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NAVAL AVIATOR CERTIFICATES 1937-1955


KASTAUFFER
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I saw your certificate & related material (very cool) for Chester H. Skidmore and thought I'd add this from the Pensacola yearbook for 1938. He was in Class 106 C

 

~Will

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post-1949-1231216194.jpg

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  • 9 months later...
I saw your certificate & related material (very cool) for Chester H. Skidmore and thought I'd add this from the Pensacola yearbook for 1938. He was in Class 106 C

 

~Will

 

Thanks for the PIC! I completely missed this!

 

Kurt

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  • 1 year later...
Hi Kurt,

Here is my new one dated 1940 to Ensign Fredric A Borsodi.

I learned a lot from this thread.

thanks Dan

 

You know about Borsodi, don't you? Never had a career in naval aviation, he got tossed out during advanced training for getting married. In those days you had to have two years commissioned service before you could get married.

 

He joined the USAAF and became a fighter pilot. Served in the MTO in the 86FS/79FG eventually becoming squadron CO. He was credited with 3.33 victories. He then went to Wright Field where he was chief of fighter evaluation. Next he went to the YP-80 program and brought the first YP-80s to the ETO. He was killed in an accident demonstrating the YP-80 at RAF Burtonwood on 28 July 1945. This crash effectively derailed the entry of the YP-80 into ETO combat as all were grounded to figure out what caused the problem (fuselage fire). Buried in Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. DFC (x3), AM (x16), DFC (UK).

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KASTAUFFER

I just picked up this nice example on E-Cheap recently

 

Ens. Hall earned the Navy Cross during the battle for Guadalcanal while with VF-71

 

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade William Merideth Hall, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron SEVENTY-ONE (VF-71), attached to the U.S.S. WASP (CV-7), in action against enemy forces in the Solomon Islands, on 27 August 1942. During operations of the United States Naval and Marine Forces in support of the occupation of the Islands, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Hall, with utter disregard for his own personal safety in the face of tremendous anti-aircraft fire, pressed home a fearless and determined attack against a hostile four-engined flying boat and shot it down. His gallant initiative and courageous devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Action Date: 27-Aug-42

Service: Naval Reserve

Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade

Company: Fighting Squadron 71 (VF-71)

Division: U.S.S. Wasp (CV-7)

 

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KASTAUFFER

This is the first one I have been able to find to an NAP ( enlisted pilot )

 

MVC_020L.JPG

 

MVC_021L.JPG

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  • 6 months later...
  • 6 months later...
littlebuddy

heres mine !! i had been told that this is not an original ???

 

NAS NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA

 

CHARLES H BARBIER

 

23 DEC 1941

 

any thoughts to its authenticity would be nice ??

 

LBpost-106122-0-07264600-1370635271.jpg

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KASTAUFFER

I would need to see a closer up photo of the printing, signatures, ETC , but my initial feeling is that it looks like an old copy based on the detail of the images at the top of the certificate.

 

If you compare the others with yours, the difference in detail is quite noticable. It also does not have an impressed blue seal in the lower left.

 

Kurt

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  • 10 months later...

Here is Captain Paul Gray's Naval Aviator Certificate . He was the "Bald Eagle " of the USS Essex during the Korean War and the Movies "Bridges of Toko Ri" amd " Men of the Fighting Lady" were loosely based on his experiences. Both movies were James Michener projects.

 

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I have always enjoyed this thread. I also noticed that there were no Marine Aviators represented in this thread. So here is a USMC Naval Aviator certificate I obtained from the forum awhile back. Second Lt. NormanC.Anthonisen,USMCR. This one is from Corpus Christi and is dated 10 July 1943.

 

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I realize that the two that follow are redundant to those already shown, but sometimes a tidbit of information can possibly be new.

 

First shown is part of Ensign Paul D. Bucher grouping. He entered active duty as an enlisted man in 1940, and was assigned to the aircraft carrier Saratoga, serving in the Pacific. He was assigned to Flight School in 1943. He was commissioned and assigned to VF84 flying a F4U Corsair. He was killed in a mid-air collision on 9 May 1944. Specimen shown is Type 2.

 

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post-247-0-34401800-1408641250.jpg

 

Second up is from the grouping belonging to Ensign Ray L. Potter. Following graduation from flight school on 21 March 1944 he was assigned to Patrol Bombing Squadron 131 in the Aleutian Islands flying the Ventura B4 bomber. Specimen shown is the Type 3

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Here is another one. The reason I like this one is that it is signed by Rear Admiral C. P. Mason. Admiral Mason was Naval Aviator #52, and was the Skipper of the USS Hornet CV-8. He was the last man off the ship when she was sunk in 1942. He was awarded the Navy Cross. He retired in 1947 as a Vice Admiral and eventually became the Mayor of Pensacola.

 

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This is one that is a little late for this thread but I still think it is an interesting. This is a 1947 certificate awarded to a Flying Midshipman.

 

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