Randy Posted September 18, 2015 Share #1 Posted September 18, 2015 Not in my area, so I need help with this one! Supposedly airborne naval artillery director/observer related. RVN made, about 4.5" in diameter. Please post any info you have, as I can't seem to find anything on the net, thanks! Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearmon Posted September 18, 2015 Share #2 Posted September 18, 2015 could be the cal sign for the back-seater personalized patch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearmon Posted September 18, 2015 Share #3 Posted September 18, 2015 http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/63008-the-unsolved-mystery-of-wolfman-44/ Here is post about Wolf man 44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted September 18, 2015 Share #4 Posted September 18, 2015 I always thought this was an Army AVN unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted September 18, 2015 Thanks for the info so far guys. Now you can see my confusion, as it seems several services might be involved. The info I posted came from the seller, but I don't think he was involved he just found these to sell. Two-Zero might be the call sign for a specific crew member. It could be the backseater was Army with the cammies depicted, and the pilot was USAF depicted as a coolie/rickshaw driver. Hopefully someone has an answer! Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted September 18, 2015 Mods- Can this be moved to the "Can You ID" section for more visibility and the fact it seems to maybe involve several branches of the military? Thanks! Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itshistory Posted September 19, 2015 Share #7 Posted September 19, 2015 131st Avn Co (Surv) was a OV-1 Mohawk unit. The design relates to sub elements in the company which were FAC oriented. WOLFMAN as a callsign isn't necessarily unique to the unit but seems to have been a way for radio communications to identify that they were talking to the right eyeballs for the job. IH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted September 19, 2015 So you think this is the 131 Avn Co, or was that just a suggestion to explore? The article Bearmon posted had some good info as well. Hopefully someone knows for sure... Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itshistory Posted September 19, 2015 Share #9 Posted September 19, 2015 The patch is definitely associated with the 131st Avn Co. The example I have, WOLFMAN TWO-THREE, came from an OV-1 Mohawk pilot of the 131st who also flew the FAC with a Vietnamese counterpart as portrayed on the patch. No Vietnamese were authorized to fly OV-10's with the USMC or the USAF. The WOLFMAN callsign signified a FAC designated mission aircraft and this could be from any service, USAF,USMC or US Army. In the story quoted above, the USAF OV-10 WOLFMAN 44 was a FAC aircraft, VANGUARD was an Airborne Direction Finding mission. They intercepted and counter located where radio transmission from the broadcast point of the enemy. The WOLFMAN TWO ZERO is in keeping with the callsigns and procedures of the 131st FAC aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River Patrol Posted September 19, 2015 Share #10 Posted September 19, 2015 The patch is definitely associated with the 131st Avn Co. The example I have, WOLFMAN TWO-THREE, came from an OV-1 Mohawk pilot of the 131st who also flew the FAC with a Vietnamese counterpart as portrayed on the patch. No Vietnamese were authorized to fly OV-10's with the USMC or the USAF. The WOLFMAN callsign signified a FAC designated mission aircraft and this could be from any service, USAF,USMC or US Army. In the story quoted above, the USAF OV-10 WOLFMAN 44 was a FAC aircraft, VANGUARD was an Airborne Direction Finding mission. They intercepted and counter located where radio transmission from the broadcast point of the enemy. The WOLFMAN TWO ZERO is in keeping with the callsigns and procedures of the 131st FAC aircraft. Great information.....but it sounds like ASA stuff. Was 131st AVN tied to the ASA? They're listed as MI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itshistory Posted September 19, 2015 Share #11 Posted September 19, 2015 The 131st was redesignated 131st MI in the latter years of the war. IH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itshistory Posted September 19, 2015 Share #12 Posted September 19, 2015 Patches from same pilot who was in the 131st under both designations. IH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itshistory Posted September 19, 2015 Share #13 Posted September 19, 2015 The 131st Avn Co was re-designated the 131st MI Co in July 1971. They were not ASA assets but remained under the 1st Aviation Brigade. IH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share #14 Posted September 20, 2015 Thanks for the info IH. I had no idea OV-1 units did FAC work as well. Guess this will be labeled as a 131 Avn Co patch. It's a trader for me as I only collect USAF. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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