USN, USMC, 1940 and later

[dinomartino1]

Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, USN
On tour of NAS, Attu, Alaska, 9 September 1943. Left to right: Lieutenant Lindley, Lieutenant Commander Jones. Commander Hogle, Admiral Fletcher, Captain Bockins (back), Lieutenant Commander Amme.

North American SNJ trainer aircraft.
Free gunnery students with .30cal. Machinegun in the rear seat position, at NAS Miami, Florida, 9 April 1943.

Naval Air Station (NAS) Miami, Florida Free gunnery students check hits on a target sleeve, after an aerial machinegun practice session, 9 April 1943.

NAS Pensacola, Florida
Pilot and student aerial photographer, with a small camera, discuss a mission. February 1944. Plane is an SNJ trainer. Camera is K-20

Naval Air Station (NAS) Squantum, Massachusetts British Royal Navy Vought "Corsair II" (F4U-1A/D) fighters at Squantum in 1943. Note fleet air arm personnel standing by the planes, and temporary numbers crudely marked on their cowlings.

 

[dinomartino1]

Lieutenant Gladys Brewer
Receives pre-flight and cockpit checkout from AOC K.M. Wyse and TD1 Richard Storm at Aviation Training Aids Unit, Naval Air Station (NAS) Quonset Point, Rhode Island, on 23 April 1952.

Circa 1944, at either NTC Great Lakes, Illinois, or NAS Glenview, Illinois. Plane is a Douglas BTD-1.

War's end at North Island happy crewman of naval air station, San Diego, California 14 August 1945

CDR John Donovan, commander of CASU-24 at NAS Wildwood, NJ

Allen E. Stein during his service in the Motion Picture Division at NPC NAS Anacostia in Washington, DC

AFA School Class 5836 on December 17, 1958 at NAS Jacksonville

Free gunnery student at NAS Miami, Florida with a .30cal. Machinegun and a belt of ammunition, beside at training plane, 9 April 1943.

 

[dinomartino1]

Lieutenant Colonel James P. Devereaux, USMC
Hero of Wake Island, arriving at Nas Honolulu, 20 September 1945, on his way to the United States following his release from a Japanese prison.

Instructors & Students Class #49, parachute material school, NAS Lakehurst, N. J. 13 August 1940.

Interesting to see an old jacket with a jet
Rear Admiral Dixwell Ketcham, Commander Carrier Division Five
Climbs into the cockpit of a Lockheed TV-1 (USAF F-80 C) "shooting star" jet fighter, 8 January 1949. Photographed by VU-7, possibly at NAS Alameda, California

 

[dinomartino1]

Lieutenant Junior Grade Dixwell Ketcham, USN
Naval aviator certificate, dated 21 December 1922, marking his appointment as naval aviator number 3048.

Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida.
Flight training instructors and staff members, June 1926. Lieutenant Dixwell Ketcham is standing at right. Planes are Curtiss (Burgess) N-9H types.

 

[zoomer]

dinomartino1:

Instructors & Students Class #49, parachute material school, NAS Lakehurst, N. J. 13 August 1940.

Jungle Cloth M-375. Flap/no patch pockets, short zipper/button lapels, hidden sleeve cuffs, bi-swing beltback.

 

[Chandler]

Now THAT's an interesting jacket!

 

[zoomer]

Kind of a humbug if you ask me…like something an admiral doodled on a napkin.

 

[Chandler]

Kind of a humbug if you ask me…like something an admiral doodled on a napkin.

Weren't most of the early 20th century jackets created that way?

Our ancestors definitely liked their lapels. I think I inherited that aesthetic draw.

Of note: it looks like the W&G example doesn't have quite the same lapel cut as the vintage pic. Also appears to have an outer wind flap.

 

[zoomer]

There must have been 2 contractors, but they're SO rare the W&G is the only one we have present-day pix of.

 

[dinomartino1]

USN jacket you haven't heard of...M-375

Reproed, of course, not an original - which would be horrifically rare. And of course by a Japanese company, Cage Low. This seems to be a first draft of the M-421 with its beltback, but retains the knit waist of the early 30s 37J series. There may be inset knit cuffs, too - wouldn't make much...

