warpath Posted January 12, 2018 Share #1 Posted January 12, 2018 South Vietnam Airborne Jump Wing Collection...The wing on Red is Canadian and is NOT Vietnamese. Link to more photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.565839170417922.1073741875.214246168910559&type=1&l=4ccb386717 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpath Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share #2 Posted January 12, 2018 Cloth jump wings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplecanopy Posted January 12, 2018 Share #3 Posted January 12, 2018 Very nice collection! The Republic of Vietnam (RVN) also known as South Vietnam (SVN) existed from 1954 until 1975 and was heavily influenced by both French and American military presence. The ARVN or Army of the Republic of Vietnam got its parachute badge design from the French and adopted a smaller version of their basic jump wings. Having three levels of proficiency was an adaptation of American military practice. The Basic wings have just the single star at the bottom like the French basic wings. The Senior wings have an additional star added in the suspension lines and the Master parachutist has a palm frond added instead of a star. The Vietnamese also had gold instructor wings with the three rings at the bottom also in three levels of proficiency. Many US Advisors and Special Forces soldiers were awarded ARVN parachute wings for their service with South Vietnamese Airborne and Special Forces units. I might add that Army SVN wings are stubby and have uplifted wings while SVN Special Forces wings are a bit longer and have mostly straight wings. Shown here are mostly RVN Army and Instructor wings with older French wings for comparison. Both types were made in cloth and metal. Some are serial numbered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted January 12, 2018 Share #4 Posted January 12, 2018 Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted January 14, 2018 Share #5 Posted January 14, 2018 A couple of nice collections posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonomachi Posted January 14, 2018 Share #6 Posted January 14, 2018 I guess there are several of us who collect SVN paratrooper wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpath Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted January 14, 2018 Nice wings with some very early examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplecanopy Posted January 16, 2018 Share #8 Posted January 16, 2018 Great collection of Southeast Asian wings. There were quite a few SF soldiers who were awarded both Cambodian and Laotian wings like Tonomachi has displayed. Very nice examples of rare wings. I am curious about one though. It is in the lower right corner and I believe it is from Gabon. Thanks again for sharing your collection with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonomachi Posted January 16, 2018 Share #9 Posted January 16, 2018 Great collection of Southeast Asian wings. There were quite a few SF soldiers who were awarded both Cambodian and Laotian wings like Tonomachi has displayed. Very nice examples of rare wings. I am curious about one though. It is in the lower right corner and I believe it is from Gabon. Thanks again for sharing your collection with us. Good eye regarding the paratrooper wing from Gabon which is an original piece and not one of the French re-strkes. I didn't have a place for it so I stuck it in this shadowbox where it really doesn't belong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted January 16, 2018 Share #10 Posted January 16, 2018 Nice assortments of Wings.If possible,I would be interested to see some closer images of the longer Wings near the top row with what looks like the French cross of Lorraine on them in post # 3.What era are they from,and who wore them? Also,the Wing with the umbrella in post # 6.If better images are available,I would like to see them.What is the story on that Wing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplecanopy Posted January 16, 2018 Share #11 Posted January 16, 2018 These wings are from the Post-WWII era when the French made an effort to reoccupy their Indo-China territories after the Japanese were defeated in Southeast Asia. The information I have indicates that these wings were in use from 1945 to 1952. They were worn by members of an Airborne unit consisting of Vietnamese soldiers who were commanded by French Officers with a unit designation of 3 BPVN. They were later absorbed into the French Airborne units until the French efforts ended completely in 1954. I believe that these examples were all made locally however, I know that reproductions of these exist. I am pretty sure that these are authentic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted January 16, 2018 Share #12 Posted January 16, 2018 Those are amazing.I've never seen them before.The Indochina stuff fascinates me,although I know very little about it.Thanks for the close up images and the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplecanopy Posted January 16, 2018 Share #13 Posted January 16, 2018 There does not seem to be a lot of information about Indo-China parachute wings. I can only find them referenced in two publications: FRENCH AIRBORNE TROOPS WINGS and INSIGNIA by Jacques Baltzer and Eric