More B-10 jacket fun...32nd BS, 301st BG

[38Driver]

I have turned into a B-10 Jacket junkie...and with no apologies

 

Came across one belonging to a B17 gunner who flew 50 missions with the 32nd BS, 301st BG 15h Air Force out of Italy. It's in really good shape and has a 32nd BS patch on it, that sadly is a bit the worse for wear.

 

When the jacket arrived it had the name of the man who wore it. This is where it got fun and just a bit spooky. Back in the late 90s I researched a 32nd BS, 301st crew for a guy who was the tail gunner on that crew. They had been shot down over Vienna on February 13, 1945. He had been trapped in the tail of the 17 and rode it in, somehow surviving. His best friend was in the nose and also survived the crash initially but died from his wounds shortly afterwards. The rest of the crew bailed out.

 

So I've had the Missing Aircrew Report on that crew in my files since then. Just out of curiosity I looked it over again and what did I find? There was a witness statement from a crewman on another 17 nearby that watched the plane go down. It was the guy who owned the jacket I now have. He was a ball turret gunner on that raid. Just a little freaky that it connected like that. Anyway. A couple images of the jacket and patch. It still has his ditching whistle attached. Also a photo of the crew I researched and the witness report from the ball turret gunner who was probably wearing the jacket as he watched that crew go down.

 

Oh how I love history!

[38Driver]

The ditching whistle and patch

[38Driver]

The crew I researched back in the 90s, and the witness statement by the gunner/B10 wearer on a nearby 17. His name signed at the bottom

[Nack]

Spectacular jacket and history!

[Nic]

Great jacket! Thanks for sharing it.

[Johnny Signor]

32nd Bombardment Squadron emblem images , enjoy

[38Driver]

I believe the one on the jacket is similar to the bottom left. Whered you find that Johnny? And could you recreate that one 5x5x5?

[JDK]

Very cool jacket and story. Love the B-10. This is a great example. Congrats!

 

JD

[kammo-man]

Amazing historical jacket.

 

owen

[Johnny Signor]

I believe the one on the jacket is similar to the bottom left. Whered you find that Johnny? And could you recreate that one 5x5x5?

Hey, I found the image online, and yes I could do that one on leather for you , would need you to send me a paper color image of it to use for reff, drop me a PM for more info ,

 

Johnny

[trenchbuff]

Very nice write-up. Good new home for the jacket.

[manayunkman]

Great research story 38 and beautiful jacket too.

[32nd Aero]

Fantastic find! I am the owner of the original patch, and most of the other images, from Johnny's post. I found it at the SoS in KY back in 2012, I think.

I am also the historian for the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron at McGuire AFB in NJ.

 

I've been doing the history work for the squad since about 2008 or so with the first iteration of the Squadron history project becoming a real thing in 2010 when I stumbled across two 32nd vets in the area local to our base. We had them, and their families, out for a ceremony and so forth. This is the article from the base paper about the event. https://www.jointbasemdl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/244490/32nd-ars-honors-squadron-wwii-heroes/

Since then, I've been poking away at the project and it didn't enter high gear until 2017 when we had our centennial. Long story short, but someone I found on facebook ended up being a link to our squadron going back to the place we served in France. Here's an article about our visit: https://www.leberry.fr/issoudun/armee-conflit/institutions/2018/01/06/lus-air-force-retrouve-son-passe-a-issoudun_12691334.html

Since then, starting in August, I've been putting out daily posts on the squadron's facebook group about the daily goings-on during WWII. https://www.facebook.com/groups/32dARS/

[AZPhil]

I'm glad this got bumped to the top. You know I'm loving that B-10!!

 

Semper Fi

Phil

[38Driver]

 

Fantastic find! I am the owner of the original patch, and most of the other images, from Johnny's post. I found it at the SoS in KY back in 2012, I think.

 

I am also the historian for the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron at McGuire AFB in NJ.

 

I've been doing the history work for the squad since about 2008 or so with the first iteration of the Squadron history project becoming a real thing in 2010 when I stumbled across two 32nd vets in the area local to our base. We had them, and their families, out for a ceremony and so forth. This is the article from the base paper about the event. https://www.jointbasemdl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/244490/32nd-ars-honors-squadron-wwii-heroes/

Since then, I've been poking away at the project and it didn't enter high gear until 2017 when we had our centennial. Long story short, but someone I found on facebook ended up being a link to our squadron going back to the place we served in France. Here's an article about our visit: https://www.leberry.fr/issoudun/armee-conflit/institutions/2018/01/06/lus-air-force-retrouve-son-passe-a-issoudun_12691334.html

Since then, starting in August, I've been putting out daily posts on the squadron's facebook group about the daily goings-on during WWII. https://www.facebook.com/groups/32dARS/

 

 

Just saw this post. Thanks for sharing that info. I'll stop by the 32nd Facebook page too. They've weaved in and out of my life over the years

 

[32nd Aero]

38,

Noice!

Feel free to shoot a PM to me on the bookface. I've got a few handfuls of things to share.

This also answers the question I've had since I found my patch: Was it fabric or leather? Looks like it was much later in the war than I expected.

I've also been to Foggia where our patches were likely painted. The 301st didn't arrive in Italy until the very end of 1943 which, as I understand, predates the adoption/issuing of the B-10 jacket.

If you'd like to know more about going there, PM me. I've got a guy in Foggia.