Young US Artillerymen catching a ride on HM LST-406 check out their newly issued M1 Carbines while underway to Gold Beach in Normandy - 7 June 1944 Laing (Sgt) Photographer IWM B 5165 WWP-PD      

Look like Beach Battalion markings    US Soldiers on Utah Beach watch for the Luftwaffe on the evening of June 7, 1944, the day after DDay Luftwaffe attacks on the Allied beachheads during and after DDay were for the most part ineffective and sporadic. Bob Landry Photographer LIFE Magazine Archives / WWP-PD    

Is this another example of a genuine lighter being completely destroyed with a fake engraving?

https://youtu.be/2dAsuz5g7As I'm a little Leary of YouTube videos.  AI is killing it with stuff that ain’t worth watching.  This one isn’t bad. It’s been a long time since I read about Balls Bluff. Other than creating the Committee On the Conduct of the War, it was pretty meaningless, other than wrecking General Stone’s career.🙁   hoping to get a discussion going , but I’m thinking this site is dedicated to collecting, which I don’t have any interest in. PTRN

Looking great Lars and now the real fun begins! 😁   Joe

A question comes to mind, did Bomber  P1/P2/P3 (or officers) get a choice of A-2 or B-3 jackets or get both?  Second question  did the fighter pilots just get the A-2?

Thank you so much for the information. This is very helpful.  I have the RA #19470805 but could successfully search by that number. Are you able to search service numbers? Thanks again. Joe

These OPFOR uniforms appear to have a character; name, rank and group portrayed written in sharpie on the inner aspect of the coats.  The shoulder boards like the other insignia is 'hook and pile' and very IRAQI in nature.  They may have come from a SOF training area at Ft Bragg, but I have no definitive provenance.  One of the DCU's was previously Air Force and another Army based on stitch marks.  I am not a collector of OPFOR even though I have had a number of the uniforms and insignia over the years.  Anyone with more info on the history of these, I would be most pleased to hear it.  Cheers, Armygas

Oh, yeah thanks

General,   As always, another brilliant post!  It's 1800 hrs here in Detroit and I just learned something I hadn't seen before so I guess I can go to bed now (my Mom used to say "that you can't go to bed until you learn something new every day").   Now, as for the "Chicken & the egg"...   OD