boyt44 Posted March 23, 2013 Share #1 Posted March 23, 2013 I was reading the thread about the 8th AAF helmet, and I thought I'd post a photo of an authentic 8th AAF helmet-this is one of a number of photos I discovered in a metal box in my Dad's workshop after he died in 2010-I had all the negatives digitized. He mentioned before that all the aircrews were issued an M1 Carbine, and the M3 knife-he was of the opinion that there was some worry that the Germans might make a last-ditch effort to destroy the bomber offensive by dropping paratroops on the bases in England, which were essential defenseless-so everyone was issued a rifle. Well, whether this is true or not, they did have carbines. Here is a photo of some members of his crew fooling around for the camera-note the shamrocks on the helmets-I do not know the significance of this. Also, both carbines have a tag through the front sight. He was a B17 tailgunner in the 385th BG. This photo was taken sometime around September 1944. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gitana Posted March 25, 2013 Share #2 Posted March 25, 2013 Thank for posting that photo. I think it we had seen a giant shamrock on a helmet for sale it would have been dismissed as a St. Patrick's Day embellishment. It's alwasy nice to see it in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now