Army Air Force, Training & Ground Crewmen:

Aviator-Cadet Training:

CBI-Flight Trainer 3AF:

This uniform was soon adopted when the War came and ‘Airmen’ became part of the U.S. Army’s “Air Force”:

This example is of an Army Air Corps, Sergent, from the 1940s. This could be an airman or ground crewman really, still being involved in the various campaigns, no wings, or aircraft mechanic or engineer, gunner, but maybe just not wearing the badge. there are wings and his overseas cap, he could have been a mechanic with the AVG of early-RAF I suppose. decorations didn’t come often then, so for the time, he’s pretty decorated, many never received any decorations till after their service. The Ruptured Duck seen to the uniform, indicates it was worn, on the way out of the service, or as it took time to get a job, get a place, and get new clothes it was worn after the war for a while, thus it had to be on there, indicating just that, his service with the Army was over, still some found their way to parades and reunions and the like. Many of the uniforms in the American collection, those of WII vintage had these sewn on to them, it is supposed to be there, but I removed them for taking pictures to represent the uniforms as they might have looked when in use. I guess I have gotten too lazy to remove them.