#ww2 #Zippo lighter with the insignia of the US Navy aviation branch. This lighter was probably made just before hostilities broke out, since Zippo and other lighter manufacturers soon turned to painting their metal cases. Zippo, for example, opted for the famous “black crackle” finish. #wwii #aviation #1940s
#ww2 cap badge of the Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars. This unit converted from cavalry to artillery, before joining the 6th Airborne Division as 53rd (Worcestershire Yeomanry) Air Landing Light Regiment. On D-Day they flew to Normandy in gliders with their 75mm howitzers - the first time field artillery units had been flown into battle. This cap badge with its bi-metal pear blossom motif was only worn by officers of the regiment. Ordinary soldiers wore the insignia of the Royal Artillery. #wwii #dday #1940s #airborne
#ww2 Army Air Corps officer collar badges. OTD in 1945, officers of the Glider Pilot Regiment lead the effort to land soldiers and equipment on the German side of the Rhine as part of Operation Varsity. Varsity was the biggest airborne operation of the war - and many lessons of previous attacks had been learned. The glider troops and paratroops landed by day and close to supporting Allied ground forces. Losses were still high amongst the airborne units. #wwii #airborne #1940s #40s
#WW2 British airborne forces printed patch. The Calico Printers Association was commissioned to make these badges and divided the contract up between its many members - so there are lots of small variations. This looks to be made of Satin Drill No. 2 - a finer weave of cotton material than is used in some shoulder titles. This finer cotton seems to hold the dye less well, so these patches look more faded. #wwii #airborne #1940s
#WW2 shoulder patch of the 101st Airborne. Known as the “Screaming Eagles” the troops of the 101st made two combat jumps in 1944 - in Normandy and Holland. There are several variations of the wartime patch - with differences in construction, but also changes in the depiction of the eagle. This example is distinguished by the lack of detail in the eagle’s eye. #wwii #1940s #airborne
Two versions of the plastic “economy” Parachute Regiment cap badge of #ww2. They tried to emulate the silver sheen of the metal badges, but could only manage a dull grey. I rather like the plastic insignia, but the paratroopers supposedly disliked them. #1940s #airborne #wwii
#ww2 Pegasus shoulder flash worn by British and Canadian airborne troops. The claret and blue colours were apparently favoured by Daphne Du Maurier - wife of the pioneering airborne commander General “Boy” Browning (though Du Maurier’s influence on airborne uniform and beret design is often exaggerated). The patch shows Bellerophon aside his winged horse - presumably on one of several suicidal missions King Iobates sent him on in the hopes Bellerophon would be killed. This is a printed patch - made cheaply on course cotton twill. Even General Browning wore this “economy” flash - rather than a more expensive silk embroidered one. #wwii #airborne #1940s
#ww2 Canadian Parachute Corps cap badge. Originally Canadian paratroops had brass badges, but the metal was too valuable to be wasted - so plastic badges were issued to enlisted men. These brown emblems weren’t very popular, but were all that was available as the Canadians fought in NW Europe in 1944 and early 1945. The Canadian airborne force only ever reached battalion size, and was never a full corps. #wwii #airborne #1940s
“Weakness Hiding Behind Cruelty” Mario Armengol Torrella was a Catalan artist who escaped Franco, joined the French Foreign Legion, and eventually arrived in the UK to become one of the key propaganda cartoonists of WW2. Many of his drawings mocked Hitler, portraying him as vain, ridiculous and a physical wreck. His best drawing shows an ailing Hitler, behind his cruel henchman Himmler. #ww2 #illustration #cartoonist #wwii #1940s
Any idea what these cap badges are? These images are from a photo album I recently picked up. The owner and his pals appear to be in France in late 1944. They wear tanker jackets and overcoats. They’re photographed at air bases, including beside a black B-24 Liberator, which could have been involved in dropping agents behind German lines. Never seen these cap badges before. #ww2 #wwii #airforce #1940s #40s
#ww2 Free Polish Army bullion badge - presumably for a beret. This is probably a British-made badge, intended for an officer. It looks similar to the beret badge worn by General Wladyslaw Anders - who endured imprisonment by the Soviets, but was later released by Stalin to lead 2nd Polish Corps in Italy. His unit fought the final battle of Monte Cassino - capturing the Nazi stronghold in the mountain top monastery. Anders was denied his Polish citizenship after the war and it wasn’t reinstated until after his death. #wwii #military #1940s #40s #poland #polish
