Very cool!  Love the Naval Training stuff.  Congrats.

The WFL Drum Co logo

Won at auction recently is a Bass drum used in USNTC at Sampson N.Y. Made by the WFL Drum Co. in Chicago and 34 inches across.     

Only 6 weeks until the ASMIC Military Show. We still have a few tables available.

I recently acquired a large WWII archive belonging to 2nd Lt. Lloyd J. Andrews Jr., 392nd Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force, and would appreciate opinions from advanced aviation and KIA group collectors. Andrews was a P-38 pilot from Phoenix, Arizona who was killed in action on 20 October 1944 during a dive-bombing mission near Merzenich/Tollhausen, Germany. The archive contains: Original DFC and Air Medal group Original award and presentation documents MACR 9778 Eyewitness statement from Capt. Robert E. Douglas Captured German intelligence reports documenting the crash, recovery of Andrews’ body, and burial Official Ninth Tactical Air Command press photo release sent to his widow in October 1944 Wartime photographs Original telegrams and casualty correspondence Newspaper articles concerning his death and awards Family material relating to his widow Anne Andrews and daughter Talitha Ann Over 200 pages of documentation and research According to contemporary newspaper accounts, Andrews had completed more than 50 combat missions, had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with multiple Oak Leaf Clusters, and was credited with destroying four enemy aircraft before being shot down. One of the more unusual items is an original Ninth Air Force press photo release dated October 1944 showing Andrews receiving mission instructions shortly before one of his final combat operations. The reverse includes the original typed caption sent to his wife in Phoenix. I’m interested in hearing opinions on: Historical significance of the archive. Current collector value. Comparable KIA fighter pilot groups that have sold recently. Photos attached.

Oh no, very sad news....great guy!   Kurt

Will do and thanks for responding. I really appreciate  this forum, a wealth of information.

First term enlisted personnel did not spend a lot of money on boots.

. A tale of woe . . . . . . .    last week a local friend took his eight year old car to the gas station to fill up on fuel, after filling the tank the car wouldn't restart.  He's a car mechanic with fifty years of commercial experience behind him but he could not get it to restart.  Pushing the car to one-side clearing the pumps we returned for it later with a recovery trailer and took it back to his barn where fortunately he has a four post hoist and all the tools.  Progress has complicated the structure of vehicle.    to take out the starter motor for repair or replacement involves taking out the complete front axle and wheels etc, also the entire engine after disconnecting the exhaust and all ancillary cables etc. and listed as an eight hour repair job at a commercial garage.   We all love the WWII Jeep where everything is basically accessible underneath the engine hood, ok it is a longer process to replace a clutch, and most people follow the manual and lift the engine forward I prefer to drop the gearbox which I can do in a field without mechanical hoists etc, whereas lifting an engine in a field is virtually impossible.      Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, 02 June  2O26.   ..

Hi,   although I am not at all a veteran, I thought, I would chime in with a few things... 1. Concerning the graffiti: I don't think, I have ever seen it on photos from Grenada to be honest... I could be wrong, but I don't think, that it was a thing.   2. Boots worn: On period photographs, it is sometimes hard to make out, but I have rather seen black leather combat boots worn. Keep in mind. Grenada was only about a month and one of the major issues was the gear. The newly introduced BDUs with the Elvis collars were too hot and many suffered from heat exhaustion. That is, why they allowed them to wear jungle fatigues and RDFs. I guess, that some did manage to get their hands on jungle boots, but my impression is, that it was not the majority as the overall gear seemed rather lacking for this conflict and same would apply for the boots. And pictures, where they wear jungle boots, are mainly ones of Rangers or Airborne troops...   That is all I can say concerning your topic. Hope I was of help :)) However, I am no veteran of this conflict and my field of interest lies rather elsewhere (fatigue tops and shirts), so I would not swear on my answers. It is just things I have seen on photos. I anyone else could chime in and maybe make some corrections if needed, that would be great! Would love to see the finished impression and good luck!   Jules   PS: Some pics I found after a quick Google search: