Armoured trainer grouping

[Wally6]

Hello everyone, made a 2 hour drive this weekend to acquire this great grouping of an Iowan veteran. 

 

Millard Schlatter, born in 1909 and drafted in 1941 at the age of  31, the army deemed him "to old" to serve in combat so he was transferred to Ft.Riley where he trained crews on how to operate tanks/drive them. Millard would pass away in 1973 wherein his tanker helmet would sit in the front window of his son's gas station until it passed into the hands of the individual I purchased this from.

 

The grouping contains Millards complete named uniform with his ribbons and DUI's, the gloves he would use when driving tanks, and his named tanker helmet, still with the radio inside and hand-painted rank insignia on the front. 

[manayunkman]

That’s worth the drive and cost of admission.

[M24 Chaffee]

That’s a really cool grouping! His helmet is in great shape and it’s great that it has the earphones. Is the helmet a Wilson or Spaulding?

 

Frank

[tredhed2]

Interesting. He has Cavalry BOS brass and Cavalry Replacent Trg Ctr DIs. The 9th Armored Div was activated at Riley and trained there for approx a year. Likely Schlatter trained their tank drivers.

[Backtheattack]

Great grouping! Good you get it.

[patches]

On 3/3/2021 at 8:03 PM, tredhed2 said:

Interesting. He has Cavalry BOS brass and Cavalry Replacent Trg Ctr DIs. The 9th Armored Div was activated at Riley and trained there for approx a year. Likely Schlatter trained their tank drivers.

Stuart Light Tanks and or Armored Cars of the Cavalry Reconnaissance trainees would be my guess tred. Fort Riley being the place were these guys took their Basic and AIT