Part II early US Air Force transitional

[Wailuna]

....the unit commendation is metal and enamel. Not regs, but it's how I got the uniform (at least 10 years ago)....

 

"Not regs," indeed, but a very interesting sighting nevertheless. Here is how the USAF Meritorious Unit Commendation appeared in the 1950s (on the lower right sleeve):

 

Link here for source.

[Wailuna]

...I've snuck this AF officer's blouse in...I can't be specific re its date or origins...

 

...USAF officer's winter-weight blue shirt, 1950s....

 

 

1959 was the beginning of the end of what we are calling the "transitional era." In effect, the Air Force emptied the old duffle bag and when they repacked a new one, a lot of its Army heritage was left out. For instance, a new uniform regulation in May, 1959, announced the end of Army style khaki summer uniforms effective September 1, 1959. Also left behind was the winter Ike jacket (but not the summer version!) The regulation promised an "appropriate" wear-out period but did not give a specific date (coincidentally, the Army was undergoing its own transition to Army Greens during this period, and August 31, 1961, was the final day for the Army Ike jacket.) The winter shirt evidently survived. I don't recall the regulation on this, but I do remember seeing this style worn in Korea as late as 1977.

[TLHSS]

Transplanted these from a previous thread I initiated. They epitomise the transitional nature of USAF uniform items of this period! Cap, Aircrew, Heavy Type D-1 /D-1A. Note the logos and legend on the blue/khaki variants?!

 

Wow ... I like that headgear ... never seen anything like it :thumbsup:

[Sabrejet]

Wow ... I like that headgear ... never seen anything like it :thumbsup:

 

The old 50s James Stewart movie "Strategic Air Command" is one of the best visual records of early USAF uniforms..blue suits..silver grey summer uniforms..blue flight gear...headgear etc. etc. I used to have a VHS tape copy, but in this DVD age I no longer have a VCR!! Is it available on DVD in the States?

[Sabrejet]

The old 50s James Stewart movie "Strategic Air Command" is one of the best visual records of early USAF uniforms..blue suits..silver grey summer uniforms..blue flight gear...headgear etc. etc. I used to have a VHS tape copy, but in this DVD age I no longer have a VCR!! Is it available on DVD in the States?

 

 

 

Bingo! Just found and purchased a European PAL version on Ebay UK!!

[Wailuna]

...Bingo! Just found and purchased a European PAL version on Ebay UK!!

Try "The Big Lift." An even earlier film about the transitional era. Top billing goes to a couple of Hollywood names but the real stars are the actual USAF officers and airmen and aircraft and locations that appear in this real-time period thriller about the Berlin Air Lift. Well worth watching (free on Internet). Link here.

[Sabrejet]

Try "The Big Lift." An even earlier film about the transitional era. Top billing goes to a couple of Hollywood names but the real stars are the actual USAF officers and airmen and aircraft and locations that appear in this real-time period thriller about the Berlin Air Lift. Well worth watching (free on Internet). Link here.

 

 

 

Roger that...thanks!

 

Ian :thumbsup:

[VolunteerArmoury]

Has anyone seen the minature ribbons (not medals but ribbons)? Look in the 1952 edition of the USAF Officers Guide and they show a depiction of the ribbons. Can't recall what page but they show rows of up to eight being worn over the left breast pocket. I'll scan the pages when I can and post them. Seems I have a 1960s edition that mentions them too but I can't find that copy.

[louie]

Antother good movie for this era is Jet Pilot w/ John Wayne and Janet Leigh as a Russian pilot. Cheesy movie, but great on uniforms. Sometimes they are wearing blues w/ SSI, and other times in Pinks and Greens. Mostly officers if I can remember, not much in the way of EMs.

 

On a side note, in all the years of ragging and finding umpteen uniforms, I only once found a four pocket Army blouse, EM style w/ Air Force rank. It had PFC or A3C on it, w/ an Air Force command patch w/ an arc I long ago forgot. The one and only time. Maybe the Air Force still handed out left over 4 pocket tunics after the Army obsoleted them..who knows??

[Wailuna]

...in all the years of ragging and finding umpteen uniforms, I only once found a four pocket Army blouse, EM style w/ Air Force rank. It had PFC or A3C on it, w/ an Air Force command patch w/ an arc I long ago forgot. The one and only time. Maybe the Air Force still handed out left over 4 pocket tunics after the Army obsoleted them..who knows??

Thanks for this insight, Louie. The 4-pocket coat was off the books for general wear in the Army and Air Force long before Air Force stripes existed (U.S. Constabulary troops in Germany being the main exception). There might have been some stragglers still wearing 4-pocket coats in late 1948 but your observation tends to suggest there were not many of them.

[Captainofthe7th]

"Not regs," indeed, but a very interesting sighting nevertheless. Here is how the USAF Meritorious Unit Commendation appeared in the 1950s (on the lower right sleeve):

 

What is stranger is the star for a device.

 

Rob

[Sabrejet]

Try "The Big Lift." An even earlier film about the transitional era. Top billing goes to a couple of Hollywood names but the real stars are the actual USAF officers and airmen and aircraft and locations that appear in this real-time period thriller about the Berlin Air Lift. Well worth watching (free on Internet). Link here.

 

Wailuna: I checked out the online movie link...great stuff! I then ebayed the title and found a dvd copy for sale by a guy about 50 miles away from here! Needless to say the deal is done. Thanks for the tip!

