A2 jackets in RAF

[herk115]

Let's not forget that quite a few UK Commonwealth pilots along with Chinese pilots and Poles, Czechs', Norwegian, etc... although experinced fliers in their native Air Forces were forced to go thru flight training in the US at that base in Arizona, whose name escapes me right now.

Williams?

 

[rich]

Let's not forget that quite a few UK Commonwealth pilots along with Chinese pilots and Poles, Czechs', Norwegian, etc... although experinced fliers in their native Air Forces were forced to go thru flight training in the US at that base in Arizona, whose name escapes me right now.

I don't think experienced fliers were sent overseas .......... but certainly many aircrew went abroad to learn their trade, including to Canada and South Africa. The US bases used were at
Sweetwater Texas, Terrell Texas, Ponca City Oklahoma, Miami Oklahoma, Lancaster California, Mesa Arizona and Clewiston Florida.

It must have been a miserable experience returning to a blacked-out, food-rationed, short-of-everything Britain after six or seven months in the States.

 

[TankBuster]

Great photos in this thread. Thanks for posting them!

 

[Smithy]

Soren is right.

Norwegian pilots selected for single engine aircraft were issued A-2s whilst in training in Little Norway. I actually posted a thread about this at TFL way back in 2007:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...AF-service&s=21db9270871eafbb1e1a1438c9f9abbd

As a result, A-2s were the standard flight jackets for pilots in 331 and 332 Sqns, and as far as I am aware the only widespread use of the A-2 at a unit level in the RAF.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[Smithy]

Just some more info in relation to Unclegrumpy's last post.

Only 332 painted the "unofficial" version of the unit insignia on the shoulder of their A-2s (it is the same as that carried on many 332 Spits and is not the same as the official unit crest). 331 did not do this.

Spinners carrying the norwegian stripe colours in vimpel form were adopted in the latter stages of '43 and were exceedingly widespread by '45. This carried over into immediate postwar service in the Luftforsvaret. In fact Norwegian stripes were also seen during wartime on cannon barrels (eg Svein Heglund's Spit IXc MA568 FN-L), in place of the Sky Type S fuselage stripe and on the rudder.

Cheers,

Tim