WWII Glider Trooper With Aircrew Wing

[patches]

A Pfc Paul D Bever 188th GIR, date and location unknown, has a GCM and the Aircrewman Badge, would love to known the background on him

[5thwingmarty]

That looks like a Pilot wing to me, not an Aircrew wing.  It looks squared off at the top not round.

[doyler]

May be the Glider pilot wing with G in shield.

 

There were some enlisted glider pilots in WW2. 

 

Also I have a photo copy from a local 17th vet and he wears a miniature glider wings. From what I could gather it was worn for the photo after completing training he sent home .

[pfrost]

This is a very interesting picture.  But, I doubt very much that a PFC with glasses was authorized to wear a pilot wing (or even glider wing).  If I had to guess, it is an aircrew man's wing that just looks funny. Or it was an "add on" in the photography shop.  Why not spice it up for the folks back home!  LOL.

 

IIRC there were a couple or three ways that an EM could earn the aircrew badge, but that would almost always entail a promotion to at least corporal or sgt rank.  These guys did some serious work on airplanes... not something that was just doled to to PFC Sparky McFNG for emptying out the barf cans.

 

Its a cool picture though, and I'd love to know his story.

P

 

 

[pfrost]

I always liked this portrait of an aviation cadet.  Still not wearing his wings.... but he has everything possible that he could be wearing. Flight helmet, goggles, air corp patches (he even turned around his sleeve so you didn't miss the AC patch).  I see a bracelet, class ring, ST Christopher's medal and both sets of his dog tags around his neck!  No rank yet, and that top button undone was likely to catch him a good dressing down the first time someone saw him be-bopping around like that.

 

I suspect he is even wearing his "Keep em flying" skivies!  Looks to be about 17, and I suspect his parents just dropped him off at the front gate of the base.

 

LOL.

[Allan H.]

The photo is rather interesting, and I would agree that the wing sure looks like a pilot wing rather than an aircrew wing. That being said, it is possible that the wing could be any number of the lettered wings for Service Pilot, Liaison Pilot, Glider Pilot, etc. It is POSSIBLE that the guy was a Liaison pilot. If the guy had been a rated pilot prior to joining the service, but had been removed from military flight training due to his need to wear eyeglasses. As a rated pilot, he could have ended up flying Piper Cubs in the Pacific. I can't make out the collar brass, but field artillery would have been a typical branch for a Liaison pilot to be assigned.

 

Glider pilots were typically not assigned to airborne divisions, but rather to Airborne Troop Carrier squadrons.

 

As an aside, troopers assigned to glider units in the 17th Airborne widely wore 1" GP wings on their uniforms, I assume after Varsity. I have had a couple of them show up in 194th Infantry groupings and on 139th Engineer uniform.

 

Allan

[pfrost]

When Allan talks, I always listen!  But on this one, I am still leaning towards a bit of "Hey, lets put this wing on for the photos, so my folks think I am running the show with General Patton!" But then again, it was a big military and everything was probably possible. 

[Allan H.]

19 hours ago, pfrost said:

When Allan talks, I always listen!  But on this one, I am still leaning towards a bit of "Hey, lets put this wing on for the photos, so my folks think I am running the show with General Patton!" But then again, it was a big military and everything was probably possible. 

Patrick, your answer is certainly plausible. Of course, you wouldn't EVER want any of your platoon mates to catch you doing something like that. Ouch!

 

Allan

[doinworkinvans]

Clearly a case of adding to uniform for pictures.

[doyler]

A set of minature GP wings on an oval found in a footlocker I purchased. There is another set also posted on the forum

 

[doyler]

another topic which stated wings were part of a 11th ABN group but no pics saved from the auction of the group

 

https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/18639-small-gp-wings-on-oval/#comment-128823

[patches]

11 hours ago, doyler said:

another topic which stated wings were part of a 11th ABN group but no pics saved from the auction of the group

 

https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/18639-small-gp-wings-on-oval/#comment-128823

Member 101combatvet stated in effect that before the Glider Badge came out, these Glider Wings were worn, interesting.

 

Saying "Common wear before the Glider badge was authorized in August 1944". 

[patches]

Interesting because I found another one. This time in the 17th Airborne Division's 194th GIR, and wearing a Mini. 

 

Pfc Joseph F Horak, Horak is KIA in Operation Varsity
 

[Brian Dentino]

So I have no idea but what about this?  So I knew Clinton Riddle, B Company - 325th GIR and did an interview with him and spoke/met with him several times before he passed away.  Anyway, in WWII he was an enlisted man who was recruited (assigned) as a CG-4A co-pilot with all the training of 5 test flights could give him.  He said that after the "flight" (more a controlled crash) that the glider pilot was so impressed with his cool (he said he was anything but cool!) during the operation (Market Garden I believe) that he was gifted a Glider Pilot wing from the actual #1 pilot.  Said he lost it during the time in Holland, but was very proud of this and never forgot.  Is it a possibility that, due to the shortage of "trained" G-pilots in later operations during the war, that these few soldiers pictured here in this thread were given/gifted these wings and proudly wore them to commemorate their service as a co-pilot for their glider groups?????  Just a thought.