He is identified as an aerial gunner by the wings above his left breast pocket, and on this pocket is a marksmanship badge for aerial gunnery and machine gun proficiency. He has five horizontal overseas stripes, each one indicating six months of overseas service, and one diagonal service stripe, which indicated three years of service in the USAAF. This experienced 5th Air Force staff sergeant in winter service dress is on the way home after the surrender of the Japanese. Army regulations approved this modification to allow flyers to wear radio headphones over the cap. On his head is the famous and widely-used "50 mission crush cap," which was a service cap with the stiffener removed. This navigator is carrying his bag containing maps, charts, a slide rule, and other instruments, and over his left breast pocket is a navigator's wing badge. Furthermore, the B-29 was pressurized and had an effective heating system for crew comfort. While early B-29 operations were conducted at high altitude, by early February 1945 they had switched to lower and warmer altitudes between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. The B-29 navigator on display is wearing khaki summer service dress, which many aircrews wore on missions. The type of flying clothing and service dress they wore varied greatly due to environmental considerations, aircraft type, crew position, and personal preferences.Īircrews in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) generally wore light flying gear due to the warmer climate and the lower altitudes where they usually flew. Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircrews fought in a vast global war from the hot, dry deserts of North Africa to the dangerously frigid wilderness in Greenland, Iceland, and Alaska.
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