Original U.S. Vietnam War Navy VAW-121 Painted G-1 Flight Jacket of Robert B. Bachman, Detachment 11 - Size 38
In stock
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW-121), also known as the "Bluetails", is an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Command and control (C2) squadron of the United States Navy, operating the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Established in 1967, the squadron is based at NAS Norfolk. Along with VAW-122, VAW-123 and VAW-120, VAW-121 was created out of the "super squadron" VAW-12 on 1 April 1967. Until then, VAW-12 had deployed 4-plane detachments to accompany carrier air wings.
Unlike its siblings, VAW-121 flew the E-1B Tracer, until the mid-1970s. This was due to the fact there were still carriers in the fleet that were not capable of handling for the larger E-2 Hawkeye, principally USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Essex-class carriers.
This is a tremendous G-1 flight jacket identified to Robert B. Bachman Jr., a Navy aviation electronics technician who served aboard “The Rat Bat” with Detachment 11 of VAW-121. The front of the jacket above the left breast is inscribed THE RAT BAT and is stenciled underneath in orange with the name BACHMAN. The interior lining, although heavily ripped, reads R.B. BACHMAN / VAW-121.
The jacket shows extremely heavy wear, with buttons missing and a broken zipper. The interior lining of the jacket is heavily torn, and the maker’s label is almost entirely gone, with only Size 38 still readable.
The back of the jacket is inscribed:
THE RAT BAT
VAW 121
DET. 11
FUDDS FOREVER?
We were able to find a very small blip of text written by Bachman when attempting to find men from his unit online years later: My name is Robert Bachman and I was an ATR2 with Det 60. I was in VAW 12, VAW 121 then RVAW 120, CAEW12 then VAW 121 Det 11. I was in VAW 12 in Quonset Point RI when the first FUDDs were arriving from Bethpage Long Island, 1961.
"Fudds Forever?" refers to the squadron's operation of the E-1B Tracer aircraft, which was colloquially known as the "Willy Fudd". VAW-121 flew the E-1B until the mid-1970s before transitioning to the E-2C Hawkeye.
This is a great jacket, and we were able to find a photograph of Bachman online in a newspaper article which we have put in the pocket.
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