A11 flying helmet with a sad story

[Dijkhuizen]

found this A-11 flying helmet a couple weeks ago.

turns out that it belonged to P38 pilot 2nd Lt. Elvin D Tyler.

Second Lieutenant Tyler flew with the 95th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group.

On a mission to Austria and Germany on 21 April 1945 LT. Tyler P-38 caught fire en route to the target area. Lt. Tyler was able to bail out but his main parachute failed to open.

 

 

[1canpara]

Wow, very sad story. Great looking helmet, I have a similar one with the nameplate on the forehead. Where did you find this helmet? Any other info on it?

[sundance]

Great item - sad indeed.

[phantomfixer]

intrigued to know more about the helmet and pilot...possibly the helmet worn on his last mission.....or a footlocker spare..

where found...etc....

 

would be the focal point of a display to honor his memory for sure

[Charlie Flick]

Beautiful helmet.

 

I noticed that this pilot was killed 2 weeks before the end of the War in the ETO. There is something about almost making it safely to the finish line, and then getting killed, that seems especially tragic. Sort of like another P-38 pilot, probably the best ever, Dick Bong.....he made it all the way through the war and got killed in a flying accident in LA one month before the surrender. Every war is filled with tragic stories like that.

 

Charlie