Micheletti and FRENCH Parachutists Brevets by Gilbert Lafleur and Harry Pugh. Both are great books and still available, I believe. Here is a copy of the INDO-China parachute badge made by M Richard and is a known restrike. They are also not very common. Notice that the quality seems better than the originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted January 16, 2018 Share #14 Posted January 16, 2018 Thanks for the additional info.Sometimes the fakers make a copy too well,leaving out the flaws that the originals had,which is good for us collectors as it makes the fakes easier to spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonomachi Posted January 17, 2018 Share #15 Posted January 17, 2018 Nice assortments of Wings.If possible,I would be interested to see some closer images of the longer Wings near the top row with what looks like the French cross of Lorraine on them in post # 3.What era are they from,and who wore them? Also,the Wing with the umbrella in post # 6.If better images are available,I would like to see them.What is the story on that Wing? I got this a long time ago and initially everyone thought it was a fake piece or a fantasy piece. However a collector who specializes in French insignia told me that it was worn by a French Indochina special forces type unit which I wrote down a long time ago but have since misplaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted January 18, 2018 Share #16 Posted January 18, 2018 That is an interesting Wing.Love the design.Hopefully someone will recognize it so that it can be ID'd.Thanks for the better view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbettcher Posted November 24, 2019 Share #17 Posted November 24, 2019 I picked up a USMC 3rd Recon Battalion jacket today with a Vietnam Jump wing on it and wondered if anyone can tell me more about the wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbettcher Posted November 24, 2019 Share #18 Posted November 24, 2019 Sorry I havent figured out how to add a photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted November 24, 2019 Share #19 Posted November 24, 2019 Nice examples every one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCapturephotos Posted July 29, 2020 Share #20 Posted July 29, 2020 I really enjoyed looking at the shared collections on this thread. Thank you! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted July 29, 2020 Share #21 Posted July 29, 2020 Love this thread... fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonomachi Posted August 5, 2020 Share #22 Posted August 5, 2020 I found my notes on the identification of the badge that looks like an ARVN jump status indicator badge with an umbrella. It is believe it or not called the Mary Poppins Platoon Combat Qualification parachutist badge. There were supposedly two variants, the first an all silver badge called the MPP basic qualification badge and the silver and gold version called the MPP combat qualification badge. The story behind this badge is explained in the attached newsletter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra 6 Actual Posted April 17, 2021 Share #23 Posted April 17, 2021 Tonomachi, you had us going there, right to the very end. Then I noticed who the ‘inspiration for this article’ was dedicated to, Harry Flashman. “The Flashman Papers” is a series of fiction books by George MacDonald Fraser. It recounts the improbable and humorous misadventures of Harry Flashman. The novels are built around real historical events with Flashman inserted into the stories as either the hero or the buffoon or both. The other thing that “gave it away” was the HAHO parachute jump of “Stosh” where he jumped from the aircraft near Son Tay and landed in Bien Hoa, a distance of ~1000 miles. Whomever wrote this is s master storyteller! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonomachi Posted April 18, 2021 Share #24 Posted April 18, 2021 1 hour ago, Cobra 6 Actual said: Tonomachi, you had us going there, right to the very end. Then I noticed who the ‘inspiration for this article’ was dedicated to, Harry Flashman. “The Flashman Papers” is a series of fiction books by George MacDonald Fraser. It recounts the improbable and humorous misadventures of Harry Flashman. The novels are built around real historical events with Flashman inserted into the stories as either the hero or the buffoon or both. The other thing that “gave it away” was the HAHO parachute jump of “Stosh” where he jumped from the aircraft near Son Tay and landed in Bien Hoa, a distance of ~1000 miles. Whomever wrote this is s master storyteller! Thanks for sharing! So if I understand you correctly this jump insignia and the story is all made up? I wasn't aware of this as I think I got this piece at an insignia show many years ago and then found the article either on the Internet or through the Chute & Dagger Association. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra 6 Actual Posted April 18, 2021 Share #25 Posted April 18, 2021 My apologies for not being clearer. I don’t actually have any insight into whether the wing is authentic or not. But, the story is some kind of parody. By the way, “The Flashman Papers” are really fun books! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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