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Post-WWII 1950's & 1960's US Air Force uniform photos


Bob Hudson
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This one was leather, from the C.E. Daniels collection:

 

@ Bluehawk: I have never seen one of these leather face protectors before now. Thanks for posting.

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More evidence of the Air Force's fatigue cap identity crisis late in the transitional era: A TM-61 Matador missile crew of 310th Tactical Missile Squadron at Osan Air Base, Korea, ca. 1960. (Some Air Force missile trivia: The Martin Matador started its service life as the YB-61, a "pilotless bomber" which deployed to Germany in mid-1950s as the B-61A Matador, operated by 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron (among others) and targeting you-know-who. Once operational, the "pilotless bomber" slander was quickly scrapped in favor of "tactical missile" — perhaps Gen. Lemay was not amused by the suggestion of bombers without pilots.)

 

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I just cannot recall where on earth I got this picture file, but found it in my computer today. If I snagged it from somebody's collection, I apologize, and will have it taken down or give full credit.

********** Anyway, pretty self-explanatory: Gen. Jimmy Stewart at the gate with an Air Policeman during the ‘50s. But the photo looks staged, so I guess this was a production shot from the movie “Strategic Air Command”?

Couple of questions: What would be the significance, if any, of the stripe on this AP’s helmet? And although not pictured here, wondering on what occasions did Air Policemen wear white lacings in their boots? And how long did that practice survive?

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1950's postcard: Parade in San Antonio, TX. Note the natural looking color photography!

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This USAF S/Sgt. is getting a "grip-and-grin" birthday greeting from his boss at Bolling A.F.B., Washington, D.C., August 28, 1949. His wife sent the cake from Hawaii (note open parcel under the unit billboard). The unit arc over the sergeant's SSI is illegible in this photo but 4203rd P.T.S. was associated with the Strategic Air Command and that is a likely W.A.G. for his tab.

 

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Link here to see the Life Magazine article mentioned in this inscription on the back of the photo (go to pages 70-71):

 

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@Wailuna:

 

Thanks for another interesting post. We see he's still got the early cutout prop/wing collar insignia, along with an Army tan tie, but has the S/Sgt moved to wearing an AF blue belt?

 

It was well worth checking out the "Life" link too. Apart from the fascinating period advertising, I noticed there's an article by 'Hap' Arnold starting at page 120 (dispersed over another approx 15 pages) taken from his autobiography, along with a full page picture of him with Omar Bradley, and various other smaller photographs connected to his life (including ones showing Spaatz and Mitchell).

 

That issue of Life was good one!

 

Mark

 

 

This USAF S/Sgt. is getting a "grip-and-grin" birthday greeting from his boss at Bolling A.F.B., Washington, D.C., August 28, 1949. His wife sent the cake from Hawaii (note open parcel under the unit billboard). The unit arc over the sergeant's SSI is illegible in this photo but 4203rd P.T.S. was associated with the Strategic Air Command and that is a likely W.A.G. for his tab.

 

post-1963-1343614825.jpg

 

Link here to see the Life Magazine article mentioned in this inscription on the back of the photo (go to pages 70-71):

 

post-1963-1343616436.jpg

 

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....he's still got the early cutout prop/wing collar insignia, along with an Army tan tie, but has the S/Sgt moved to wearing an AF blue belt?

Yes, he was a man in transition alright and, as we see, just about anything goes (or went) in 1949. Not only a blue belt with khaki tie but it is interesting that he had switched to the new chevrons before he needed to. The other picture (in the goody box) shows him in an identical uniform except for Army pattern staff sergeant chevrons (and wearing a cap). He was bidding farewell to his wife and daughter in Hawaii as he boarded a ship to the Mainland. We will never know why he was an early adapter of the new USAF stripes as his rank did not change between the taking of these two pictures but this is surely among the earliest date-verified sightings the new stripes being worn that we have seen on the Forum. Can you tell if your dad was wearing USAF stripes the picture at post #229.

 

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I don't know if my Dad was wearing Army or AF rank when that picture (post 229) was taken in July of 1949, but I do know that in a photo of him in his khakis at the around the same time/place (Celle, Germany) he is the only one of a bunch of airman wearing a blue chevron. I may have posted this picture before, but can't remember where the hell it's sitting -- it may even be on this thread somewhere! Anyway, if I post a duplicate here, I trust it's no problem.

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And here is a picture of my old man (far left) dated New York, Dec 17, 1948 on leave with some buddies.

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Note two GIs on right : one wearing cut-out prop/wing device, one still with old style AAF insignia.

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Another close-up. Can the right shoulder patches be ID'd? And what is that partly covering the ribbons?

