Page 214 - 89-FLIPBOOK3

212
LOT 3311
Six World War II Bomb Squadron Aviation Patches - All six are made with multicolored embroidery on cloth or felt backing, and five out of six are round. The grouping includes the 700th Bomb Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group (a white pegasus riding on a blue bomb, with a cloud in the background and a cloud-shaped backing), an unidentified patch featuring a screaming red skull wearing a flight helmet on a yellow background, 456th Bomb Squadron of the 323rd Bomb Group (three six-sided dice showing the numbers of the Squadron on a four- leaf clover), 701st Bomb Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group (an eagle in an Air Corps uniform riding a shark-toothed four-engine bomber), 603rd Bomb Squadron of the 398th Bomb Group (the Disney cartoon character Pete wearing an aviator helmet), and the 423rd Bomb Squadron of the 306th Bomb Group (a red-cloaked grim reaper leaving a trail of fire behind a burning scythe).
CONDITION: Very good, with minor stains on the unidentified red skull patch and light handling marks and wear overall.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 3,000 - 4,500
LOT 3312
Grouping of World War II American Aviation Patches - The first grouping is related to the 461st Bomb Group (Heavy), aka the “Liberaiders”, a component of the 15th Air Force. Activated in 1943, the 461st deployed to Italy with B-24 bombers, seeing action throughout Europe including during the “Oil Campaign”, the Ploesti Raid, and in support of the Invasion of Southern France. Included in the group is the booklet “Liberaiders in Italy”, three patches for the 15th Air Force (two embroidered, one bullion), an Air Medal with Oak Leaf, a leather “CONNECTICUT/XV/AL “ATAQUE”” patch, and a 461st Bomb Group patch bearing the standard WWII era 461st emblem and a design of Donald Duck with a machine gun and
a bomb. The second group is four patches, one painted leather for Laredo (Texas) Army
Air Field featuring a coyote on a bomber firing a machine gun, one embroidered for the 853th Bomb Group with a bear carrying a bomb, and a pair attributed to the 355th Bomb Squadron, one with a bull carrying a bomb and the other with a snake coiled around a bomb with “Snake” above. Attached tags attribute the 355th BS patches as being from a single wearer, with the “Snake” patch a personal emblem/nickname.
CONDITION: Good overall. The “Snake” patch set shows a number of cracks and scuffs, as well as wear consistent with attachment to a service jacket, with the others showing some stains and handling marks.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 2,000 - 4,000
LOT 3313
Grouping of World War II U.S. Aviation Patches and Artifacts - The first grouping consists of three painted leather patches and a data card. Two of the patches are for the 760th Bomb Squadron of the 460th Bomb Group, featuring a snarling black panther; one is round, the other is square with a gold “1” in a small tab on the right side. The third patch is for the 731st Bomb Squadron of the 452nd Bomb Group, with a crying vulture perched on a yellow bomb. The data card is for 1st Lieutenant Ledley Symmes Junior of North Carolina, a navigator with the 760th BS; the card notes him as having 44 combat missions and 252 combat flight hours under his belt and the Air Medal with 3 clusters, and includes an attached photo of a crew in front of the B-24 bomber “Melba”, which bears the 760th’s emblem. The second grouping is of 3 patches and an information booklet related to the “Rocket Run”, a Air Transport Command/North African Ferrying Division run from Casablanca to Karachi as part of a high-priority service for men and equipment going to the China-Burma-India Theater. The booklet, titled “Rocket Run”, is to explain to passengers on the Run what it is, how it works, and the cities it used as way stations. The patches include a cloth patch for the 341st Bomber Group, featuring a flying elephant strapped to a rocket with the text “”DUMBO” AIRLINES” and “47.,999 GROSS”, a painted leather Air Transport Command patch featuring a stylized compass over a globe with an arc of red, white and blue ribbon, and a multi-piece leather patch attributed to the 9th Combat Cargo Squadron, similar to the ATC patch but with the compass replaced with a nude pin-up girl.
CONDITION: Very good, with mild wear and handling overall. The 760th BS square patch and data card show rust and punctures suggestive of having been stapled to something.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 2,000 - 4,000