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WWI Enlisted Army with USN Airship wings.


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I thought some of you might be interested in this unusual WWI era studio photograph and Airship badge grouping. This 4 1/2 inch by 8 inch photo depicts a U.S. Army Air Service enlisted soldier wearing a USN lighter-than-air Aviator half-wing. You can also see an enlisted Army Air Service bronze disk on his collar with vertical silver propeller. Your comments and ideas are most welcome.

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What the fedge?! That is one intriguing portrait. Fascinating detail with great clarity to boot. Love it! There's not much else I can comment on other than it's my humble opinion the portrait may have been taken shortly after the war had ended. Just a hunch...I'm hoping someone else can set the record straight. Oh, one other thing I noticed right away & that is he's obviously wearing the cotton Summer-weight uniform & an officer's(?) leather belt. Again, neat photo!

 

-Chuck

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This overseas cap has a small (1.5 inch) US Army Airship wing attached. What's unique about the small wing is it not silver, but gold in color and matches the gilt of the USN lighter-than-air Aviator half-wing. The cap itself looks like someone intentionally added a couple of stitches of thread to the top seam in two spots to prevent it from expanding while being worn. Was this a fashion statement? Or was it possibly an effort to make the cap a little smaller for wear?

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Chuck, thank you for your input. I agree with you...it does have an early 1920's feel to it. Maybe Cliff, or someone with airship badge insight can jump in.

Russ

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An image of the photography studio logo at the bottom of the paper frame. Maybe there's a clue or two hidden in the logo...but which studio in California was this taken?

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Here's an image of the entire photograph sleeve.

 

I believe that this particular wing, the USN balloon pilot wing, was authorized post war (about 1922 or so). I also believe that the uniform for enlisted men changed from the standing collar to the lapel collar around 1926 to 1927?

 

That would date this picture to at least that time period, between 1922 and 1927? Since right after the war, it seems that much of the USN aviation was geared down (I think that after the war, they reduced the number of pilots from around 10,000 to less than 500!). However, a number of lighter than air (LTA) schools were maintained by the US Army into the 1930's. IIRC, a number of these schools were eventually transfered to the USN for use and training with LTA craft for coastal patrols.

 

Maybe the place to start is at some of the Army/Navy training schools? Especially those that transfered from the Army to the USN.

 

Patrick

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I believe that this particular wing, the USN balloon pilot wing, was authorized post war (about 1922 or so). I also believe that the uniform for enlisted men changed from the standing collar to the lapel collar around 1926 to 1927?

 

That would date this picture to at least that time period, between 1922 and 1927? Since right after the war, it seems that much of the USN aviation was geared down (I think that after the war, they reduced the number of pilots from around 10,000 to less than 500!). However, a number of lighter than air (LTA) schools were maintained by the US Army into the 1930's. IIRC, a number of these schools were eventually transfered to the USN for use and training with LTA craft for coastal patrols.

 

Maybe the place to start is at some of the Army/Navy training schools? Especially those that transfered from the Army to the USN.

 

Patrick

 

This is the wikipedia post for Fred Hartsook's photo studio. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hartsook

 

It seems that he was active in the 1920's, again fitting in with the 1920's date of this picture. Also, one of the larger flight schools was for balloon pilots and LTA pilots would have been in California, at Ross Field in Arcadia

 

http://www.militarymuseum.org/BalloonSch.html

 

I note that by the 1930's this field had been taken over by the USN. That may provide a link between the Army and Navy insignia?

 

Patrick

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This is the wikipedia post for Fred Hartsook's photo studio. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hartsook

 

It seems that he was active in the 1920's, again fitting in with the 1920's date of this picture. Also, one of the larger flight schools was for balloon pilots and LTA pilots would have been in California, at Ross Field in Arcadia

 

http://www.militarymuseum.org/BalloonSch.html

 

I note that by the 1930's this field had been taken over by the USN. That may provide a link between the Army and Navy insignia?

 

Patrick

 

 

The leather belt is the standard EM's garrison belt.

 

G

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Chuck, thank you for your input. I agree with you...it does have an early 1920's feel to it. Maybe Cliff, or someone with airship badge insight can jump in.

Russ

 

Hi Russ,

 

While the Army had no airships during World War I, in 1919 airship training for a select group of U.S. Army officers and enlisted men was conducted in England, France and Italy.

 

In 1919 an Army Balloon & Airship School was established at Langley Field, VA. Training courses were based on British and French practice although Goodyear and U. S. Navy experience also were utilized.

 

All formal Airship training at Langley Field was transferred in 1922 to Scott Field, Illinois on completion of new Balloon and Airship facilities there. The Balloon & Airship School at Scott Field was closed in 1928; however, the Army continued to operate a declining number of airships until 1937 when the last one was turned over to the Navy.

 

:think: Typically, I don’t like to speculate on such matters; however, the Army enlisted pilot in the photo above bears a strong resemblance to Olin C. Brown, a Regular Army enlisted balloon and airship pilot. I never found his Army lighter-than-air school attendance records but he did receive rigid airship training with the Navy at Lakehurst, Naval Air Station aboard the USS Shenandoah, 1923-1924. Therefore, as a military courtesy the Navy could have award him a USN light-than-air half wing badge on completion of his training and he would have been permitted to wear it. He held all ranks through Warrant Officer and retired as a Captain in the Army Reserves after World War II. He died March 8, 1963.

