Full sized, re-created military aviators.

[SportySpiceFan]

looks like an M3 fighting knife. was that correct for army aviators?

COULD be, I've re-created this mannequinn from that wartime photo. Much tolerance was allowed to these soldiers as for their preferred survival items, more than we might believe.

 

[SportySpiceFan]

 

[HARDWARE]

COULD be, I've re-created this mannequinn from that wartime photo. Much tolerance was allowed to these soldiers as for their preferred survival items, more than we might believe.

yes, of course. i was aware of its role with certain infantry troops, but was wondering if it was something that was actually issued to pilots.

i any case, it certainly would be an item that was easily obtainable.

 

[SportySpiceFan]

yes, of course. i was aware of its role with certain infantry troops, but was wondering if it was something that was actually issued to pilots.

i any case, it certainly would be an item that was easily obtainable.

Almost surely not, it wasn't issued to aviators as a standard item. In fact, there was no knife officially issued to the Army aviators.
USMC and Navy ones had the Ka-Bar, a much more official item for these services in this sense but it, too, cannot be called THE Navy aviators' survival knife. For example, the PAL RH-36 was really a widely preferred and used knife.

 

[HARDWARE]

btw, love the soviet cold war displays.

i had not realized that the MIG-25 could reach such an altitude. i thought that was the exclusive province of the U2 and SR-71

 

[SportySpiceFan]

Thanx, yes Ivan is a though bloke.

Without the huge load of missiles the MiG-25 was able to fly straight and level at 77,000 ft. When in intercept mission it could made single zoom-climbs up to about 70,000 ft.

 

[SportySpiceFan]

This a former East Germany MiG-21 pilot, about 1964, dressed in the exclusive VKK-4P pressure suit of Soviet make.
Also Soviet-made are the GSh-4MS helmet, the PK-1 pressure gloves, and the AShZ-58 life preserver. Shoes are German-made and actually used by the airmen.

The whole is an older outfit than the MiG-25 pilot. Could be anyway a Soviet pilot as well, URSS supplied its allies with the same items - from the helmet to the airplane.

the exotic 'capstan hoses' passing on the abdomen, adding to the ones that went from wrists to ankles without interruptions. Once instantly inflated with oxygen at the emergency decompression of cockpit at very high altitudes they made the suit literally squeeze the airman by pure mechanical action. This counterbalancing forced blood, body fluids, tissues and ribcage to not expand.

Helmet was actually issued to a German MiG-21 pilot. His name is printed on helmet's container and inside the comm. soft helmet.

An old design of helmet, but effective though when worn for short periods (pretty much uncomfortable, very tight, and claustrophobic). Here the metal plate on helmet's wooden container reads February 1972 as mfg. date.

 

[Kurusu]

btw, love the soviet cold war displays.

i had not realized that the MIG-25 could reach such an altitude. i thought that was the exclusive province of the U2 and SR-71

I understand that one of the goals of the Mig 25 was the SR 71. They could never reach though.

 

[vonn]

WOW! Very impressive display!

 

[HARDWARE]

A couple very good Cold War books are COMMAND AND CONTROL and THE BILLION DOLLAR SPY

 

[muddocktor]

I understand that one of the goals of the Mig 25 was the SR 71. They could never reach though.

They talked about this in the book, "MiG Pilot: the Final Escape of Lt. Belenko", by John Barron. It was written with Belenko's help about his defection to Japan in 1976 with a Foxbat. He said that the few times they were able to get anywhere near the vicinity of a Blackbird off the coast of the USSR, the Blackbirds would cobb the throttle and accelerate and climb away from them. Good book, BTW.

EDIT: BTW SportySpiceFan, I'm loving your posts!

 

[ameridaddy]

Sporty, there are museums that would envy the quality of your collection.
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing!

 

[SportySpiceFan]

Thanx to all for appreciating.
Some more I'll post later.

 

[SportySpiceFan]

here it's me with an old model US-made flight helmet.
Painted in tigerhead and stripes from the 21st Interceptor Squadron of Italian Air Force, back when they flew F-104S until mid-'90s.

 

[Texas Star]

it should be a generic hunting knife, if remember correct by the Great Western firm.

Just plain Western, in, I think, Boulder, Colorado. This model was often called their shark knife.

See, "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" to see a Navy pilot wearing one with a brass guard. This one has a steel guard. The pommel is drilled for a wrist thong. The hole is between the double tang unique to Western knives.

 

[SportySpiceFan]

Thanx for this info Texas Star

 

[Texas Star]

is that a marbles knife by chance?

See post #35.

The M-3 knife on the P-38 pilot is not likely to be an issue item. But he could have won one in a card game with infantrymen, especially paratroopers, or just bought it or bartered for it.

But he wouldn't wear a knife like that just strapped to his leg.

It'd be on his belt. Much more stable. Navy and Marine pilots wore knives on their vests.

 

[SportySpiceFan]

Yes could be true, in fact the M3 shows up on the leg just for... I do not know, maybe simply a better view.
While coming to great pains in studying the correct items down to their sub-variants through the time (at least, the various true flight equippments) I had taken a few 'artistic licenses' in somehow relaxed way, where some spots turned out being more eye-catching.

 

[HARDWARE]

are you gonna drop a luftwaffe pilot with a krieghoff luger on us..

 

[bigwheelzip]

That is a very interesting and informative display you've curated, and must represent countless hours of passionate effort. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Would I be mistaken in thinking you've also acquired a collectable item or two from the Spice Girls also?