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LOT 3304
Fine Grouping of Aviation Memorabilia -
During the course of World War II, a number
of clubs and associations were established to
recognize aviators who had successfully bailed
out of their doomed aircraft and lived to tell the
tale. Some of these organizations were started and
maintained by the manufacturers of the survival
equipment as a PR move, while others were less
formal. Tolerance for wearing the insignia of
these clubs varied; some members were known
to attach them to the underside of their lapels
to be concealed but at the ready, and others
stuck them right on a pocket flap. Among the
organizations represented in this lot is the Order
of the Winged Boot (for aviators who went down
behind enemy lines and successfully returned to
their units), the Caterpillar Club (for aviators who
successfully parachuted out of an emergency), the
Goldfish Club (for use of a life vest or emergency
dingy after coming down in the water) and the
Sea Squatters Club (similar to the Goldfish Club
but exclusively for life raft use). The grouping includes two Caterpillar Club ID cards, and Goldfish and Sea Squatter cards made out to the same man for 3 days afloat in the Adriatic Sea in January of 1945. Also included are a set of embroidered logos; four bullion “Winged Boot” logos (2 on black, one on blue and one on green), two “Flying Goldfish” logos (one green, one blue), and two Caterpillar Club logos (one blue, one black). A number of pins are present, with one “winged boot”, one Sea Squatter “Duck” pin, two Irving parachute pins (the Irving company was one of the sponsors of the Caterpillar Club), and four Caterpillar club pins, one in gold with amethyst eyes and inscribed to a Sergeant J. Smart. Also included is a small “button” survival compass, two parachutist commemorative pins, and a commemorative pin for a former prisoner at Stalag Luft 1.
CONDITION: Good overall, with wear and tear appropriate to age. The Stalag Luft 1 pin is missing the hinge pin.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000
LOT 3305
Fine Painted Leather Unit Insignia for the
512th Fighter Squadron with Related Vintage
Photographs and Letter - Measuring about 6
inches wide, this insignia is painted on brown
leather, featuring an angry bulldog in an aviator
cap superimposed over an airplane and a set of
three falling bombs, the World War II era insignia
of the 512th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. First
organized in 1943 as the 628th Bombardment
Squadron and redesignated as the 512th before
the end of the year, the Squadron operated
P-47 Thunderbolts in Europe. They would spend
the lead-up to D-Day and the day itself on dive
bomber and armed reconnaissance duty, striking
targets south of the beaches, as well as providing
similar support for the breakout in Operation
Cobra. After moving into France themselves,
the Squadron continued on in the same vein,
supporting the advance, assaulting retreating German forces, including around Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, the
Ruhr Valley, and the Rhine before settling in for occupation duty. Inactivated in 1946, the 512th would be reactivated multiple
times during the Cold War, chiefly for operations in and around West Germany, going inactive the last time in 1994, though they
would retire Andy in favor of a dragon on their insignia before then. The bulldog on the patch is modeled after Andy, a bulldog
adopted by an officer of the unit in England and transported to France on the shoulders of one of the pilots; an included 1991
dated letter from Doctor E.A Knowlton relates what he recalls of Andy, including his last recorded status as having been happily
adopted by a German host family near Nordholz Air Base. The letter notes a group of included pictures, including one identified
by Knowlton as himself, wearing a jacket featuring Andy (noted as the only picture he had showing the insignia), pictures of
Andy’s original owner Lieutenant Tomlinson (both with Andy and with his Thunderbolt), and some of Andy himself standing
atop a car roof.
CONDITION: Very good. The leather is solid, with the paint showing a few scuffs and cracks overall but generally solid and
bright. The pictures are in good condition.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500 177