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Ground dug wings


graham
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These two wings have come from dealers tables here in the UK. I think both have spent time in the ground.

Aviation Archeological societys come and go and there collections get broken up. Many wings made it into the air one way or another, the first one here as a bracellet.

I think they are a poignant reminder of the sacrifice made by so many Airmem.

Maybe I sometimes forget when hunting for that next rare makers mark or admiring my [comparitivley] shiney collection that my real admiration is for the brave men that earned the right to wear these wings.

May the two anonymous Airman who once proudly wore these wings rest in peace.

 

Graham.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The upper wing is quite probably deliberately bent to form a bracelet with the addition of a chain...a fairly common sweetheart thing...I've owned a few. It's not necessarily a ground-dug item.

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The upper wing is quite probably deliberately bent to form a bracelet with the addition of a chain...a fairly common sweetheart thing...I've owned a few. It's not necessarily a ground-dug item.

 

I bought these wings on seperate occasions at two seperate UK militaria fairs. [very cheap I might add because of the condition] The upper wing has obviously been fashioned into a bracelet, confirmed by the two small holes drilled for attaching the chain. The chain has rusted away and the holes are blocked solid. The black crud on the left side [front] is absolutely there to stay.

 

The lower wing is very badly bent out of shape [which would show better in a side on shot]. Its fittings are rusted away. Both wings have damage beyond normal wear and tear, Infact I would say the lower wing has been in something pretty catastrophic.

 

As I said in my original post ' I think' these have both spent time in the ground Obviously I can not be 100% sure.

 

IF you visit Twin Woods in Bedfordshire UK [of Glen Miller fame] You will see the artifacts displayed by the local Aviation Archeological society including quite a few wings recoverd from crash sites. These share many caractoristics with the two I show here.

 

Graham

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post-4927-1326576297.jpgpost-4927-1326576314.jpg

 

I think they are a poignant reminder of the sacrifice made by so many Airmem.

 

Graham.

 

You're heart is in the right place with this sentiment, Graham.

 

About 20% of our losses were due to accidents in training and around the bases. If I recall correctly, our overall aircrew losses were about 10-15% of our total aircrew provided to the ETO. I'm sure we still don't know or will ever know how many of them came home broken in some fashion.

 

I think your boys were lost at a 50% rate.

 

Anything associated with these young men is substantial and meaningful.

 

I hope collectors of the future will acquire a deep appreciation of what these badges represent.

 

PS

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Anything associated with these young men is substantial and meaningful.

 

I hope collectors of the future will acquire a deep appreciation of what these badges represent.

 

PS

 

Very well said, and I share the same hope.

 

Chris

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Here is one of the best stories I've read about the topic of ground dug AAF artifacts:

 

Ash Guynn bracelet in the Sand

 

My father flew in some of the same formations with him.

 

PS

 

 

Paul. Thanks for posting.

An interesting and well written storey. Infact the rest of that web site is well worth a look.

 

Graham

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You're welcome...it's quite a story, isn't it?

 

It's been sometime since I engaged with the facts of the flight, but seem to recall that the underlying problem was that the formations apparently started their let down before leaving the Continent. I think they were down to about 12,000' when they crossed the beach, headed out over the Channel. They were a much easier target at the lower altitude.

 

After spending so much effort to map and avoid known flak areas, I wondered why they would have been so low over this one. Don't recall finding an answer to the question.

 

As to ground dug artifacts, I'm reminded of a 100th BG pilot's recollection of a particularly bloody mission...may have been the Schweinfurt–Regensburg raid. He said they didn't have to navigate on the way back...all they had to do was follow the line of burning wrecks on the ground. Makes you think sometime about these bits we collect and how they came to be in our collections. I suspect more often than we would care to believe, they were packed up and sent home, when the young airman couldn't make it.

 

PS

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You're welcome...it's quite a story, isn't it?

 

It's been sometime since I engaged with the facts of the flight, but seem to recall that the underlying problem was that the formations apparently started their let down before leaving the Continent. I think they were down to about 12,000' when they crossed the beach, headed out over the Channel. They were a much easier target at the lower altitude.

 

After spending so much effort to map and avoid known flak areas, I wondered why they would have been so low over this one. Don't recall finding an answer to the question.

 

As to ground dug artifacts, I'm reminded of a 100th BG pilot's recollection of a particularly bloody mission...may have been the Schweinfurt–Regensburg raid. He said they didn't have to navigate on the way back...all they had to do was follow the line of burning wrecks on the ground. Makes you think sometime about these bits we collect and how they came to be in our collections. I suspect more often than we would care to believe, they were packed up and sent home, when the young airman couldn't make it.

 

PS

We have a constant reminder of the cost of war hanging on the wall in our office at home. My wife's uncle was in the 418BS / 100BG.

He was shot down on the Munster raid of 10 Oct 1943 (Rosenthal's was the only 100th BG aircraft to return). He was MIA until after

the war when he and two other crewmen were found in the town cemetery at Ost Bevern where their aircraft crashed.

 

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Graham, thank you for your efforts in authoring a very interesting and sobering thread. Corroded and damaged as they may be, your two wings still retain value and meaning.

 

Paul, reading the "Bracelet in the Sand" story was personally sobering and well worth my time. Thank you for sharing.

 

Although not ground dug, I have a WWII Navigator's wing which channels similar tones of sacrifice. A "Son In Service" enamel banner displaying a "Gold Star" has been professionally added to this wing. I can only imagine the heartfelt sadness of seeing a mother or wife wearing this badge during the war years.

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Eye screws drilled into the wing provide loops for hanging the Gold Star banner.

 

Here is another "gold star" wing. A Juarez pattern aircrewman's wing made into a woman's bracelet. Sadly, the dealer I bought this from had no idea what it meant, and actually had mulled the idea of talking the small gold star off for its scrap value! :crying:

 

As for the other wings, they are nice, but I do wonder if they were actually "dug" from a crash site. Still, very nice wings.

 

Patrick

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Here is another "gold star" wing. A Juarez pattern aircrewman's wing made into a woman's bracelet. Sadly, the dealer I bought this from had no idea what it meant, and actually had mulled the idea of talking the small gold star off for its scrap value! :crying:

 

As for the other wings, they are nice, but I do wonder if they were actually "dug" from a crash site. Still, very nice wings.

 

Patrick

 

I somewhat regret the title of this post, however I feel my photos dont quite capture the true look of these wings. I could be wrong but in hand these look like something that have been in the ground to me. The Juarez wing I set about cleaning when I first got it [maybe I shouldnt have]. The other wing is in by far the worst condition. Either that has been in a crash or someone took a hamer to it and left it in the garden for 50 years. I think the most likely explanation is proberbly the correct one.

Whatever the case this thread has produced some very interesting response.

 

Graham

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AAF_Collection

This has been a most interesting thread,and I would agree with Graham's suggestion for the likely source of the wings. When I have the chance to do so I will post a story concerning items found at a crash site and the effort to return them to the family of the owners.

 

Matt.

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