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    • KurtA
      Thanks for posting that.  A really nice variation that I have never seen. Here's additional info on it.    
    • jumpship
      When I acquired this note, I hoped that the signatures on it would be from US Army Air Force personnel who had ended up in Sweden due to their aircraft landing/crashing there during the war. Perhaps, all from a single aircraft. However, it seems that the reality is somewhere in the middle.   The first US combat aircraft landed in Sweden on 24 July 1943. From then, until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, another 199 US aircraft followed, either landing or crashing in or near Sweden. Around 1,400 US aircraft crew members found themselves as ‘guests’ of the Swedes for part of the war. Despite a formal declaration of neutrality given by Sweden in 1939, various arrangements were made over the duration of the war to repatriate some of these US crews, often in secret, sometimes in exchange for allowing the Swedes to officially acquire US aircraft now in their possession, as well as providing new combat aircraft to the Swedish Air Force.   The place(s) where and time(s) when the note was signed are not known. It is possible that it was signed in Sweden by those who were interned there, and after those personnel had returned to the UK, additional signatures were added. It is also possible that it was signed sometime after the war in the UK, at a base in the US, or even at a later reunion. Of the 11 signatures on the note, I have confirmed that 6 signatures belong to USAAF personnel who were interned in Sweden during the war.   The signatures (6) of those interned (in order of date of internment):   1. S/SGT Alfred (NMI) Paoli 16142546 Tail Gunner Hometown: Chicago, IL. 2. S/SGT John Joseph Molloy 32486744 Radio Operator Hometown: Ventnor City, NJ Their aircraft landed on 21 June 1944 at Rinkaby, Sweden. B-17G “Baboon McGoon” (42-38194) 381st Bomber Group, 533rd Bomber Squadron out of RAF Ridgewell UK (Station 167) on 381st BG Mission 140 to bomb Berlin, Germany. Pilot on mission: 1/Lt Arthur J. Bailey. Paoli and Molloy were interned in Sweden for several months. The aircraft was returned to the UK on 20 June 1945. Baboon McGoon in Sweden Note: not to be confused with “Sir Baboon McGoon” (42-3506), a B-17 that was ditched in the North Sea and whose crew was captured by German Forces.     3. S/SGT Raymond Albert Jones 36158998 Waist Gunner Hometown: Los Angeles, CA. His aircraft landed on 18 July 1944 at Bulltofta, Sweden. B-17G A/C name unknown (42-97467) 91st Bomber Group, 401st Bomber Squadron out of RAF Bassingbourne UK (Station 121) on mission to bomb Peenemunde, Germany. Pilot on mission: 1/Lt Don Bare. The crew had all been returned to the UK by November 1944. The aircraft was returned to the UK on 4 June 1945. Photo of crew (Jones not identified)     4. SGT William (NMI) Rich 32783893 Waist Gunner Hometown: Roanoke, VA 5. S/SGT Bernard G. Fridberg 33738040 Tail Gunner Hometown: Worcester, MA Their aircraft landed on18 July 1944 at Bulltofta, Sweden. B-17G “Yardbird” (42-102663) 381st Bomber Group, 533rd Bomber Squadron out of RAF Ridgewell UK (Station 167) on 381st BG Mission 155 to bomb Peenemunde, Germany. Pilot on mission: 1/Lt Frank R. O’Black Jr. The crew was interned for a few months before being returned to the UK. Yardbird     6. S/SGT James Henry Friedel 34120292 Ball Turret Gunner Hometown: Orange, TX His aircraft landed on 24 August 1944 at Sjobo, Sweden. B-24H “The Near Sighted Robin”  (41-28851) 34th Bomber Group, 7th Bomber Squadron out of RAF Mendlesham UK (Station 156) on 34th BG Mission 63 to bomb Kiel and Hemmingstedt, Germany. Pilot on mission: 1/Lt Giles C. Avriett Jr. The crew was returned to the UK during December 1944. The Near Sighted Robin     Other signatures on note (with no indication of internment in Sweden at any point in the war):   7. S/SGT William D. Dangerfield 35758935 381st Bomber Group, 533rd Bomber Squadron; reported to have been assigned as a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 (43-37561) during September 1944.   8. S/SGT and, later, T/SGT Travis J. Groft 18098349 381st Bomber Group, 533rd Bomber Squadron; reported to have been a Top Turret Gunner and Flight Engineer. Hometown: Jacksonville, TX.   9. John B. Kiffer/Kieffer? Possibly SGT or S/SGT 306th Bomber Group. Uncertain of name.   10. T/SGT Earle Bassett 39695274 381st Bomber Group, 533rd Bomber Squadron; reported to have been a Radio Operator on a B-17. Hometown: Madera, CA.   11. (Scott?) Huddleston. Unknown. Multiple personnel with surname Huddleston served in various 8th Air Force Bomber Groups.   Sources:   Brown, James Good. 1986. The Mighty Men of the 381st: Heroes All (A Chaplain’s inside story on the men of the 381st Bomber Group). Salt Lake City, UT: Publishers Press.   Mackay, Ron. 2000. Ridgewell’s Flying Fortresses: The 381st Bombardment Group (H) in World War II. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History. 256 pp.   Widfeldt, Bo and Wegmann, Rolph. 1998. Making For Sweden-Part 2 The United States Army Air Force: The story of the Allied Airmen who took sanctuary in neutral Sweden. Walton-on-Thames, Surrey: Air Research Publications. 311 pp.   https://www.americanairmuseum.com/   https://www.8af.org/          
    • Colonelhogan
      Got this cotton uniform that looks like a 1912 pattern. Has no names but has usmc buttons. Any imputs?
    • Taylor
      I found it, it was Uniforms of the U.S Army During World War Two but I thought it had World War One uniforms too
    • Bayonetcharge
      Forgot to mention, accidentally lost my canteen so that's why my canteen pouch looks wonky
    • Bayonetcharge
      this is my first reenacting kit. All gear is original. Got the M1956 combat webbing with the M1967 yoke (need to switch that out) got an original ERDL blouse, 1970 dated flak jacket, and 1968 dated M1 ammo bag. Not complete but any ideas so far? 
    • Randy
      Not to sure on Navy stuff, but think it's possibly USS Wichita related, and 12 AMAS is a fleet support unit of some kind? I can't remember the details, it came up 20+ years ago at a show.   Randy
    • Denfly8
      I have the same too. My 1st time in over 30 yrs seeing this marking and I have over 10 MX991'S and it's variants. 
    • Brig
      Left is a Meyers pattern, I don't think these predate 1930. The lack of markings could be because Meyers sold them to other firms to be carded on their own cards and sold. This was a common practice of the era.    The one on the right appears to be an unmarked Gemsco. The pin stabilizing appears to be damaged or worn short, an extremely common occurrance given its age
    • stucky151
      Was lucky enough to add two more examples. One of which is another scarce saddle blanket emblem that has been converted to a screw post back. The heft of the emblem and its strong resistance to bending compared to the helmet version are wildly different. This one had had a very nice curve bent into, which would take some pretty decent effort to achieve.  This is my second example of the scarce saddle emblem. Updated display with new additions. This makes 7 enlisted examples in my collection with no officer examples unfortunately. 
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