Arrowhead for initial assault or parachute jump. Campaigns are date specific.Starting and ending dates for each.You can have the star but unless he landed on d-day he would not be awarded the arrowhead. The campaign dates for eligibility are out there,Just jam the keyboard.

Good luck

Bob

 

Campaign dates are not a problem and as you can see on my first post, he was on Omaha on D-day.

There are two bronze stars both on his medal and ribbon but that can be explained by that he was transfered to SHAEF before the arrowhead was authorized.

 

But still, did arrowhead replaced the star or is it proper to have both Arrow and star if you landed on D-day and kept on fighting in the Normandy campaign?

Arrowhead for the landing,star for the Normandy campaign.If he was in the area of another campaign, he would be eligible for another star.

 

Let us break it down. If your mans story is correct...Arrowhead for landing.Star for the Normandy campaign.Second star for another campaign.Then wounded and reassigned to Shaef. Bronze star maybe for valor or the CIB conversion.Only he could tell you about substituting the star for the arrowhead.

 

But as others have said,many mistakes and omissions when it comes to awards.

I have a copy of a handwritten letter from the vet himself, he wrote "landed with the second wave on Omaha beach on D-day"

The 18th was sceduled to land at 09:30 but landed at 10:00 and the fighting was still heavy.

He was wounded late -44 i France, came to a evac hospital and after that transfered to SHAEF. He also had occupation duty, I have a photo of him in Germany oct. -45.

 

I have seen his medals, the Purple Heart has a oakleaf so wounded twice.

 

I guess that the missing arrowhead is just a mistake from his side, probebly not aware of that he could have had it.

 

Thanks for your answers.

I rediscovered this ribbon bar that I bought sometime ago and noticed that it had a Arrowhead Device on the EAME ribbon. I found this to be odd because I've never seen one before on an Air Force ribbon bar. I had always thought that the Arrowhead was only for ground troops who mad the initial invasion and was wondering if it was authorized for Air Force personnel who flew a combat mission in support of an initial invasion? I did develop a few theories but none really panned out but I will share them. My first thought was he might have been a ground pounder then switched to the Air Force after being wounded but then thought how difficult would that be during wartime? My next guess was that he might have been a glider pilot but then thought how does a glider pilot earn 3 Air Medals? My last considered was that he may have been a crew chief on a C-47 that had to bailout with the paratroopers during D-Day or Market-Garden due to engine failure or being shot-down...which seems to be a stretch. Anyway I was hoping to solicit any thoughts or opinions.

 

Thanks,

John

He was probably in the Army during WW2 there is a few knots on his Army Good Conduct medal, then joined the Air Force later.

He was probably in the Army during WW2 there is a few knots on his Army Good Conduct medal, then joined the Air Force later.

 

Yes, I thought that too... but how did he earn the Air Medals since he has no Korean Service Ribbon?

He could have been a C-47 radio operator during the D-Day invasion. That would answer that.

 

-Ski

Army Air Corps to the Air Force?

There were AAF flying units that did receive the Arrowhead device.

I just realized I forgot to include the criteria for earning the Arrowhead Device:

 

The Arrowhead device is a miniature bronze arrowhead that may be worn on campaign, expedition, and service medals and ribbons to denote participation in the initial amphibious assault landing, combat parachute jump, helicopter assault landing, or combat glider landing by a service member of the United States Army. A soldier must be assigned or attached as a member of an organized force carrying out an assigned tactical mission. A soldier must actually exit the aircraft or watercraft to receive assault credit. Individual assault credit is tied directly to the combat assault credit decision for the unit to which the soldier is attached or assigned at the time of the assault. Should a unit be denied assault, no assault credit will accrue to the individual soldiers of the unit.

The part which states that "a soldier must be assigned or attached as a member of an organized force carrying out an assigned tactical mission" I guess would qualify an Army Air Force Personnel but I am not familiar with or ever heard of an Air Force units being "attached or assigned" to an Army Unit. If you haven't served in the military the terms "attached and assign" have more meaning than what you would think and deals with a commanders authority over those units/personnel that are assigned or attached. The second part of the criteria states "A soldier must actually exit the aircraft or watercraft to receive assault credit" which I would negate air crews that flew a combat sortie during the initial invasion unless they include aircrews that had to bailout for whatever reason during the assault.

Perhaps he served in the Army in WW2 and switched to AF reserve later.

... how does a glider pilot earn 3 Air Medals?

 

John, a glider pilot earned 3 air medals by flying a glider on three combat missions. If he flew 4 he had 4. There was a minimum of 749 US glider pilots who flew 3 or more combat missions as a glider pilot.

 

C Day

Great topic and WOW as SILVER star next to that ARROWHEAD! You see lots of bronze stars on the EAME ribbon but the silver star is far less often seen. Another bonus to your arrowhead! Great ribbon set!

 

Mark

... how does a glider pilot earn 3 Air Medals?

