GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 1, 2015 On February 3rd, 1945 The 91st Bomb Group took part in the great raid on Berlin. The 324th Bomb Squadron commander was Lt. Col. Marvin Lord and he along with the other airman's names on this helmet were KIA. Listed is Capt. Cavalieri who was promoted to Capt. the day of the Raid. This helmet was painted after the raid and was found in the possession of a woman whose cousin brought it back. Brassingbourn is not spelled correctly, but the airman who painted it was not English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViewfinderGyrene Posted June 1, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 1, 2015 WOW, is that ever exquisitite! I've never seen a bringback from the AAF like that, usually I've seen US flight gear pieces painted in some way, but never a helmet! Thank you for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted June 1, 2015 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted June 1, 2015 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted June 1, 2015 Lt.Col. Lord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted June 1, 2015 Lt.Col. Lord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted June 1, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted June 1, 2015 Actual photo on the raid, this B-17 is Yankee Girl 43-37844 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted June 1, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1canpara Posted June 1, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 1, 2015 That's a very cool helmet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytiger Posted June 1, 2015 Share #11 Posted June 1, 2015 What a great item!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #12 Posted June 1, 2015 inside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted June 1, 2015 The good news is that the German found each airman's remains........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tball101 Posted June 1, 2015 Share #14 Posted June 1, 2015 Wow, what a spectacular helmet ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparty On Posted June 1, 2015 Share #15 Posted June 1, 2015 Very cool, one of a kind helmet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCapturephotos Posted June 1, 2015 Share #16 Posted June 1, 2015 That is spectacular. I would be proud to own it. Thanks for sharing. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted June 4, 2015 Share #17 Posted June 4, 2015 One of the coolest GI painted up german helmets ever!...mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted June 4, 2015 Share #18 Posted June 4, 2015 very cool item. Thanks for giving us a look at it. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted June 5, 2015 Share #19 Posted June 5, 2015 Definitely the most colorful German helmet I've ever seen. A very unique bring-back! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share #20 Posted June 9, 2015 Lt. Col. Lord was flying the lead plane in the Berlin raid and his B-17 was blown to pieces do to a direct hit from an 88 right after dropping their bombs. He was the first duck flying in with the gound full of duck hunters...the Luftwaff Flak units knew they were coming and all were loaded and ready. One buddie calls it the "Lord's helmet" but I will not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyboy_trav Posted July 28, 2015 Share #21 Posted July 28, 2015 Awesome helmet!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt Detective Posted July 28, 2015 Share #22 Posted July 28, 2015 That is a very cool helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WW2JAKE Posted July 29, 2015 Share #23 Posted July 29, 2015 http://robinchapmannews.blogspot.com/2014/05/b-17-crews-from-91st-bomb-group-gather.html I was reading this page and am now very confused... it says that on February 3rd 1945 the Yankee Belle was hit by flak and the crew made it out. Could two B-17's named "Yankee Belle" have met the same fate on the same day on the same mission and ones crew survive the war while the other never made it out of the plane? notice the man mentioned is not named on the helmet...or did a member of Yankee Belle bring this helmet back and the names are those of a different planes crew?(the paragraph from the linked page)"Ace Johnson was just 19 years old and on his sixteenth mission when he flew the "Yankee Belle" on a bombing run over Germany, February 3, 1945. When the aircraft was hit by antiaircraft flak and caught fire, all nine of the crew got out and were able to parachute to what was laughingly called "safety" on enemy ground below. For all, including Johnson who was injured, that meant capture and imprisonment at Stalag 7A. They were liberated several long months later by General George S. Patton's 3rd Army." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WW2JAKE Posted July 29, 2015 Share #24 Posted July 29, 2015 http://robinchapmannews.blogspot.com/2014/05/b-17-crews-from-91st-bomb-group-gather.html I was reading this page and am now very confused... it says that on February 3rd 1945 the Yankee Belle was hit by flak and the crew made it out. Could two B-17's named "Yankee Belle" have met the same fate on the same day on the same mission and ones crew survive the war while the other never made it out of the plane? notice the man mentioned is not named on the helmet... or did a member of Yankee Belle bring this helmet back and the names are those of a different planes crew? (the paragraph from the linked page) "Ace Johnson was just 19 years old and on his sixteenth mission when he flew the "Yankee Belle" on a bombing run over Germany, February 3, 1945. When the aircraft was hit by antiaircraft flak and caught fire, all nine of the crew got out and were able to parachute to what was laughingly called "safety" on enemy ground below. For all, including Johnson who was injured, that meant capture and imprisonment at Stalag 7A. They were liberated several long months later by General George S. Patton's 3rd Army." nevermind i found the answer here http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/what-happened-to-blue-grass-girl/ (from the link) "The 91st Bombardment Group was being led by a crew that usually flew with Major Emmanuel L. “Manny” Klette, the most experienced Fortress pilot of the war. On today’s mission, Lt. Col. Marvin Lord replaced Klette. Klette was loud and serious and grim, Lord quiet, always grinning with an impish smile. Lord was the father of a baby daughter and was known for his happy disposition, even when flying into flak. Although Lord had logged fewer sorties than Klette, he’d already been a squadron commander twice and held a Silver Star award from an earlier mission. Seconds after “bombs away” over Berlin, a 120-mm flak shell struck the Fortress dead-center, killing Klette’s crew and Lord instantly. The Fortress fell apart in flaming pieces over Adolf Hitler’s capital. The Klette-Lord aircraft had not been given a name. It was a Vega-built B-17G-20-VE Flying Fortress (42-97632/DF-R) of the 91st group’s 324th Bombardment Squadron. Group air commander Lord sat in the right seat; the pilot was 1st Lt. Frank L. Adams. It was a bad day for the 324th squadron, which lost a second Fortress to flak over Berlin only seconds after Lord’s went down. The second aircraft was a Boeing B-17G-35-BO Flying Fortress (42-32085/DF-H). The pilot was 1st Lt. George F. Miller. Luckily, Miller’s crew was able to bail out. All became prisoners and all survived the war. Their aircraft was later observed in a Berlin city street, shattered and burnt." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLucas Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share #25 Posted July 29, 2015 Jake, You are correct, Lord's aircraft that he took over was not named. So the nose art of Yankee Belle was not the B-17 he was flying but the Yankee Belle flew on the Berlin raid. From what I understand, the outside of the German helmet was was painted over possibly with B-17 paint and the nose art was applied, after the raid, the Squadron Commander's name and his crew were added to the helmet as they were all KIA. Further, it appears the artist was a ground crew man by the name of Charles Busa and the helmet was given to a member of the Yankee Belle. This helmet was found by a military collector from a woman that attended his church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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