 

Ian :thumbsup:

[Wailuna]

...What is stranger is the star for a device....

"Strange" is the least that can be said about this object. Evidently, it was intended to be an Army Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon, which actually looks like this (since 1966):

 

During WWII, the Meritorious Service Unit emblem was introduced as a gold color laurel wreath on a cloth patch. A star device was briefly used to indicate subsequent awards of this commendation to the same unit; however, in 1946, numerals were introduced to serve the purpose:

 

Throughout the 1940s and '50s the Army MUC was worn as a cloth patch in the Army and the Air Force on the lower right sleeve of the uniform outer garment. The cloth patch was replaced by the ribbon in the 1960s (1966 in the Army).

[Wailuna]

...Thanks for the tip!

Wait until you see the closing titles. The entire USAF cast is standing in formation beside one of the airplanes at Tempelhof and you will be treated to a slow march pass-in-review, featuring close ups of each officer and airman, giving his name and rank, and a good look at each of them, in period transition uniform. This minute of so of film is fully worth the price of admission.

[DutchInfid3l]

Speaking of USAF films, Strategic Air Command being on of the great classics (that so far you can't get on DVD) I've recently watched A Gathering of eagles and I must say it's pretty good about the uniforms as well, some hat wearing and saluting in the buildings here and there. Even get a glimpse of the alert crew living area and a few spots in the inside of the missile silos.

 

Here's where I got my copy if anyone is interested...DVD link

It doesn't have a Region code as it says it plays on NTSC and PAL and the quality is really good considering, the select a scene menu is pretty interesting as it actually plays a little of the scene that is highlighted...

[TLHSS]

"Strange" is the least that can be said about this object ....

 

It's always thrown me for a loop as well. I always kept it on the uniform, since it had been there for a long time, and I didn't see a reason to "fool" anyone since there wasn't a ton of interest in this time period when I made the purchase.

 

The "ribbon" was made in a way that the star was interchangable with other devices.

 

Great thread!

 

Thanks,

Tim

[Lee Ragan]

Nice jacket. Reading your description of the material used for USAF officers made me compare to an enlisted man's RAF battle-dress jacket I own from the early 1950s. You couldn't get more different: I think you could scrub tiles with the cloth used for the British jacket!

 

As for the shirt: I have never seen one like this. Have a later example (60s? 70s?) of a very dark blue which I think was used in certain career fields, but nothing like the one you have here. Didn't realize they had made a dark blue winter shirt.

 

******************

 

This is a great thread.

 

These dark blue wool shirts were an optional purchase item for both officers and enlisted men all thru the 60's and into the 70's. They could be worn in lieu of the light blue shirt & service coat for work for those who wore such uniforms to work. As I remember it, they couldn't be worn for formal formations when blues were prescribed. While the lowly airmen (like me ), wore fatigues, the senior NCO's often wore these shirts in the cold months.

There were also regs covering when the shirt could be worn with ribbons or a necktie. I never bought one, so I didn't concern myself with it all too much.

[louie]

Thanks for this insight, Louie. The 4-pocket coat was off the books for general wear in the Army and Air Force long before Air Force stripes existed (U.S. Constabulary troops in Germany being the main exception). There might have been some stragglers still wearing 4-pocket coats in late 1948 but your observation tends to suggest there were not many of them.

 

I wish I would have picked it up, but in those days this was a big yawn. It just seemed unique with that one stripe in the star. Here is a real late Army jacket that still has a MUC on it. It is from the early sixties by the contract number. Too bad it is kind of "holy", but that happens with those pesky moths, silverfish, etc~

[Sabrejet]

"Strange" is the least that can be said about this object. Evidently, it was intended to be an Army Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon, which actually looks like this (since 1966):

 

During WWII, the Meritorious Service Unit emblem was introduced as a gold color laurel wreath on a cloth patch. A star device was briefly used to indicate subsequent awards of this commendation to the same unit; however, in 1946, numerals were introduced to serve the purpose:

 

Throughout the 1940s and '50s the Army MUC was worn as a cloth patch in the Army and the Air Force on the lower right sleeve of the uniform outer garment. The cloth patch was replaced by the ribbon in the 1960s (1966 in the Army).

 

 

This is the USAF MUC on my blue Ike. Identical in design to the original army type.

 

[Sabrejet]

Has anyone seen the minature ribbons (not medals but ribbons)? Look in the 1952 edition of the USAF Officers Guide and they show a depiction of the ribbons. Can't recall what page but they show rows of up to eight being worn over the left breast pocket. I'll scan the pages when I can and post them. Seems I have a 1960s edition that mentions them too but I can't find that copy.

 

 

Allow me to oblige!

 

[Sabrejet]

This is a USAF Technical Sergeant's service coat, circa 1949. The USAFE patch is a German-made BEVO type.

 

 

[Sabrejet]

[tmackie]

At Biggs Field, El Paso, TX. January 1950.

Cut-out Prop & Wing again on left lapel. But is the Ike jacket OD or Blue?!

This would be the OD ensemble for if blue, the tie would be dark, not khaki

[VolunteerArmoury]

Allow me to oblige!

 

 

 

That's it! I've never seen the mini ribbons. Does anyone have examples?

[VolunteerArmoury]

Has anyone an example of a the USAF White Uniform from like 1956? It was one that was around only like a year or so and from what I understand in the cut of the modern USAF class A jacket.