Help With ID

[Bill Scott]

Japanese made Korean War Period if anyone knows I would love to find out.As always thanks for your help.Scotty

[Patchcollector]

Just a guess,but you may have a 129th Rescue Squadron piece there.I found the tail letters correspond to this unit.Here is a link to the handy "Tail letters" database site:

 

http://www.globemaster.de/regtail.html

[Patchcollector]

Here is a photo of one of their birds.

 

 

[ocsfollowme]

That's exactly what I thought when I saw the type aircraft on the patch. Weird looking aircraft.... We have one at the San Diego air and space here.

[Bearmon]

If you "see" the tail code as GA it could be a Command and Control squadron. The 12th Command and Control uses dragons on their insignia.

I think the plane P.C. posted looks like the plane on the patch you have. Also EC is the designator of the AWACS but this patch is way to early for that.

 

I don't know if the plane pictured was used for AC&C or not though.

[Patchcollector]

The 129th was'nt around during the Korean war,but formed around 1955.They were a "Special missions" unit.

 

Here is some info I found online regarding the 129th:

 

The California Air National Guard's introduction to the world of special operations began when Air Force leaders decided to phase out active duty air commando units (Known as Air Resupply units) in 1954. Despite the decision, there was still a need to maintain a limited number of crews and aircraft to support unconventional warfare missions. After lengthy deliberations, the Air Force decided in 1955 to establish four special air warfare units within the Air National Guard: the 129th in California, the 130th in West Virginia, the 143d in Rhode Island, and the 135th Air Resupply Group in Maryland.
The 129th Air Resupply Squadron was established in April 1955 as a new California Air National Guard unit with no previous United States Air Force history or lineage by the National Guard Bureau. Activated on 4 April at Hayward Municipal Airport, the squadron was assigned to the 129th Air Resupply Group. Allocated to Military Air Transport Service (MATS), and equipped with C-46 Commando transports.

The 129th was designated at the time as a "Psychological Warfare" unit which supported USAF unconventional warfare (guerrilla warfare), direct action (commando-type raids), strategic reconnaissance (intelligence gathering), and PSYWAR operations. The C-46 was supplemented by SA-16 Albatross amphibious aircraft beginning in 1956. The SA-16 (later redesignated HU-16) completely replaced the C-46s in 1963. Training for water landings with the SA-16 was extremely hazardous. To make matters worse, doctrine required pilots to land their aircraft on water at night, with no landing lights.
Ultimately, the 129th's mission included counterinsurgency, military civic action, psychological operations, tactical air operations, and unconventional warfare. In addition to blacked-out water landings, the SA-16 crews practiced pulling personnel from the ground by means of the Fulton Recovery System, which was "like bungee jumping in reverse."
Reassigned to Tactical Air Command in 1963 and re-designated as Air Commando unit, following the revival of an active duty air commando unit at Hurlburt Field, Florida in line with President John F. Kennedy's initiative to bolster the United States military special forces during the early involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1963, the 129th participated in Exercise Swift Strike III, one of the largest military maneuvers since World War II. During the exercise, the unit not only flew a variety of special air warfare missions.
Continuing its mission and training with the Active duty 1st Air Commando Group in Northern Florida, in 1968 HQ USAF directed all Air Commando organizations be re-designated as "Special Operations" units to be more descriptive of their mission.

 

In May 1975 after the end of the Vietnam War, the mission of the 129th was realigned, and the unit became part of the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, Military Airlift Command. In 1980 the unit moved from Heywood to Naval Air Station Moffett Field.

 

Being stationed on the West Coast,I can imagine that the unit flew all types of "unconventional warfare" missions all across the Pacific during the 50's and 60's.

[TBMflyer]

Scotty, I am going to disagree with the above, I think the aircraft is a P5M Marlin. VP-40 flew Marlins with a tail code of CA from 1953 until they changed the code in 1957, also they did Westpac's in 1954 and 1955. The fact the a/c is all blue tells me this is a USN patch. This is just my WAG but there it is.

Mark

[Patchcollector]

Yes,the VP-40 ID fits much better..I realized that the tail from the A/C on the patch did not match the SA-16's I pictured,but I chalked that up to a patchmakers' error.

Here is a photo of a VP-40 with the CA code,but the tail on this one is not right either,however I have seen photos of Marlins' with the correct tail.

[TBMflyer]

The P5M-2 had the distinctive 'T' tail as opposed to the earlier P5M-1 pictured.

Mark

[Patchcollector]

The P5M-2 had the distinctive 'T' tail as opposed to the earlier P5M-1 pictured.

Mark

 

 

Yes,I was just online trying to figure out when the M-2 variant started flying,and hopefully get this patch dated!

[Patchcollector]

Found some info online stating that the M-2's did'nt have rear guns.

 

Here's the info:

 

The P5M-1 was followed by 116 P5M-2 planes. These had a T-tail to put the tail surfaces out of the spray, an AN/ASQ-8 MAD boom at the rear of the tail-tip, no tail guns (the gun position replaced by the antenna for the AN/APN-122 Doppler Navigation Set), better crew accommodation and an improved bow to reduce spray during takeoff and landing.

 

The patch shows guns,but that could be a patchmakers' error too.

[Patchcollector]

Just doing some more research trying to pin down a time frame,found some info:

 

It looks like the P5-M2 was'nt deployed until 1957.

[Johnny Signor]

Try over at this site , VP Navy , they have a part that shows patches .............................

It's for sure a Navy Marlin aircraft on the patch

Also it having the "E 3" on it's nose could make it a "crew" patch from the specific unit

[Jeffro]

Japanese made Korean War Period if anyone knows I would love to find out.As always thanks for your help.Scotty

Scotty, I'm currently in a country that blocks a lot of my favorite research sites, but I think you have a very nice 1950-53 era VP47 crew patch there. The tail code is BA. Gotta ask...is it up for sale? Jeffro

[Bill Scott]

Jeffro PM me. Scotty

[JDK]

Scotty,

 

Great patch!

 

JD