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a picture of a display case with a lot of military memorabiliamany medals and medals on display in a display casea silver bracelet with a chain attached to ita metal badge with a bird on ita metal pin with two wings on top of itan image of a medal with a star on it on a white surfacean image of a blue and gold patch with a bird on itan embroidered badge with a gold eagle on a white backgrounda small patch with a picture of a man and a cat on itan image of a blue and gold plate with a picture of a horsethree different types of pens and a knife on a white surfacea close up of a document with an american flag on itan old document with a piece of paper on it sitting on a tablea piece of paper on a table with a piece of paper attached to itan old piece of paper with a list on it sitting on a tablean old book with a flag on it sitting on a tablea picture of a military air force identification card with a picture of a man in uniforman old book sitting on top of a white table next to a cupa close up of a document with a picture of a person on itan old book with a lot of writing on it sitting on top of a tablean old book with a lot of writing on itan old document with a lot of writing on itan old document with a lot of writing on itan old document with a lot of writing on ita close up of a book with a lot of writing on itan old book with a lot of writing on it sitting on top of a tablean old book with a lot of writing on itan old book with a lot of writing on itan old document with a lot of writing on itan old document with a lot of writing on itan old book with a lot of writing on it
Premium Maître Lydie BRIOULT

Personal collection of Lieutenant George T.
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Estimate €300 - €500
Sale commission
Description
Personal collection of Lieutenant George T. Corcoran, 483rd Bomb Group – 15th Air Force – Italy (flight log, insignia, squadron patch, decoration, ‘Blood Chit’ identity card) Lt. Corcoran was posted to the 840th Bomb Squadron as a B-17 pilot, where he flew 21 combat missions from 19 December 1944 onwards, as shown in his flight log. USAAF pilots’ flight logs containing combat missions are particularly rare, as these were very often logs that pilots had obtained during their training period, or even earlier, when some had begun civilian flying lessons, and which they had subsequently kept whilst continuing to fill them in themselves. Unlike the practice within the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, the official recording and certification of credited missions for US Air Force airmen took place within the unit via an administrative department, where missions were recorded in each airman’s individual file using monthly ‘Individual Flight Record’ forms. For this reason, most pilots stopped filling in their flight logs as soon as they arrived in the combat zone. This lot also includes his pilot’s licence in sterling silver, his Air Medal, a fine 15th Air Force shoulder badge embroidered in cannetille, his 15th Air Force identity card featuring an American eagle, a flag and a message in several languages to enable him to seek assistance from the civilian population in the event of a landing in an occupied zone, a rare squadron patch from the 840th Bomb Squadron (an unofficial insignia differing from that approved by the US Congress after the war). This insignia is locally made in Italy and features the squadron’s nickname, ‘THE RHUM HOUND’, depicted as a drunken dog in a champagne glass. Despite an internet search showing an insignia with a different design, this insignia does indeed appear within the 483rd Bomb Group veterans’ association, as shown by various photographs of banners taken at a veterans’ reunion. It is quite common for squadron badges worn in combat to differ entirely from the version officially adopted, often after the war. (The squadron badge alone is worth nearly €400 on the US market) (Grégory Pons Collection)
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About the sale Sale of the Grégory Pons collection and miscellaneous items (Aviation and WW2 Militaria)
Auction location
Auction time 11/14/2026 at 1:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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