USAAF Insignia grouping

**GIZMO8Z** · 09-12-2012, 04:37 AM

Hi folks,

I just wanted to share these pieces of insignia that I picked up to group with the Bombardier's personal diary that I found in the trash. I'm not sure if people are hesitant to post in the thread I posted on the journal because I took the time to write out the whole diary and they don't want to clutter the thread... or if they really just don't care. Either way, I'd like to post the insignia grouping here for review:

Thanks!

**AmericanKraut** · 09-12-2012, 05:03 AM

Great stuff Joe is the medal engraved?

**RH1941** · 09-12-2012, 06:02 AM

Nice little grouping Joe .

**Walkwolf** · 09-12-2012, 06:44 AM

Unbeleivable. I can't imagine somebody tossing away a group like this !
( I'll take a wild guess - the wings read: 'Balfour Sterling'
or 'Amico Sterling' ).........

**FALLSCHIRMJAGER** · 09-12-2012, 07:27 AM

That's a great group with a fine history,i would say that the world,his cat ,dog and gold fish would be interested in this guys wartime service.The day light bombing over europe was some of the toughest flying to undertake during the second world war.I live in Norfolk here in the UK where many of the US 8th airforce airfields are still dotted around,some still in use others not but there are still the odd crew huts about with wall paintings of "home"and "girls"

in them,plus a few control towers!!

**GIZMO8Z** · 09-12-2012, 03:19 PM

Thanks for the responses, gentlemen! I worked for days typing up his diary and posted it here. In view of your responses, I suppose people were just hesitant to post in that thread for fear of breaking up the flow of the diary.

by AmericanKraut

Great stuff Joe is the medal engraved?

Thanks! No sir, the medal is not engraved.

by RH1941

Nice little grouping Joe .

by Walkwolf

Unbeleivable. I can't imagine somebody tossing away a group like this !
( I'll take a wild guess - the wings read: 'Balfour Sterling'
or 'Amico Sterling' ).........

I will be honest in saying that I added the patches and bombardier wings. In general, I picked them up on the cheap. I intend to use this journal as a teaching aid... perhaps assigning it as a special project for some of my best students to research in detail. I figured that the patches and wings that JJ Kane would have worn would add to the impact of the diary as a whole. The wings are marked: "Balfour Sterling" ... believe it or not, the same company that made my University ring that I wear every day!

by FALLSCHIRMJAGER

That's a great group with a fine history,i would say that the world,his cat ,dog and gold fish would be interested in this guys wartime service.The day light bombing over europe was some of the toughest flying to undertake during the second world war.I live in Norfolk here in the UK where many of the US 8th airforce airfields are still dotted around,some still in use others not but there are still the odd crew huts about with wall paintings of "home"and "girls"

in them,plus a few control towers!!

Thanks! Lt. Kane was a member of the 13th Air Force, Far East Air Force, and the "Long Rangers" ... he worked out of bases in the South Pacific and went on extremely long range bombing missions... we are talking about 18hrs plus for each mission. I feel like death in the comfort of a 747 during the 8hr flight that I take every year from NY to Rome, Italy... I can't imagine what it must have been like in the cramped conditions of a B24, in combat situations, for even longer flights multiple times a week!