Jump to content

Naval and Parachute Wings Questions


Recommended Posts

Hey,

 

I'm not a specialist in the wings field, so I wanted to ask those out there in the know. I have had these wings for 25 years+. My dad gave me the Naval wings and I bought the Airborne wings for $10 at a gun show when I was a kid.

 

I have a couple questions. The naval wings are star-backed. Were star-backed wings issued after WWII? It's not marked as such, but do wings made of gold exist without markings? These things haven't tarnished a bit, so it could be gold plated at least. Your opinions.

 

The airborne wings....Are they WWII? I'm sure pin-backs were used after WWII. These are heavily vaulted.

 

Thanks for your Help!

 

-Ski

post-3043-1209168360.jpg

post-3043-1209168373.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

101combatvet

Both are WW2 wings.

 

Hey,

 

I'm not a specialist in the wings field, so I wanted to ask those out there in the know. I have had these wings for 25 years+. My dad gave me the Naval wings and I bought the Airborne wings for $10 at a gun show when I was a kid.

 

I have a couple questions. The naval wings are star-backed. Were star-backed wings issued after WWII? It's not marked as such, but do wings made of gold exist without markings? These things haven't tarnished a bit, so it could be gold plated at least. Your opinions.

 

The airborne wings....Are they WWII? I'm sure pin-backs were used after WWII. These are heavily vaulted.

 

Thanks for your Help!

 

-Ski

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, I think that these are both nice WWII vintage wings.

 

Many of the USN wings were gold plated over sterling silver. They are almost always marked, but sometimes you find a wing that isnt marked. The star back (or snowflake patters) is a rarish variant that I havent seen very often. It is typically associated with preWWII wings, but the pattern of the USN wing (with the berries in the shoulders, etc) is a classic WWII wing. The snowflake pattern is frequently seen on AMCRAFT wings, so I wouldnt be to shocked if your wings were made by that company. In fact, the pin looks very much like the AMCRAFT pin and hinge. Here is a scan of a USAAF amcraft wing.

 

Patrick

post-1519-1209169666.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your replies guys. Very highly appreciated! I was really excited about the airborne wings when I got them back around 1981 or so. I was an 11 year old airborne nut having read Currahee about 8 times by then, hehehehe....

 

-Ski

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...