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

Leather M-375??

Watched the movie "Flight Command" recently. The movie was released in 1940 and starred Robert Taylor. Taylor wears a jacket that looks like a leather M-375.

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

 

[YoungMedic]

Great photos thank you for putting them together !

 

[dinomartino1]

Adak, Alaska. A Navy Pilot walking on a beach, near a camp area, 20 October 1944. Note large buoy floats in background, with net tenders (ANs) beyond.

U.S. Navy Student Pilot
Prepares to board a N3N floatplane for a training flight, on the N.A.S. Pensacola, Florida, Waterfront, 1940

U.S. Navy Blimp Pilot
Poses on an airship mooring mast at a naval air station during World War II. He is wearing fleece-lined leather flight clothing and has pinned his naval aviator's wings to his cap.

Operations Board at an Aleutians advanced air base March 1943. Date on the board is Sunday 7 March. Note password ("Suzy") given on the board and armament assignments. The latter indicate that this unit flew PBY aircraft.

USS Boxer (CV-21)
Plane Captain Felix A. Norris, USNR, aids in strapping in the pilot of his Corsair fighter. Soon the deadly Corsair will be diving on an enemy bridge or supply dump in North Korea, pinpointing its targets with bombs, napalm and rockets. The pilot is Lieut. (jg) John W. White, Jr. Note the Confederate flag patch on his right shoulder, signifying the Memphis 'Rebel' squadron. This photograph and caption was released by USS Boxer under date of 27 June 1951. It was taken on 26 June. Boxer carried two squadrons of F4U Corsair fighters at this time, VF-791 and VF-884. Both were Naval Reserve units reactivated for Korean War service.

Commander Eugene P. Rankin, co-pilot of the P2V-1 patrol bomber "The Truculent Turtle"
Stands by the plane's nose insignia prior to its record-setting nonstop flight from Perth, Australia, to the United States, 26 September 1946.
Perth is where I live.

British Navy Fleet Air Arm Pilot
Stands in the cockpit of a Vought F4U-1A Corsair II fighter at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island in September 1943.

British Navy Fleet Air Arm Pilot
Stands beside a Grumman Tarpon (TBF Avenger) at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island in September 1943

 

[dinomartino1]

Carrier raid on Rabaul, 5 November 1943.
Medical corpsmen and plane handlers removed casualties from the air group commander's TBF, just after it landed on USS SARATOGA (CV-3) after being shot up over Rabaul. The gunner, AOM Kenneth Bratton was wounded in the plane, and Photographer's Mate First Class Paul Barnett was killed while photographing a Japanese "Zero" fighter making a head-on attack on the TBF. Commander Henry H. Caldwell, the pilot, is climbing from his cockpit, after making a one-wheel landing with no flaps, ailerons or radio.

USS LEXINGTON (CV-16)
Crewmen stencil seventeen Japanese flags on the pilot room door, 23 Nov. 1943, in celebration of VF-16's 17 to 0 victory that day over Japanese planes in the Marshalls and Gilberts area.

USS LEXINGTON (CV-16)
Lieutenant Eugene R. Hanks, a VF-16 pilot tells the ship's crew over the loud speaker hoe he shot down five Japanese "zero" fighters in less than five minutes, 23 November 1943. The action took place in the Marshalls & Gilberts area. Hanks was the first F6F "Hellcat" "Ace in a day"

USS LEXINGTON (CV-16)
Crewmen laughing as they listen to a VF-16 pilot describing his squadron's 17 to 0 victory over Japanese planes in the Marshalls & Gilberts area on 23 November 1943. Men are standing the port side of the ship's island.

USS HORNET (CV-12) Fighter Squadron Eleven (VF-11) pilots playing cards in their ready room, probably during HORNET's South China Sea operations, January 1945. Pilot second from left is Lieutenant Charles R. Stimpson, USNR, who was VF-11's leading "Ace".

