Well worn A-2 April 1944

[oose]

Not sure of the unit for this one , just titled and dated "Stillwell In India April 1944"





and one other from the same series with 22nd Air Transport Group emblem


All the Best
stu

 

[jack aranda]

The fellow in the first three pics looks like a man whose blood chit may have helped him get back to safety after his plane went down going over the hump. Dad tells me since most of the transport planes were flying gas to China, the planes were given barely enough to get back to India for the next load. Consequently, a lot of planes went down, often in sight of their airstrips, out of gas. I know when he hitched a ride back to Lido from Kunming, Dad was not issued a parachute; only the flight crews were allowed such 'luxuries'.

 

[JDAM]

Those are some of the finest photographs of A-2 I think I have ever seen. Wonderful character, great stuff!

 

[pipvh]

Real thousand-yard stare on the chap in the first pictures - you can only imagine what he must have been through.

 

[SuinBruin]

Great pictures. They have a real tactile quality to them -- I can almost feel the texture of the leather and cloth and grit and grime.

 

[CBI]

the guy in the first pics - totally cool looking!!!

 

[Atticus]

He's carried his Zippo in that that left pocket for many a day.

AF

 

[Kennyz]

Hi everyone.

FYI - The cool looking gentleman in the first three pics is also shown at the following link (regarding Lieut General Joseph Stilwell and the war in Burma):

http://cbi-theater.home.comcast.net/~cb ... mawar.html
His name is Colonel Rothwell Brown and he is shown talking with Stilwell in the second photograph down on the page.

The caption under the photo reads:"In a bamboo shelter Stilwell receives a report from haggard Colonel Rothwell Brown, American officer who commanded Chinese light-tank force in battle down the valley. Brown has not slept or eaten for 48 hours, drinks first coffee as he talks".

I am a long time lurker who enjoys reading all of your posts, and never felt compelled to post before now - but wanted to ad this info!

Best wishes to you all.

Ken Z

 

[Mac]

Great link,great first post. Welcome and thanks Ken. Interesting that Brown had been commanding a Chinese light-tank force. A tanker -- no wonder that A-2 is so salty.

Cheers,

Mac

 

[zoomer]

the guy in the first pics - totally cool looking!!!

Oh yes. Colonel Mustache with the pipe in the stiff cap looks like a complete remf* after him.

* rear-echelon mucker-futher.

 

[Weasel_Loader]

Looks like pre-war contract A-2s. No wrist seems, but the throat latch is dead giveaway. Thought maybe '39 Werbers, but the pocket flaps don't quite match up. Any other ideas?

 

[Clyde from Carolina]

Great photos.

I agree the photos of the first fellow are terribly compelling.

Hey Kennyz-- welcome and thanks for letting us in on the rest of the story...

 

[Willy McCoy]

I wonder what Colonel Rothwell Brown had to trade to get that hump pilots jacket? That's an interesting patch.

 

[EMBLEMHUNTER]

The patch on the A-2 of the other man in the photos is that 22nd AirTransport Group one , ID'd on previous posting , man that other patch is a real old salty looking one , never saw it before !!!!!!
Johnny

 

[Willy McCoy]

The patch on the A-2 of the other man in the photos is that 22nd AirTransport Group one , ID'd on previous posting , man that other patch is a real old salty looking one , never saw it before !!!!!!
Johnny

I assumed that it was a hump pilots jacket by the look of the patch, a plane over a mountain.

 

[Pope]

[What great photos...........I think historians haven/'t given this theater of WWII their proper attention.quote="Kennyz"]Hi everyone.

FYI - The cool looking gentleman in the first three pics is also shown at the following link (regarding Lieut General Joseph Stilwell and the war in Burma):

http://cbi-theater.home.comcast.net/~cb ... mawar.html
His name is Colonel Rothwell Brown and he is shown talking with Stilwell in the second photograph down on the page.

The caption under the photo reads:"In a bamboo shelter Stilwell receives a report from haggard Colonel Rothwell Brown, American officer who commanded Chinese light-tank force in battle down the valley. Brown has not slept or eaten for 48 hours, drinks first coffee as he talks".

I am a long time lurker who enjoys reading all of your posts, and never felt compelled to post before now - but wanted to ad this info!

Best wishes to you all.

Ken Z[/quote]

 

[kkochheiser]

the guy in the first pics - totally cool looking!!!

Oh yes. Colonel Mustache with the pipe in the stiff cap looks like a complete remf* after him.

* rear-echelon mucker-futher.

:lol: I've heard Vinegar Joe Stilwell called a lot of names, not many nice ones either, but remf wasn't one of them! One tough SOB from what I've read.

Really wonderful photos, I can't take my eyes off of them.

Kent

 

[Falcon_52]

Looks like pre-war contract A-2s. No wrist seems, but the throat latch is dead giveaway. Thought maybe '39 Werbers, but the pocket flaps don't quite match up. Any other ideas?

I think you are right on the jackets. They have the throat latch and the large space between the stitch and the edge on the collar and pocket flap like the '39 Werber. Great photos.

Noel

 

[EMBLEMHUNTER]

Not sure of the unit for this one , just titled and dated "Stillwell In India April 1944"
This emblem is a crest/DI for the 66th Armored Regiment . The crest is yellow,blue,red divided with a bar across upper part and shield under it to left , the small inner shield had Fluer di lis in it and it is blue/yellow, the bar across it is silver.
Johnny
It's colors/crest can be seen at "Wikipedia" under 66th Armored, scroll down page for the design on this man's jacket,compare and you'll see this is the emblem in question.






and one other from the same series with 22nd Air Transport Group emblem


All the Best
stu

 

[Peter Graham]

Superb. I'd love my ELC A-2 to look like that some day, but it's never gonna happen.