Item Description
Original Items: One-of-a-kind set. Opening this footlocker is like taking a step back in time into the European Theater of Operations during the closing months of World War Two! 2nd Lieutenant Frank J. O'Meara Army Serial No. 17113449 was a pilot of a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter Bomber and a member of the 392nd Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, XIX Tactical Air Command, Army Air Force. Fewer than 2000 P-47 pilots flew in the ETO during WWII, they were considered the hot shots of the Army Air Force, where only the best most talented pilots with egos, fearless persona, and sharp minds were selected. Lt. O'Meara flew 40 documented combat missions over March and April 1945. He was from Fergos Falls, Minnesota, and enlisted on July 20th, 1942. He completed flight training in the Gulf Coast area on a Bell P-39 Airacobraand and was sent to the Panama Canal Zone where he did patrol work for 10 months in a P-47. He was later transferred to the ETO with his first day in France on February 1st, 1945. Here is a link to his obituary (he passed in 2008).
One of the most amazing aspects of this collection is that the collector that original received this set directly from Lt. O'Meara had the foresight to conduct two interviews with him in May and October 1999. These interviews, conducted on the phone in May and in person in October, last over one hour and feature Lt. O'Meara describing each mission, that he recalled, as documented on his Individual Combat Report from March and April 1945. Included will be a dumb drive which will contain audio files of the interview and they are also posted on our sound cloud page and be heard at the following links:
Better Sound Quality - WWII P47 Pilot Frank O'Meara October 1999 In Person Interview - 1 of 2
Better Sound Quality - WWII P47 Pilot Frank O'Meara October 1999 In Person Interview - 2 of 2
WWII P-47 Pilot Frank O'Meara May 1999 Phone Interview - 1 of 4
WWII P-47 Pilot Frank O"Meara May 1999 Phone Interview - 2 of 4
Contained in this amazing grouping are the following:
- Class A four pocket tunic jacket named on interior tailor label to Frank J O'Meara. Jacket features sterling silver pilots wings with pin back, Air Medal ribbon bar with 3 Oak Leaf clusters European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal ribbon with 2 bronze stars, American Campaign Medal ribbon. Presidential Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster. 9th Air Force Patch on right shoulder. Complete with officer grey "pinks" pants.
- Air Medal in Case
- 3 x original dog tags.
- AAF pilot's ring
- Officer peaked "crush" visor cap
- British made WD broad arrow stamped overseas garrison cap with Lieutenant bar.
- Khaki Summer Aviator Suit M-668 Type S.
- Khaki Cloth Summer Flight Helmet AN-H-15 Size Medium marked F. O'MEARA.
- Leather Flying Helmet Type A-11 Size Small by Swan Shoe Company. Complete with ear receivers and throat mic.
- Flight A-15 Oxygen Mask
- Polaroid Flying Goggles Type B-8 with original box, instruction book, and multiple unissued spare lenses in multiple colors of tint.
- M1 Fixed bale helmet with Firestone liner. The helmet paint on the exterior crown has worn paint, this is from O'Meara using it to cook in! (As you will hear on the tape).
- German WWII Leuchtpistole 34 Heer Signal Flare Pistol with Leather Holster - Dated 1942. This example bears original German maker code duv, which stands for the Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabriken Bernhard Berghaus of Lübeck, a German weapons manufacturer founded in 1936 by Bernhard Berghaus
- German WWII Balkan Cross Tank Identification Flag
- German silver cigarette case with 6 original wartime cigarettes still inside!
- German vehicle identification data plate.
- Brass cigarette lighter
- 2 Blade Pocket Knife
- WWII War Department ID Card with Air Corps United States Army Leather wallet case
- Frank J. O'Meara Lieutenant Air Corps Army of the United States business card.
- Foreign paper currency that has been cello tapped together, features WWII era German Marks, French Francs, and many other nations.
- Airplane identification flash cards includes German and Allied aircraft.
- Original News Article FRIDAY, SEPT. 14, 1945 titled Lt. O'Meara's Plane Was Hit Ten Times.
- Frank J. O'Meara's Original Individual Combat Record March 1945 documenting 19 combat flights.
- Frank J. O'Meara's Original Individual Combat Record March 1945 documenting 21 combat flights.
- XIX TACTICAL AIR COMMAND AWARDS OF AIR MEDALS Document Dated April 15th, 1945 listing O'Meara.
- XIX TACTICAL AIR COMMAND AWARDS OF AIR MEDALS Document Dated May 10th, 1945 listing O'Meara.
- XIX TACTICAL AIR COMMAND AWARDS OF AIR MEDALS Document Dated May 20th, 1945 listing O'Meara.
- Original and printed scanned photos of O'Meara during the war and one of him in 1999 wear the tunic included in this set.
- Footlocker named to Lt. O'Meara.
- Leather Field Boots.
- Other miscellaneous documents, books, and much more!
If you are considering purchasing this grouping you MUST listen to the interviews. Lt. O'Meara describes many of the missions on his combat record, with incredible stories such as attempting to bomb a German Train only to find out it was an armored train armed with Flak guns, destroying a German Command Car on the Autobahn, getting hit by extreme Flak over Frankfurt only to land and find a hole in his scarf with an entry and exit hole through his cockpit, and many many more. Fewer than 2000 P-47 pilots flew in the ETO during WWII, they were considered the hot shots of the Army Air Force, where only the best most talented pilots with egos, fearless persona, and sharp minds were selected. This collection is one of the most well documented and personal we've ever offered. It is worthy of the finest WWII collections or Museums.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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