USS TICONDEROGA (CV-14): Scene in ready room prior to the launching of the air strike on Manila Harbor on 5 November 1944

Pilot instructor records data of an N3N flight for the plane captain, following a training hop with aviation cadet, 1942

Pilot instructor and a naval aviation cadet check with the plane captain of their N.A.F. N3N floatplane, following a training flight, circa 1942-43.

Vought F4U-1 Corsair I Plane is from the British Navy's Fleet Air Arm and is at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island in September 1943. There is a British pilot in the cockpit.

Doolittle Raid on Japan, 18 April 1942
Nose of one of the raiding force's B-25B bombers, which is tied down on the flight deck of USS Hornet (CV-8) while en route to the takeoff point. This aircraft is mission plane # 11 (USAAF serial # 40-2249), nicknamed Hari Carrier and decorated accordingly. The plane's pilot was Capt. C. Ross Greening. It attacked targets in Yokohama. Note slippage mark on the nosewheel and tire, and inscription on the wheel cover: Inflating instructions inside check tire pressure daily.

 

[dinomartino1]

Grumman F4F Wildcat Fighter Aircraft
Pilot checks life raft stowage, behind the cockpit, during World War II. In this quickly releasable hatch, the raft can be inflated immediately upon the plane hitting the water. Note use of the radio mast as a hand hold. Plane bears the markings of Fleet Air Photographic Squadron, Atlantic.

 

[dinomartino1]

Lieutenant John A. Leppla Radioman 3rd Class J.A. Liska
Lieutenant John A. Leppla (right) shakes hands in front of a SBD scout-bomber aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, on 6 July 1942. During the Battle of the Coral Sea they were pilot and gunner of a SBD-3 from Scouting Squadron Two (VS-2), based on USS Lexington (CV-2), and were credited with shooting down five Japanese planes during one air action.

Grumman F7F Tigercat Night Figher, of Marine aircraft squadron VMF-513 Marine Corps Night Fighters in Korea Mechanics assigned the care of the F7F flown by Long and Woodward as part of Marine Night Fighter Squadron VMF 513 meet the men as dusk sets in and the F7F Tiger Cats prepare to leap on their prey from the black skies over Korea. (left to right) Pilot Long, USMC; Cpl. T.R. Moore, ...; Sgt. T. R. Choate, USMC; ... Warrant Officer Woodworth

Master Sergeant Avery C. Snow, USMC
Climbs out of his F9F Panther fighter after completing his 100th Korean War combat mission. He became the first enlisted pilot in the Marine Corps to fly 100 combat missions in a jet-fighter.

Climbing into a U.S. Air Force F-86 Sabre jet fighter. 13 July 1953, two days after Major Bolt shot down his fifth and sixth MiG-15s to become the only U.S. Marine Corps air Ace of the Korean War. He achieved the aerial victories while flying with the 5th Air Force as an exchange pilot. The original caption states: Major Bolt, who shot down six Japanese planes during World War II, has flown 89 jet fighter-bomber missions with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, which has been assigned only close support and interdiction missions in Korea. He has flown 37 Saberjet sweeps with the 5th Air Force, which is carrying the air war to the MiGs.

 

[dinomartino1]

Naval Aircraft Factory/Interstate TDN-1
attack drone Ready for its first (piloted) flight at Naval Air Station, Traverse City, Michigan on 19 May 1943. Pilot was Lieutenant C.C. Corley. The plane's Bureau # is crudely marked on the engine cowlings, fuselage and vertical tail.

USS Lexington (CV-16) Fighting Squadron Sixteen (VF-16) Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Paul D. Buie, (center) briefs his pilots for an upcoming mission, during the Gilberts operation, November-December 1943. A F6F-3 Hellcat fighter is behind them.

