Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind Set. This is a fantastic set of a Garrison Cap and "Crush" visor cap, named to U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Frank. R. Gerrity, Army Serial Number 0-811363. With this is complete research on his service during the war, as well as information about his life afterwards. He was born July 1st, 1920 in Pittston, PA, and grew up in Scranton, PA. During WWII, most likely in 1942, he joined the armed forces and went through pilot training, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
In 1944, he was the Co-Pilot of "Double Trouble", a Consolidated B-24H-5-CF Liberator, Airplane Reg. No. 41-29244, part of the USAAF 725th Bomber Squadron / 451st Bomber Group. On February 25, 1944, they were returning from a bombing mission against Regensburg, Germany, when the plane was damaged by a Messerschmitt attack right after they reached Trieste, Italy. The plane went down in Logatec, Slovenia, and 5 of the 10 crew members were killed. The other 5, including Gerrity, were captured and taken as P.O.W.s.
Gerrity was then held at Stalag Luft Barth-Vogelsang in Prussia 54-12 until the end of the war. Included in this set are 9 printed pages of information regarding his service, which include copies of the missing in action reports and other documentation kept by the Military regarding the missing plane. There is also documentation regarding Gerrity's life post war, which were obtained on the internet. A lovely collector's set. ready to make a great display!
The included khaki Garrison cap is a very nice bespoke version, with the correct black and gold piping for an officer. It is in very good condition, and still has the original size tag on the sweatband:
7 3/8
SIEBLER
UNIFORMS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
There is also another tag on the side has a printed on form, with written in an stamped particulars:
SIEBLER CLOTHES
AT LYTLE PARK * * CINCINNATI, OHIO
CUSTOM TAILORED
FOR MR. Frank Gerrity
DATE: JUL 20 1942 ORDER NO. 84901
7 3/8 WE RETAIN YOUR MEASURES
The cap has a leather sweatband and very nice rayon lining. From the looks of it, there were some pins installed on the cap at one point, possibly post war for Veteran's meetings, or during the war with a unit pin.
The visor cap in this set is in summer Khaki tan issue color, and was made by Bancroft which is well marked in the crown. The cap is in worn but very nice condition with the iconic "crush" shape. The top lining is yellow rayon, and it still has the celluloid sweat shield almost completely intact, though it has faded to a brown color and become brittle. The sweatband is embossed in gold FLIGHTER by BANCROFT with patent number and Curve Control. The cap is named on the underside of the visor with Gerrity F. R.. This peaked cap features a gold tone WWII Army Overseas insignia over a leather visor. The size is bout a 7 1/4 / 58cm.
This is the classic "bomber pilot" headgear, worn by USAAF pilots in Europe and the Pacific. Actually, this was the standard Army/AAF officer dress cap, worn by pilots and non-pilots alike, but pilots gave this cap their own unique twist. Normally, this cap had stiffeners -- a support piece behind the cap device and a wire around the inside top perimeter to maintain the cap's round shape. These kept the cap in its proper, regulation military shape and angle. However, since bomber pilots wore headsets over their caps during flights, they would remove the wire stiffener to make headset wear more comfortable, causing the sides of the caps to become crushed. Eventually, the caps retained their floppy "crushed" look, giving the pilot who wore it the look of a seasoned veteran.
The crush cap identified its wearer as an experienced pro, and was as much a part of his identity as his leather flight jacket. The crush cap look quickly became popular with ground army officers and general officers.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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