 

John, a glider pilot earned 3 air medals by flying a glider on three combat missions. If he flew 4 he had 4. There was a minimum of 749 US glider pilots who flew 3 or more combat missions as a glider pilot.

 

C Day

 

That certainly would make sense but I was under the impression that there were only two glider assault operations (Normandy/Holland) during WWII in the European Theater. I guess I was wrong. When and where was the other one?

Varsity

 

Also, FA airborne spotters also received Air Medals in WWII.

 

That certainly would make sense but I was under the impression that there were only two glider assault operations (Normandy/Holland) during WWII in the European Theater. I guess I was wrong. When and where was the other one?

 

 

There was also an Assault Para drop in Germany.Plus Sicily & Southern France.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_forces#Operation_Torch:_North_Africa

The 9th Air Force had Tactical Support troops that served on the ground and qualified for many battle stars. However, that does not explain the 3 Air Medals.

 

 

I would guess not many men were awarded 7 battle stars for flying duty only in the EAME.

 

 

 

 

Wharf

John,

The other ONE in Europe was Southern France, Bastogne and Varsity. A GP received an Air Medal for each combat mission flown in glider. There may have been a few who received an AM flying C-47 co-pilot on resupply missions flown during time period considered to be combat, but we have no way of knowing who or when. We have 7 as flying five missions. 153 Four, 589 three, 705 two, 1,693 one. For Sicily there were only 24 US glider pilots who flew as co-pilot. Sicily glider operation was British, using British glider pilots. The Varsity mission carrying 17 A/B into Germany was huge. Apparently because it did not feature the 101st or 82nd no one knows much about it.

 

For more mission information go here:

http://www.ww2gp.org/index.php

I didn't know that Varsity included gliders, I thought it was paratroopers pure operation. As far as Sicily or Southern France I wasn't aware that those operations took place. It's amazing just how much you think you know vs. how much you don't.

C-Day, Where there NCO glider pilots?

 

 

Mark, I never thought too much about the silver campaign star, the arrowhead blinded me to it but it is pretty amazing.

Yes there are seven campaigns.The Arrowhead could be for one, two, or three of these if they were for an assault.Only one arrowhead is awarded, allowed to wear, no mater how many assaults you did.

"... It's amazing just how much you think you know vs. how much you don't."

 

John,

In my experience, the older you get the more you know that you don't know and the amount of unknown stuff appears in multiples of thousands.

 

Take a hop over to Lubbock to the Silent Wings Museum.

 

In approximate numbers, the Varsity mission involved 1,570 US glider pilots. Varsity was only time double tows were flown into combat. The Battle of Burp Gun Corner involved approx 289 officers Capt, 1Lt, 2Lt, F/O of 435 TCG who held off the German, destroying one tank, killing around 50 German without a loss to the GPs. I believe it was the only ALL officer combat group in WWII. There is a new book on this battle available from the museum.

 

NCO?? Anyone with rank of 2Lt or higher who entered GP training and graduated Advanced Training earned MOS 1026 with that same rank. In beginning, the enlisted US GP trainee was to be made Sgt on graduation. By early 1943 this was changed to SGT in training and minimum rank of F/O at graduation. To my knowledge by early 1943 any graduated, MOS 1026 glider pilot, rank of Sgt, was promoted to F/O.

 

There is a lot of general confusion on who/what was a GP. Some believe that a man in glider flight training was a glider pilot when in fact he was a cadet/student trainee. He was not an MOS 1026 Glider Pilot until he successfully completed Advanced training.

 

Most US gliders flown in Market had only a pilot; no trained GP in the right seat. More so for weight balance, a trooper was positioned in the right seat. A lot of people and the families of 82 and 101 A/B glider riders who sat in the right seat believe that man was in fact a Glider Pilot based on fact that he sat in the co-pilot seat and was given a few minutes of "this is what you do if I get hit" by the GP.

In my research of SL1 POW's and the hundreds if not thousands of Missing Air Crew Reports I have read I occasionally find a report on or that mentions a glider crew and sometime have a list of troops in the glider or tow Aircraft., This is unusual as Gliders did not rate a MACR because they were not meant to return to base anyway. Most of the ones I recall were Market-Garden related and In every case the Pilot held a rank of F/O.

 

Mark

The USAF commendation medal started in 1958 but was not authorized a "V" until 1996 and was not awarded for acts involving no voluntary risk to life. The 2 knots in the ACGM indicate 9 years of service but his ADSM indicate he was in prior to WW2 (1939 to 1941). While the campaign medal indicates at least 7 of the 16 campaigns of Europe and Africa he may have a few more but is limited to the regulation display of 4 appurtenances on the ribbon. It is likely he earned his air medals for Sicily, Normandy, and the Rhine crossing. I would not doubt that he likely earned the PH during the Varsity landing.

 

The unit possibly being the 48th airlift or 49th airlift squadron, 313th tactical airlift Group, 52d troop carrier Wing. These two units participated in 7 campaigns, received 2 PUCs and had gliders the above listed operations.

 

It would be interesting to see when he transferred to the USAF and what his new job was. Tom