Four VF-6 pilots pose beside a Grumman F4F-4 (Bureau # 5126) on board USS Enterprise (CV-6), 10 August 1942. They were credited with shooting down eight Japanese aircraft during the Guadalcanal-Tulagi operation a few days earlier. The men are (from left to right): Machinist Donald E. Runyon, credited with four planes; Aviation Pilot First Class Howard S. Packard (one plane); Ensign Joseph D. Shoemaker (one plane); and Ensign Wildon M. Rouse (two planes).

Grumman TBF-1 Avenger of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8), photographed at Midway, 25 June 1942, prior to shipment back to the United States for post-battle evaluation. Badly shot-up, this plane was the only survivor of six Midway-based VT-8 TBFs that had attacked the Japanese carrier force in the morning of 4 June. The plane's pilot was Ensign Albert K. Earnest. Crew were Radioman 3rd Class Harrier H. Ferrier and Seaman 1st Class Jay D. Manning. Manning, who was operating the .50 caliber machinegun turret, was killed in action with Japanese fighters during the attack

 

[zoomer]

Had to look up the name "Harrier Ferrier" as it looked like someone who shuttles jump-jets around, but no, that's the correct name of the radioman. Cdr. (ret.) Ferrier is front right at this Midway commemoration ceremony aboard NAS Whidbey Island in 2013. Next to him is Cdr. (ret.) Harvey Lasell, who was USS Yorktown's fire control officer during the battle.

 

[zoomer]

This aircraft is mission plane # 11 (USAAF serial # 40-2249), nicknamed Hari Carrier and decorated accordingly. The plane's pilot was Capt. C. Ross Greening. It attacked targets in Yokohama.

Greening designed the "Mark Twain bombsights" used on the raid. The risk of a Norden bombsight being captured was too great to allow its use. These 20¢ aluminum sights were mounted in the lower right pane of the nose glass. At extreme low altitudes they were more accurate than the Nordens.

 

[dinomartino1]

Battle of Midway, June 1942 A Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout bomber of USS Enterprise's Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6), is parked on board USS Yorktown (CV-5) after landing at about 1140 hrs on 4 June 1942. This plane, damaged during the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga that morning, landed on Yorktown as it was low on fuel. It was later lost with the carrier. Its crew included Ensign George H. Goldsmith, pilot, and Radioman 1st Class James W. Patterson, Jr. Note damage to the horizontal tail and dual stripes painted on the fin.

1949 Berlin Airlift
Lieutenant Leo M. Sabota became the first Navy pilot flying the Berlin Airlift to complete 100 missions to the blockaded city. Flying with squadron VR-6, Sabota made his first trip to Tempelhof on 24 November 1948, when the squadron first arrived at Rhein/Main Air Force Base, and just 100 days later he completed his 100th mission. He is marking us his final hop on the baseball cap upon which he kept his score.

USS Louisville (CA-28)
Ensign William C. Orr, USNR, (left) pilot of one of the ship's SOC Seagull scout-observation planes, and his crewman, Aviation Radioman 3rd Class Thomas D. Everett, pose by the damaged wingtip of their aircraft. The plane had been damaged by Japanese fire

Major John F. Bolt, USMC
Seated in a U.S. Air Force F-86E Sabre jet fighter. This plane is an F-86E. Note pilot's name painted on the canopy frame, with victory stars and nickname Darling Dottie painted below. Photo is dated 13 July 1953, two days after Major Bolt shot down his fifth and sixth MiG-15s to become the only U.S. Marine Corps air Ace of the Korean War. He achieved the aerial victories while flying with the 5th Air Force as an exchange pilot. The original caption states: Major Bolt, who shot down six Japanese planes during World War II, has flown 89 jet fighter-bomber missions with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, which has been assigned only close support and interdiction missions in Korea. He has flown 37 Saberjet sweeps with the 5th Air Force, which is carrying the air war to the MiGs.

 

[dinomartino1]

Lieutenant Merl William Davenport
A pilot with Fighter Squadron Seventeen (VF-17) in the central Solomons. He was credited with 6.25 Japanese planes shot down during aerial combat in November 1943 and January-February 1944. He was also the VF-17 engineering officer, whose efforts were very important in the combat development of the F4U "Corsair" fighter. 1944