USMC M-450-1 Flight Helmet VMSB-231 “Ace of Spades”

M450-1 Flight helmet – Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 231 “Ace of Spades”! During World War 2 VMSB-231 is best known for its participation in the battle of Guadalcanal and the Marshall Islands campaign. It is still active today as Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231). During WW2 the squadron was mainly equipped with Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, for a short period in 1944 the squadron was redesignated VMBF-231 and converted to the F4U Corsair fighter. On December 30th 1944, it reverted to the name VMSB-231. I think by this time the squadron also used the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Flight helmet & Flight goggles

U.S. Marine Corps Uniforms and Equipment in World War II

2019 edition of a book first releases in 1992. A good book when first released, I do not think there was anything comparable back then (this was before Tulkoff, Glenn…).

I was looking forward to this one, expecting this new edition would contain some updates and improvements. I ended up pretty disappointed… I do not own the first edition anymore so can’t  compare the details, but it seems it is basically just a reprint. By today’s standards this book is simply put: very dated.

Photo quality is very poor. Most pics involving models look like poorly scanned 1980s reenactment photos. Blurry, blown out and almost impossible to make out details, same goes for the photos of the gear, original photos do not fare much better. This kind of photo quality would have been (barely) acceptable 30 years ago… it doesn’t help that the book is in small size (~B5).

Info wise it would have benefited from updates as well. For example the “Mosquito“ helmet cover is referred to as „Sniper helmet cover“… aaargh… 🙄

This book would have needed a major overhaul for a re-release in the 2020s. Maybe of interest if you are a completist, otherwise not recommended.

Better ask Santa to bring you some other WW2 USMC books 🙂

V2 H.D. CHIEF

Recently came across this interesting photo:

Official caption: Officer-in-Charge of the Hangar Deck (Designated by “V2 H.D. Chief” on Jersey) gives instructions to plane directors, on the hangar deck of a training escort carrier, circa 1943-1945. Note yellow caps and jerseys. A Douglas SBD-5 (Bu# 28360) is in the background.

It reminded me of a piece of clothing I bought maybe 2 or 3 years ago, the above photo probably inspired the piece. Here is “Freewheelers” take on a 1940s Flight Deck Crew turtleneck:

 

Obviously not meant to be a 100% repro but still very nice! Quality is, like all things Freewheelers, top notch.

WW2 USMC Helmets V: The Jungle Liner

Helmet, M-1, Jungle Troop, Stock No. 74-L-72-25

These Liners were factory painted in camouflage by Westinghouse (the only maker of Jungle Liners) as part of an experimental project to improve “concealment in jungle environments”.

First aid

OK what is going on here?! 😎 Check out the faces of the two Marines in the makeshift first aid station…

Treatment for burns? Anti flash cream? Just weird lighting?

Seems like the other guys are making fun of them 😀

Merry Christmas 2020

Merry Christmas to all of you! Hope 2021 will be better…

Sake fun on Tarawa

For relaxing times… make it S̶u̶n̶t̶o̶r̶y̶  Sake time!

Enjoying Sake on Tarawa, guess most of you know the Marines fought Imperial Japanese Navy and not Army units on Tarawa (+ construction laborers). Namely 7th Sasebo Special Navy Landing Force and 3rd Special Base Force (used to be 6th Yokosuka SNLF).
Check out the guy in the middle, he wears an IJN Petty Officer Field Cap. The guy on the left wears what seems to be a SNLF Tropical Field Jacket, the white patch in the right chest is an identity label that usually stated name, rank and sometimes blood type and other info as well. The Marine on the right seems not to be into cosplay 😉 kanpai!

Not going to Frisco…

Das Geheimnis japanischer Kraft Book

The title translates to “The secret of Japanese Strength” (or Power), a book by Albrecht Fürst von Urach published in 1943 in Germany.
It explores Japans rise to a world power, it’s culture, history, politics and more.

Albrecht von Urach actually traveled to east asia several times and lived in Tokyo in 1936/37. “Das Geheimnis japanischer Kraft” was quite a big seller at the time, selling over 800000 copies

Beach Battalion Medical Personnel Photo

High quality pic of Beach Battalion medical personnel (on Tarawa?). Interesting Photo with lots to discover. Note for example the round white marks on helmets and shoulders, wounded soldier smoking and Sherman tank in the sea behind. (click to enlarge)

The white markings were used to distinguish Navy medical personnel attached to beach battalions, corpsmen attached to USM units did not wear these (usually no markings at all)