Nice period photos (all jackets except A-2's)

[John Luder]

Here's a period photo guys, and there's a story behind it, it's German Luftwaffe I know but please no politics, it the crew of a Junkers 88 KG54, one man in particular the Bordenfunker Ernst Specht I met some years ago at a event on the Lincolnshire coast when my section of my group were portraying bomber crew of KG55, nice guy, he came into the war late, when he was young and everyone was being conscripted, by 44 the war was over for Ernst when he was shot down over St Lo, he told me he landed practically in the town itself, snowing, he wandered around and knocked on a door to surrender as he knew the Americans were in occupation, knowing a bit of English, the door opened and he said I surrender, a burly GI sergeant said get your ass in here bud it's cold haha, to cut a long story short, later I helped him find where his crew were interred where the German war Graves commission failed to tell him, took me a lot of research, but the plane crashed not far from St Lo and the Americans buried them local, Ernst has passed now but he was tearful and grateful, anyway this is his story on aircrew remembered, I spent a fair bit of time with Ernst listening to his stories, when he was released from POW in UK he married the English girl Caroline he met

Ernst Specht Radio operator, Ju88 8/Kampfgeschader 54

Personal history of aviation people from all nations and all eras, and including descriptions of the site's methods and objectives, including original research.

aircrewremembered.com

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Great bit of detective work, Jonny. Very impressive, indeed.
John

 

[John Luder]

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That's Keenan Wynn (1916-1986). He was one of the essential character actors from the '30s through the '80s. He was one of the toughs in the MGM "Kiss Me, Kate", with James Whitmore as the other hood. "Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now...." He was the soldier, Col. "Bat" Guano, with the fully-auto carbine who shot up the Coke machine so Mandrake (Peter Sellers) could get coins to call Washington after Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) topped himself, in "Dr. Strangelove".

 

[John Luder]

Not quite sure why did dude's attaching a corsage to the pitot probe of a Blenheim, but it's a nice clear photo of his Irvin!

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Sprigs of Christmas holly, so the jerries can kiss his arse.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

That's Keenan Wynn (1916-1986). He was one of the essential character actors from the '30s through the '80s. He was one of the toughs in the MGM "Kiss Me, Kate", with James Whitmore as the other hood. "Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now...." He was the soldier, Col. "Bat" Guano, with the semi-auto carbine who shot up the Coke machine so Mandrake (Peter Sellers) could get coins to call Washington after Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) topped himself, in "Dr. Strangelove".

Thank you John.

 

[John Luder]

Thank you John.

You're welcome. Remember, Hollywood is my beat. Besides, I went to high school with his daughter, Hilda.
Cheers.

 

[John Luder]

I'm feeling cheap and dirty posting this little bit, now that I've seen some of the originals here which have left me adrift in a pool of tears, but here goes.
I used a split-ring, or round cotter, in some circles. They existed by WWII, but I can't nail down the patent date. Doesn't matter, it's not a real A-2, and I'm not wardrobing a proper war movie. That may happen, someday, but for now, it's my knock-around with the One-eyed Jack patch.
It's still cool and breezy/windy here near the coast in Ventura Co. Cool enough at night for my 6552, and sometimes overcast enough during the day for the A-2.
Now, if I can find a vintage-looking St. Michael, or St. Brendan (for my upcoming Navy 6552), I'll be in tall cotton.
Cheers,

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

Nationalist china air force propaganda pic during ww2 era, found it from an auction site.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

AAF photographer Burt Krawczyk he worked in China from1943 to 1945.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

Krawczyk’s photos , Chinese building aero drome with hand tools, later it gonna be used by 357th Bomber Squadron

 

[B-Man2]

Now that’s a nose configuration on a B-24 that you don’t see very often . Looks to be heavily armored .

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

i find out it is tail turret ,not norse turret.

It is not the same model, but very close。

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

---

Toy's McCoy build full set of it

 

[Flightengineer]

Pilots of the 151st Wing RAF and Soviet pilots, Russian North 1941

 

[Erwin]

 

[B-Man2]

From what Ive read , He died while on a classified mission perfecting radio controlled flying bombers loaded with explosives . The idea was get the plane near the target and for the pilot to bail out over friendly territory. The plane would be guided to its target by another bomber flying near and controlling the bomb ladened aircraft . On this mission the bomber exploded prematurely killing Kennedy. Macawber lived near the airfield where his plane departed from and knows a lot about it.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

Safety switch failed caused his death.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

They did not wearing jacket, but that white-ish suit looks interesting.

 

[John Luder]

To complete the excellent "Nice period photos of A-2's" thread, I open this thread dedicated to the other jackets (B-3, B-6, A-1, Irvin, Cyclist Jacket, kanaljacke, B-10, B-15, ANJ-4, M-445, M-422, D1, ...).

Let's star with a B-3 jacket.

Is there any period movie that Tom Hanks can't handle? I'll bet he learned to fly that plane just so he could do his own stunts. The nicest guy in Hollywood, so they say. What a stud.

 

[ZuZu]

Is there any period movie that Tom Hanks can't handle? I'll bet he learned to fly that plane just so he could do his own stunts. The nicest guy in Hollywood, so they say. What a stud.

He wishes he was that cool. I'd like to diss him but I'm not allowed as his wife (like mine) is Greek!

 

[John Luder]

He wishes he was that cool. I'd like to diss him but I'm not allowed as his wife (like mine) is Greek!

No one. And I mean NO ONE, will ever be as cool as Steve Holman, Rickson, Hilts, et al. McQueen, Baby! What a potload of life that dude hammered and wedged into 50 short freakin years. Hell, when he was my age, he'd already been dead 19 years. He's that cool.