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Unknown Airship Collar Device?


Grant S.
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Came across these in a very large collection of what is otherwise entirely American militaria. I would dismiss them as foreign, but you never know... also, they're kinda cool looking. They are about 1" in diameter and pretty flimsy. So if anyone can help identify that would be wonderful. Otherwise they go in the "deaccess" pile. Thanks.

post-133376-0-58811800-1391792164.jpg

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I've looked at dozens and dozens of airship images since you posted this last night and so far have found one that has pretty much the same shape and the gondola hanging on ropes. I can't figure out what flag that is:

 

dirg1.jpg

 

The one in the photos seems to be a pre-WWI French-built Lebaudy airship and if you do a google search you'll see they have fairly disintictive shape.

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That is some kind of a United Kingdom Military Flag, but which one is outside my area of expertise. However, the airship itself does not look like any British one I can find a picture of (Ref. Mowthorpe, "Battle Bags"). It looks the most like the French Lebaudy trio of "La Republique", " La Patrie", and "La Liberte". I don't know if the Brits ever used or tested one of these.

 

The Russians also used a Lebaudy, ("lebedj"), which looks even more like the photo. Reference: Neumann, "Die Internationalen Lufschiffe 1910". The Austrians also used one of the Lebaudy ships.

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That does look like it.The flag looks British Air Corps.Looks like the Union Jack with a winged prop in the bottom right?

Turns out that's the Imperial Russian Navy Jack.

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It is the flag of the Aeronautic Section of the Imperial Russian Navy. That is a French-made dirigible. I'd say the insignia may well be Russian or French, based on the unique shape of the Lebaudy airships of the pre-WWI era.

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Thanks so much, Bob. I appreciate the time you spent on this. It didn't occur to me to check to see which actual airship the pin resembled. Since we are a strictly U.S. WW2 museum (with one or two minor exceptions) we won't be keeping these, which is a shame because they're neat and probably pretty rare and valuable to the right person. Eventually the museum will contact a militaria dealer to dispose of all the deaccession items, so someday someone who wants them will be able to get them. I hope.

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I have a friend here in town that has near identical set that came on a very early 20's US airship uniform/paperwork grouping. I can see if he can get some images, but don't hold your breath....he owes me some other immages for 5 years now :blink:

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Turns out that's the Imperial Russian Navy Jack.

Thanks, Bob-- I bow to expertise. Your identification is backed up by Dakota in "The Imperial

Russian Air Service in WWI". He describes the flag as follows: The aeronautic ensign displayed a white flag having the upper left corner finished in blue. The small blue field was in turn segmented by crisscrossing vertical, horizontal, and diagonal white bands. The diagonal white bands held thinner red bands. The flag also displayed a winged black naval anchor in the lower right corner.

 

Good eyes!

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Grant;

As another possibility, it is the right size and made in the same manner as some of the WWI U.S. aero squadron pins (although I can't find that specific one). The French also had quite a number of pins made for their escadrilles (probably a better bet).

Jim

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