US 2nd Army 141st Aero Squadron Named Pilots Grouping

$1,100.00
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WWI US 2nd Army 141st Aero Squadron Named Pilots Grouping. The grouping itself is well complete, including his tunic, wings, victory ribbon with 1 star in the pocket, photo, boots, pants, aviator's cap, and dog tag. All items are in fair condition, with some of the stitching coming undone on the tunic and pants, and the boots showing good, honest wear. Named Lieutenant Charles D. Despain, with his service record easily found online, along with some photos and documents posted in this listing. His name and initials are scattered around several of the items, including the tunic and the pants. Sleeve shows 12-17 months of overseas service which his records indicate as correct. While the wings may be some of the ugliest we have ever seen, they are genuine and original to the tunic, with them being the proper bullion, age, and materials. All around, an amazingly named and complete pilots group you don't see very often. 


History: The 141st Aero Squadron was a World War I U.S. Army Air Service pursuit unit that saw combat on the Western Front. The unit was formed initially as the 141st Aero Provisional Squadron in early January 1918 at Rockwell Field in San Diego, California, but would later be deployed to France following its initial training. With the squadron deployed to France, it scored two aerial victories. They would famously feature an orange and black tiger as their insignia on their aircraft throughout the war and their deployment. Following the end of the war, the squadron was disbanded in July 1919 and sent back to the US.