 

Cliff

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Hello Cliff,

 

Can you clarify for me something? It is my understanding that all USN airship pilots wore the full size USN Aviator wings. It was only pilots of the tethered or kite balloons that wore the 1/2 wings. Is that correct?

 

Patrick

 

Hi Russ,

 

While the Army had no airships during World War I, in 1919 airship training for a select group of U.S. Army officers and enlisted men was conducted in England, France and Italy.

 

In 1919 an Army Balloon & Airship School was established at Langley Field, VA. Training courses were based on British and French practice although Goodyear and U. S. Navy experience also were utilized.

 

All formal Airship training at Langley Field was transferred in 1922 to Scott Field, Illinois on completion of new Balloon and Airship facilities there. The Balloon & Airship School at Scott Field was closed in 1928; however, the Army continued to operate a declining number of airships until 1937 when the last one was turned over to the Navy.

 

:think: Typically, I don’t like to speculate on such matters; however, the Army enlisted pilot in the photo above bears a strong resemblance to Olin C. Brown, a Regular Army enlisted balloon and airship pilot. I never found his Army lighter-than-air school attendance records but he did receive rigid airship training with the Navy at Lakehurst, Naval Air Station aboard the USS Shenandoah, 1923-1924. Therefore, as a military courtesy the Navy could have award him a USN light-than-air half wing badge on completion of his training and he would have been permitted to wear it. He held all ranks through Warrant Officer and retired as a Captain in the Army Reserves after World War II. He died March 8, 1963.

 

Cliff

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Hello Cliff,

 

Can you clarify for me something? It is my understanding that all USN airship pilots wore the full size USN Aviator wings. It was only pilots of the tethered or kite balloons that wore the 1/2 wings. Is that correct?

 

Patrick

 

 

Hi Patrick,

 

Very good question. While Naval Aviators qualified as airship pilots and/or heavier-than-air pilots were authorized to wear duel wing pilot badges, personel who were only qualified in tethered or free flight balloons had to wear a badge with the right wing removed. Adding to that, as in the case of Olin C. Brown, enlisted personel who held a balloon pilot rating but were also qualified as Navy “Directional Pilots of Airships” were not considered as Naval Aviation pilots and were only authorized to wear a half-wing.

 

Cliff

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teufelhunde.ret

Amazing image! Gents another possibility to consider, perhaps he served in USN / USMC and enlisted in Army post war???

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Amazing image! Gents another possibility to consider, perhaps he served in USN / USMC and enlisted in Army post war???

 

Interesting theory! Lots of guys served in more than one branch. What a great photo!

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Gents, I greatly appreciate your comments, ideas and research. Cliff, your knowledge of flying badges and your no-nonsense approach to researching those pieces is an incredible asset to us all here on the Forum...and to the future of the hobby in general. The possibility of putting a name to a face on an 85 to 90 year old photograph is exciting! I've been hesitant to remove the photograph from the sleeve because there's a small spot or two of adhesive or glue holding it in place. I'm now especially curious to know if there's a name or other identifer written on the back of the photograph. I'll try to get a look this weekend.

 

Patrick, I appreciate your efforts as well. If this photo is indeed Olin C. Brown, I wonder if he spent the early 1920's at Scott Field, Illinois and Lakehurst, New Jersey, then spent some time in the mid-1920's at Ross Field in Arcadia, California? Ross Field was less than 10 miles from downtown Pasadena, and there was a "Hartsook" photography studio located there. Pure speculation, but I wonder if that might be where the photo originated?

 

If anyone out there has similar photographs or info, please feel to post it here.

 

Russ

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If anyone out there has similar photographs or info, please feel to post it here.

 

 

Russ-

I knew that photographer sounded familiar. Look what I found in my archives. He's not ID'd either but they both obviously went to the same studio, at least it was run by the same guy. Which studio location either of these aviators went to, is up for grabs. I'd also like to point out the fact that the embossing is exactly the same too, with an "H" in each corner.

 

-Chuck

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John Cooper

What a great photo to share and discuss Russ... and thanks to those folks who have replied and shared their knowledge and their love of our shared hobby and our history.

 

My hat is off to you fine gentlemen!

 

Cheers

John

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Russ-

I knew that photographer sounded familiar. Look what I found in my archives. He's not ID'd either but they both obviously went to the same studio, at least it was run by the same guy. Which studio location either of these aviators went to, is up for grabs. I'd also like to point out the fact that the embossing is exactly the same too, with an "H" in each corner.

 

-Chuck

 

 

Chuck,

Your pilot photograph is one nice image! It's apparent the Hartsook photography studio knew what they were doing with these nice clear photos. Seeing each of our examples sure adds validity to the other. Yours is the first studio photo I've seen where they had the subject sit on the edge of a wooden table. A somewhat casual, but striking shot. I appreciate your efforts to post this terrific pilot photo.

 

John,

I think we all appreciate your kind sentiments. Thank you.

 

Russ

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