1. My grandfather, Andrew Jesse Smith—known as “Bobby”—served in the war, and this pair of wings was his. I know these are aerial gunner wings but that’s about it. Can you tell me something about their history? Thanks in advance. —Erica Smith, Madawaska, Maine
For an answer, we turned to Richard R. Muller, military history professor at the USAF School of Advanced Air and Space studies (and author of “Blowout at Poltava,” January/February 2015). Muller says: Those are indeed aerial gunner wings. Since military aviation’s early days, pilots and observers have worn distinctive insignia, usually a winged badge over the breast pocket. The advent of B-25 and B-26 medium bombers and B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers early in the war required additional crewmen with specialized skills. These included machine gunners to man the turrets and other gun positions of the heavily armed aircraft—a dangerous job that required rigorous training. The gunner badge, authorized in April 1943 and featuring a winged bullet, could be worn by any aircrew member who, in his commander’s judgment, exhibited proficiency in aerial gunnery. Most often, airmen received gunner badges after completing six-week courses in weapons, turret operation, and ballistics. Located in wide-open space near locales like Las Vegas, Nevada—in 1942, a remote desert town—Kingman, Arizona, and Laredo, Texas, these Flexible Gunnery Schools turned out an incredible 300,000 trained gunners during World War II. Your grandfather’s badge represents a part of that vast effort.
2. My father, Lyle Holcomb, was a Tech 5 in the medical corps in Europe. He delivered whole blood to frontline aid stations and to Dachau a day or so after its liberation. While in Germany in the spring of 1945 he obtained this 16-inch-long silver braid with edelweiss. How would this have been awarded, and when did German soldiers wear it? —Gary Holcomb, Yuba City, Calif.
This is a marksmanship lanyard. The edelweiss pin is actually a cap badge worn by mountain troops, an elite division of the German army. Someone may have added it to the lanyard later to keep it from being lost. The German army—the Heer—issued the lanyards in four grades beginning in 1936. In 1938 that expanded to 12 grades, with an updated pattern. This Grade Five lanyard would have gone to a moderately skilled rifleman. The Heer awarded similar decorations from 1938 on to a variety of soldiers, from tankers to artillerymen, as did the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. The lanyards, worn on all styles of uniforms, were issued only to enlisted men or non-commissioned officers. Nearly half a million were awarded. —Brandon Stephens, Curator
3. I obtained this patch many years ago from a seventh grade classmate who knew of my interest in World War II. I assume it is German since it came with a couple of patches bearing the German eagle clutching a swastika, but I have had no luck researching it. Any help would be great. —Steven Burkhardt, Caledonia, Mich.
This is a Kriegsmarine specialty trade sleeve badge. Sailors in the German navy wore a dizzying array of uniform patches. In addition to branch insignia, they wore a badge to represent the department they belonged to—medical, signals, gunnery, and so on. They also wore a rate badge, indicating their pay grade. Sailors with a specialty in their department wore a red trade badge identifying that skill. This badge is that of a light antiaircraft artillery gun chief. —Eric Rivet, Curator
4. My uncle fought in the Pacific and brought home this Japanese sword. It is 30 and one-half inches long including the scabbard, which has been patched together with tape; the blade is 20 inches tip-to-hilt. The scabbard and grip appear to be made of bamboo. Beneath the grip, the hilt has writing on both sides. It seems obvious this is not a samurai sword; could you identify its type and function? —Tom Pyrcz, Enfield, Conn.
This appears to be a wakizashi blade mounted into a shirasaya—a plain wooden hilt and scabbard used to store the blade when not in use. A wakizashi is a short sword carried as an auxiliary weapon with the longer, more famous katana. For ceremonial or combat use, the wakizashi would come off the shirasaya and be fitted to a koshirae—the ornate hilt, guard, and scabbard that most people envision when they think of Japanese swords. The markings on the tang generally indicate the blade’s maker and when it was forged. —Eric Rivet
