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LOT 3446
World War II USAAF China-Burma-India Theater A-2 Flight Jacket - This World War II A-2 flight jacket was
manufactured by Cable Raincoat Co. (unsigned label with contract no. W535 AC-27753), is a size 40, and has a Conmar zipper. The
lining of the jacket is hand marked “NCC” near the maker’s label. The shoulders
have wonderful in theater made multi- piece leather insignia: CBI patch on
the left and USAAF patch on the right. Unfortunately, the name tag has
been removed from the left chest. The back of the jacket features a
fantastic multi-piece leather blood chit. Includes a translation of the
blood chit, eight separate service medal ribbons, U.S. Army enlisted service cap insignia, and sterling
silver aircrew wing (pin back).
CONDITION: Good for an A-2 flight jacket that saw heavy use in the
CBI Theater, displaying an attractive worn patina on the leather. A survivor of the CBI Theater with great multi-piece leather insignia and famed blood chit.
Estimate: 4,000 - 6,000
LOT 3447
Early Pattern U.S. M1 Combat Helmet with “Stork Club” Themed Decoration - Made with the traditional two piece construction, with the inner layer constructed from compressed fiber with canvas and leather webbing, the webbing hand-marked “S-3279”, and the outer shell showing the early style fixed bales and the rim seam on the front edge. The interior of the shell is standard army green, with the exterior painted white with the text “STORK CLUB” over a design of a stork carrying a baby in a bundle. While the “Stork Club” name is most famously associated with an establishment in New York, at least three American bombers bore the Stork Club name in World War II along with a number of overseas service clubs bearing the name, most famous being an enlisted club in Nuremberg during the time of the International Military Tribunal (aka the Nuremberg Trials); some reports put one of the key organizers as an enlisted man who worked at the (New York) Stork Club in peacetime and brought his cocktail skills to Germany with him. CONDITION: Very good, with mild scuffing and staining. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection. Estimate: 1,500 - 2,250
Oil on Canvas Artwork of a World War II American Amphibious Invasion Force - The canvas measures 32 inches wide by 40 inches tall, with a 1 1/2 inch wide traced border along the edges, likely indicating predicted sizing of a frame or matte. The lower right corner is marked in black “James W. Crown Lt/4 Kills/Africa & Italy/Jan 1941 thru May 1946/POW Stalag Luft 7a/June 43 May 45”. Hard records on the service of Lt. Crown have not been located. The date
of captivity precedes the opening of the Invasion of Sicily,
but air units were already involved in action against forces
in that region, and the date of liberation falls a bit late of
the historical record, though this would only have been by
a matter of days. Further, it is not made clear if Lieutenant Crown is the subject of the painting, the artist of the painting, or both. The lower quarter of the canvas is blank aside from the writing, possibly intended for a commemorative marking or information card. The upper three quarters is painted chiefly in grayscale with some tan accents, with a scene of
an amphibious combined arms attack, with two P-38 Lightning fighters on a strafing run at the top, a mixture of infantry and armored fighting vehicles at the bottom, a destroyed building at the right and landing craft on the left with larger ships further in the background.
CONDITION: Very good. The edges show some rubbing, and some staining of the canvas is visible, particularly in
the upper right corner.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection. Estimate: 1,400 - 1,800
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LOT 3448