color is too light on the fakes.