Question for the USAAC/USAAF gurus - 3rd Composite Squadron Lawson Field GA 1943

[Salvage Sailor]

Aloha Zoomies,

 

I'm researching a large photo archive which belonged to a pre-war regular army soldier who eventually became an officer assigned to the 3rd Composite Squadron at Lawson Field, GA.

 

The 3rd was assigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning "to provide aerial support for training by the Infantry School". The archive photos of the Squadron aircraft include the following types: B-24, B-25, B-26, B-29, A-26, AT-11, P-51, yet unidentified fighters and various trainers.

 

The soldier enlisted in 1937 or 1938 and was assigned to Chanute Field, IL. He graduated from the Air Corps Technical School, Airplane Mechanics, Class 20 on January 27th, 1939. In December 1940 he was a Staff Sergeant and reenlisted at Chanute Field. I'll speculate that after the war started a year later, he was commissioned as I have a photo of him as a Lieutenant & a Captain.

 

The archive also has a large outdoor photo of a group of mechanics taken by a studio in Handsworth, Birmingham, England probably in 1944 or 1945. There is also a photo of the 314 Bomb Wing, 29th Bombardment Group taken in Guam in 1945. In addition, there are some great photos of Douglas prototype F4D-1, F5D-1 & A3D-1 jets taken in 1955 - 1956 when he must have worked there as a civilian.

 

Here are the questions:

 

• What DUI would he have worn as an enlisted man at Chanute Field from 1938-1942?

 

• What DUI would he have worn as an enlisted man or an officer with the 3rd Composite Squadron at Lawson Field from 1942-1945?

 

• Is there a specific DUI or patch for the 3rd Composite Squadron?

 

There is very scant information available on this Squadron that I have found so far. Does anyone have some detailed information on what the 3rd Composite Squadron did at Lawson Field? With all of the mass of posts and groupings on our site and on the other large USAAF reference sites we frequent on the web, there's very little out there.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Salvage Sailor]

More USAAC DUI questions from this photo archive. These are details taken from the Air Corps Technical School, Airplane Mechanics, Class 20 on January 27th, 1939 Graduation Photo

 

Some of the men, especially those from Chanute field, are wearing the Technical Training Command 'Sustineo Alas' DUI's. I've consulted my Massaro reference and trolled my ASMIC catalogs but haven't spotted the following.....

 

• There are two (2) men from Langley Field, VA (who are also wearing unofficial winged chevrons) that have this DUI

 

• One man assigned to Hamilton Field, CA, wears this one

 

Fifth Air Base Squadron?

 

• One man assigned to Sherman Field, Kansas wears this one (although the other Sherman Field KS mechanic in the photo wears the TTC). Anyone know what this is?

 

• This one has got me totally stumped, he's assigned to Maxwell Field, Alabama (He also stayed in the Air Force and retired as a LTC)

 

• This is an odd one, he's assigned to Kelly Field, Texas but it appears to be the 5th Bombardment Group. Am I seeing this right? (Oddly, the man assigned to Hickam Field wears the TTC DUI).

 

• And last is this one, just confirming it is the 3rd Attack Wing. He's assigned to Barksdale Field, LA.

 

Here's a reduced detail of the entire group for reference

 

 

Thanks again for any help you may provide.

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Researching this grouping again - looking for clues and information on the DUI's

 

 

 

[tredhed2]

Am not the requested guru, however, in the first tiny pic that says an airman was stationed at Hamilton Field, it's just a patch type DI.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/171731-post-the-patch-type-crest-being-worn/page-5&do=findComment&comment=1640750

 

look at post #89

[Allan H.]

The soldier from Sherman Field (Ft Leavenworth) is wearing the Command and Staff School DI. They were still wearing it until the green uniform was phased out a couple of years ago.

Allan

[Salvage Sailor]

Thanks fellas, two checked off......

 

Here are the other photos of him as a commissioned USAAF officer, both wearing the Air Transport Command DUI's on his epaulets. Nice side by side comparison of an early war stateside uniform vs. his overseas uniform. Note the different caps, patches and overseas bars.

 

 

[tredhed2]

Has anyone else noticed that it appears the Lt (top pic post #6) is wearing the orange background AAF HQ patch?

[Salvage Sailor]

Complete photograph - Air Corps Technical School, Airplane Mechanics, Class 20 on January 27th, 1939

 

Our man is top row, second from left.

 

[Salvage Sailor]

On 8/12/2013 at 11:28 AM, Salvage Sailor said:

Aloha Zoomies,

 

I'm researching a large photo archive which belonged to a pre-war regular army soldier who eventually became an officer assigned to the 3rd Composite Squadron at Lawson Field, GA.

 

The 3rd was assigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning "to provide aerial support for training by the Infantry School". The archive photos of the Squadron aircraft include the following types: B-24, B-25, B-26, B-29, A-26, AT-11, P-51, yet unidentified fighters and various trainers.

 

The soldier enlisted in 1937 or 1938 and was assigned to Chanute Field, IL. He graduated from the Air Corps Technical School, Airplane Mechanics, Class 20 on January 27th, 1939. In December 1940 he was a Staff Sergeant and reenlisted at Chanute Field. I'll speculate that after the war started a year later, he was commissioned as I have a photo of him as a Lieutenant & a Captain.

 

The archive also has a large outdoor photo of a group of mechanics taken by a studio in Handsworth, Birmingham, England probably in 1944 or 1945. There is also a photo of the 314 Bomb Wing, 29th Bombardment Group taken in Guam in 1945. In addition, there are some great photos of Douglas prototype F4D-1, F5D-1 & A3D-1 jets taken in 1955 - 1956 when he must have worked there as a civilian.

 

Here are the questions:

 

• What DUI would he have worn as an enlisted man at Chanute Field from 1938-1942?

 

• What DUI would he have worn as an enlisted man or an officer with the 3rd Composite Squadron at Lawson Field from 1942-1945?

 

• Is there a specific DUI or patch for the 3rd Composite Squadron?

 

There is very scant information available on this Squadron that I have found so far. Does anyone have some detailed information on what the 3rd Composite Squadron did at Lawson Field? With all of the mass of posts and groupings on our site and on the other large USAAF reference sites we frequent on the web, there's very little out there.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Finally found some information on the Third Composite Squadron at Lawson Field, Georgia 1943 (Fort Benning)

Source:  Air University Thesis, 1992, Major James E. Moschgat, 'The Composite Wing:  Back to the Future!'

 

 

Anyone know if they had a specific DI to wear?

 

[Johnny Signor]

3rd Composite Squadron WW2 era emblem