POSTING NICKs COLLECTION!

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Close up! In 1947 they switched from war time Greens & Pinks to Airforce Blue uniforms I understand,
being the auxiliary arm of the USAF

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War time C.A.P. Flight gear impression! Cotton flight jacket with flight suit and flyers cap with built in (flip-down)
Polaroid glasses attached to te visor!

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Some War time C.A.P. images!

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C.A.P. war time images part 2

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Continuing the American forces theme another GI Joe, like I really needed another grunt combat impression! I have several squads worth already!

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Short lived USN gray uniforms. 1943 - 1948

aka "the Ernie King Gray".

Some history (from the web)
In WW2 Admiral King never favored the USN working khaki uniforms, which he considered a land-forces uniform.
The khaki was still pretty new to most of the fleet, having been authorized in early 1941, and Admiral King considered it to be only a "stopgap."

He began working on a replacement soon after he got the CNO post in the spring of 1942. After a trip to Britain in July 1942, he expressed admiration for the RAF's blue-gray uniform, and soon had a tailor work up a naval uniform in a gray version of the Marines' herringbone twill fabric.

Despite protests from the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, King obtained Secretary Knox's approval for the gray working uniform in April 1943. After that date, working khaki officially entered a phase-out period.

There was so much khaki material in the supply system, however, it outlasted King's tenure. His successor, FADM Nimitz, wasted no time reestablishing khaki as the standard working uniform and it was the grays' turn to enter a phase-out period. Working gray could not be worn after October 1948.

This makes these uniforms relatively rare I believe and they look good in "Ship Broad Grey" HOWEVER they were not a big hit during the war
and apparently not easy to obtain either!
So because I collect pretty much everything I had to find some examples!

The first one has the standard black buttons matching the rank insignia color but many Navy officers prefered the standard Golden buttons (2nd example) especially since these matched the cap chin strap buttons (regular caps could be retrofitted with, besides a grey cover, also matching black buttons but that was rarely done according to my research...). Some Navy units even rejected the use of black buttons and commanders had their men switch to standard Navy gold color buttons (2nd example) along with standard black rank boards with gild stripes! (otherwise they would be sited for being out of uniform!)
So a lot of controversy with these garments! Making me want to own several!

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Admiral King (left) in his short lived grey (ship board) USN uniform, which he pushed into service hoping to have it totally replace
the Khaki color, which he considered a land based Army-Army Aircorps color...
That of course never happened and this garment faded away after a brief service history! (web sourced image btw)

Here's the cap that I got for the impression!

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Back to Commonwealth!
Last summer I scored this set (from another WAF member).
It consisted of a tunic (with volunteer medal service ribbon) of a leading aircraftsman RCAF soldier along with his RCAF blue great coat
with matching sleeve/rank insignia. Both 1943 dated.
The soldier never left Canada during the war and was in a unit primarly responsible for guard duty of military RCAF installations.
Basically airfield security...

The lot came with his helmet and 1 medal. I was only able to obtain the uniform items and was disappointed that the lot got split up.
Well about 6 months later the helmet was being offered again, so I had to grab it, reuniting this RCAF lot.
Its not in my possession yet....(on a payment plan) so I'm using the sellers helmet images.

First the uniform: (which I had shown before);

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and the man's RCAF helmet!
Interesting that the helmet is in Army green with a RCAF decal applied.
In the RAF in Britain these helmets would certainly have been issued in RAF blue!

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Its 1942 dated...

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Another piece of Commonwealth head gear!
Queen's Royal Regiment (UK)

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some great items from you,but i will never try to collect everything,may start Flustration,

Thanks Besslein!
Here's the tunic, a major, named and 1939 dated, that goes with the visor (same unit).
Coming my way from the UK thanks to another WAF member! WAF is great!

Happy New Year everybody! In 2006 my thread will be 5 years up already!
Nick

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I also picked up a US M41 Arctic Field jacket this year!
Worn a lot during the Aleutians campaign which is represented with this Alaska Command patch!

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Axis M43's

I'm calling the next topic "Axis M43's";
As these caps were worn bycomerades in arms alligned with Germany and their headgear resembled Wehrmacht caps!

First example: The Finns!
The fine wool Gabardine is actually an early variant with prewar branch color piping (Lt Inf) and enlisted cockade and the later war dated one
(1943 dated, generic, lacking waffenfarbe) in courser wool has an officer's Finnish Lion cockade!
These actually predate the German M43...The Finns calling them M36 patterns
if I'm not mistaken.

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Next example the Bulgarian style M43's !!

The buttoned version has the branch insignia of Artillery (crossed canons)which was also the symbol for their tank arm... These caps were popular with Bulgarian tankers! Another generic version existed with the Bulgarian lion depicted on these buttons.

The other cap is an interesting late war "austerity" pattern cap.. with production short cuts...The flap has been all together ommitted. Definately not cut off...Manufactured like this probably to expedite output.

Period image is a Bulgarian tanker. These troops wore knock off of German Panzer wraps and even adopted the German Pz skulls as insignia.
Note the german style collar tabs (here without the skulls)
Bulgarian Pzr crews also occasionally wore German NSKK side caps converted for their own use!