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That does seems very unusual. For comparison, Longevity ribbon seen here with the usual oak leaves ('60s uniform of M/Sgt G.Ellis, USAAF/USAF).

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...Can the right shoulder patches be ID'd? And what is that partly covering the ribbons?

Great pix., Astra! December 1948 takes the prize for early wear the new USAF chevrons.

 

To answer your questions: The Pvt. on the left is wearing a 78th Infantry Division SSI, indicating service in ETO during WWII, and the badge over his ribbons is the Combat Medical Badge (link here for more info on the CMB). The Corp. next to him is wearing a never approved patch borrowed from the Great Seal and Flag of the Territory of Guam, presumably indicating…you guessed it…wartime service on Guam (see below). The Army's postwar Marianas-Bonin Command (aka: MARBO) had an approved SSI (August 1948) that is very similar to this design (see below).

 

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Guam Territorial Flag

 

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MARBO Command SSI

 

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General Carl Spaatz, USAF Chief of Staff, and Lt. Gen. Curtis LeMay, Commanding General, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, meet at plane side in Wiesbaden, Germany, May 12, 1948. Gen. Spaatz would retire soon and this was his last trip to Europe. Gen. LeMay left USAFE later in 1948 to assume command of Strategic Air Command.

 

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Note that Gen. LeMay is wearing the generic USAF SSI whereas Gen. Spaatz also appears to be wearing an SSI on his left sleeve, tantalizingly out of sight because of the camera angle....perhaps it was his trademark patch for U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, his former wartime command, which was known to wear even as Chief of Staff (link here).

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1955 Airman. Real color, faded; or tinted?

 

Real color! Beautiful era picture !!! I love this era in photos and colors !!!!!!!!!!

 

 

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Interesting to see Gen Spaatz's jacket in #286. We're still in the "pinks/greens" era here but his coat lacks the usual belt. It's dark OD but is tailored like the belt-less khaki TW summer uniform.

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...Interesting to see Gen Spaatz's jacket in #286. We're still in the "pinks/greens" era here but his coat lacks the usual belt...

 

Let’s go easy on Gen. Spaatz: He was simply a man ahead of his times. Well before this picture of Spaatz and LeMay was taken the USAF had decided that its new blue service uniform coat would be without belt. As Gen. Spaatz was Chief of Staff of the Air Force when that decision was made, can we doubt that he approved of the belt-less uniform look? And here he is giving the concept a field test. Modifying the pinks and greens in this fashion was simple: The belt was detachable and adding the fourth brass button to the coat would have been a snap for the General’s orderly. Here is an extract from the USAF directive on the transitional pinks and greens from about the time the picture was made (Air Force Letter Number 35-4, 1 September 1948. Note: This extract exactly matches the specifications for same uniform in Army regulations).

 

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Note that the “…horizontal seam at the waistline…” is clearly visible on Spaatz’s coat and although button details are not visible in the picture, it is possible that Spaatz’s coat buttons were the new pattern gold color Department of the Air Force Seal design, which was officially prescribed in August 1948 (AFL 39-25).

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...This is a '60s photo but the longevity ribbon seems to have knots instead of clusters...

This Lieutenant Colonel also wore knots on his Longevity Service Ribbon instead of oak leaf clusters (photo dated August 20, 1959). Perhaps this practice was per USAF regulations of those early times. Legend has it that Air Force Chief of Staff Thomas D. White approved this award in 1957 (he was appointed to the post in August 1957). The Air Officer's Guide (10th edition, 1957) does not mention this ribbon....does anyone have 11th edition (1958)?

 

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Here was the "New Look" for Air Police at SAC Headquarters in 1957. To judge from his ribbons and other insignia, the Airman modeling the new outfit was a veteran of WWII and the Korean War with the Purple Heart, the Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and the ROK Presidential Unit Citation, and three each Hershey Bars and hash marks...no rookie this.

 

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Two other SAC Palace Guards in summer khakis ca. 1958.

 

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Here is a USAF officer with a fascinating backstory. Cornelius J. Mara enlisted in the Army in May 1918 and served as an army field clerk until 1926 when he was converted to the rank of warrant officer, in which capacity he served until 1940 when he was commissioned as a Captain in the Quartermaster Corps Reserve. In 1941 he transferred to the Air Corps Reserve. He served with the Army Air Forces throughout the war, eventually being promoted to Colonel in 1944. He remained on active duty in the Army after the war until he transferred to the USAF in 1947. In May 1949, Col. Mara was appointed Assistant Military Aide to President Truman, a post that he held until January 1953. He was promoted to Brigadier General in September 1952 (link here). Col. Mara is shown in this picture (ca. 1949) wearing an Army style uniform with the lapel insignia for Aide to the President of the United States (1st type, worn ca. 1946 to 1953. Link here).

 

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