Um, on a mannequin? Where does any collector display an 80yr old harness? These are not for operational use. Titan, the lack of a canopy is a bit of an issue but not because a canopy is typically displayed. I have one setup that is deployed and I have never repacked it. I displayed it open as a backdrop for a larger display once and, what a pain. I will never do that again. They are far more easy to handle and look at without the canopy everywhere even if that makes them "incomplete". I have my later harness, like your yellow-marked one, on a mannequin right now. I have a packed seat chute also on a mannequin right now.   Together these are worth multiples of the previous evaluation IMO. Some understand what they are, their variations, etc. and some simply do not. You may PM me for more info but there are members who collect, restore, and replicate these items. They will usually comment but it sometimes takes a while. Hang in there. Dave

One aspect of Lt. Lloyd J. Andrews Jr.‘s service that I hadn’t fully appreciated until recently is that he was a member of the 367th Fighter Group, better known as “The Dynamite Gang.”   The nickname wasn’t a postwar invention. The 367th earned its reputation through low-level attacks on bridges, rail yards, trains, armor, and transportation targets throughout the European campaign. It became one of the Ninth Air Force’s most aggressive fighter-bomber groups.   While reviewing Richard Groh’s history of the group, I was surprised to find Andrews not only listed in squadron rosters, but also identified in photographs and discussed in the narrative covering the group’s combat operations in late 1944.   For collectors and historians of the Ninth Air Force, how significant is the 367th Fighter Group viewed today compared to other P-38 units operating in Europe? Has anyone here researched the group’s reputation among veterans or attended any reunions where the history of “The Dynamite Gang” was discussed?

Hi Steve,   thanks for your kind comment! There is someone in the US who makes correct Willard battery cases designed to fit over an Optima, but he casts each one individually in resin whenever he finds time and there is a long waiting list, so not really a practical solution. I don't think any of the usual repro jeep parts manufacturers have stepped in to fill this gap yet, I would be interested in a reasonably priced cover/box.         Hi Ken,   unfortunately, the distance between the terminals was not the same on the old and new batteries, which is why I chose to cut it open near the top instead of the bottom, as the top of the old battery wasn't usable anyway. The benefit of this approach is that it will be easier to lift the whole assembly in and out of the jeep as the bottom retains its strength and the ridge underneath the top, which you use as a handhold when lifting, remains intact.   Furthermore, this old battery didn't really resemble a vintage battery anyway as it only had the 2 terminals and 3 screw caps on top, rather than the 2 lead strips and other features usually found on old batteries. I will try to replicate some of these features on the new top that I will make myself, since the terminals of the new battery protruding through will be the only functional parts. This will be a bit of a try-as-you-go project and I will use black automotive sealer to close any gaps.   The Optima is completely maintenance-free and doesn't even provide a way to check or top up the acid level. I did purchase special smart charger recommended for this battery, but true to its reputation, it holds its charge remarkably well. I have connected it to the charger regularly but during the 3 years I've had it, the charger has always indicated the battery remained fully charged. This is one of the reasons I chose this battery over the more common standard black 6V batteries we had been using for the last 30 years.    

. few hours to file reports    For the past week it has been very much dawn till dusk on the go here with so many things going on, hopefully I can file a few posts this week as things are slowing down again. I saw military vehicles and military vehicles on trailers hitting the auto-route yesterday for the long journeys home.  Local friend Mike has used the analogy that the visiting military vehicles are like  swallows returning each year from their winter sojourn in Africa and back to Europe for the summer.  It is fun to see the returning swallows and their fledglings before they disappear again over winter and likewise with the military vehicles and many friends for a week in June. ( I met for the first time two Dutch guys dressed as US Navy with a correctly restored USN radio Jeep, and they also knew Johan )   After the events of yesterday, the British veterans being fed and feted at the Collins museum and later on in the afternoon the mass military parade through Carentan , we finished the evening with several of us returning to Mike and Tansy's for an evening meal a few drinks and discussions of the day.  I left around midnight for a wonderful drive home in total darkness through narrow country lanes with hedgerows on either side guided only by the illumination of the Jeep's headlights and not seeing any other vehicles at all on the way home.  It was quite an emotional ride home imagining the same dark rural roads of eighty-two years ago. emotional in quite an ethereal way.      Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 08 June  2O26.   ..

. hi earlymb,   Not having gone down this route myself and still using a regular six volt off the shelf battery I have wondered several times when other jeepers have copied what you have done  would be to cut the base off, remove the insides and the original terminals and use it over the top of the Optima as a cover, but I suppose it would all depend if the Optima terminals came out in the same location as the terminals that were removed.  Done pretty much in the style of cover that the ' Willard ' covers were made a few years ago to use over normal batteries.  Looking on-line it appears they only make a top plate now without sides and the hold down bracket hides the edges.    Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 08 June  2O26.   ..  

Hit a barn sale this morning. It had potential, did not want a box of 1967 Brit ammo pouches, however… ALWAYS  remember to look up! Saw this monster on top of a shelf. Too big for my needs and the asking price was more than I had in my pocket. Cool home front art. USS Moose. The 4 of Spades is for size reference.    

WARRIOR15,   First of all, Thank you for your service.   Although I don't agree with your views on the ethics of selling dog tags, I'm certainly not siding with blitz. I'm not sure why it's any of his concern whether you eat Cheetos or not. What ticks me off is the fact that he wants you to "type respectfully" even though you have a medical condition. Especially when you have apologized several times and made it clear your intention was not to be rude to anyone. I really just dislike everything blitz says.    But for this thread I think everyone has made their points. I don't really see point in this thread staying open as nobody is changing their minds and we are now diving into politics as started by blitz.   Thanks,   Edward.    

Very cool. Great album, have you checked to see if there's writings on the back of any of the photos?

My late dad was a WWII USN veteran.  I remember him telling me about the time a Navy flyer crashed upon landing on a runway, I do not recall which island. Pilot was killed; told me someone stole the wristwatch off the dead pilot's arm. Not sure of his exact words now but it was along the lines of, if a guy was a lowlife in civilian life, he was a lowlife in the service. I knew some real losers in the Army.