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Bicycles of the USAAF in England, WW2

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For the life of me I cannot un-see this! Make it stop! 🤣🤣🤣

Haha, I knew you'd like it....

BTW the Shorts, Athletic are original 1945 US Army issue....

Shorts-Athletic.jpg
 
Although I don't have a retro photo to share, I do recall wearing
Bombay Bloomers as part of a British 7th Armored uniform with
my BSA M20. Those with the Egyptian muslin cloth battle dress shirt,
wow, the most comfortable re-enactment uniform I'd ever worn. Catch
the wind just right up the drawers... ahhh! Watch out for errant bugs. 😅
I must have an old picture somewhere.
 
Hello all, I have just come across the below two imagines of Tyndall Air Force Base. Looks like the early curved downtube variety with coke bottle grips.
Something I have noticed is that on the photo of the single bike, the lamp on the front fender seems to have some kind of raised lump on the top (maybe a field mod switch)? I appreciate it's not in England but thought I would post it anyway.
Thanks,
Pete
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MVPA shared this great Kodachrome national archives photo today. Do not know location in England.

"Standing in a salvaged B-17 nose, Cpl. Joseph Fox flashed the go-light to ground traffic in a Dodge command car about to cross the runway."

454387528_808499304730011_2880912887020271043_n.jpg

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Hi Aaron, @Huffy45

I'm not an expert on this, but there appears to be a B17 in 8th USAAF/ 1st Air Division / 1st Bomb Wing red tail markings, so either 91st, 381st or 398th Bomb Group. Also it dates the photo to after July 1944 when these markings were introduced.

1724442045732.png


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381st Bomb Group B17's
1724442164853.png


The 91st operated from RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England.

The 381st operated from RAF Ridgewell, north west of Halstead, Essex, England.

The 398th operated from RAF Nuthampstead, straddling the border of Hertfordshire and Essex, England.

The house visible behind the Dodge Command Car may help tie it down better.

Or, of course, it could be visiting (-:

The signal caravan was originally built for the British and the remains of British 'Mickey Mouse' (ears) camouflage is still visible.

1724443376626.png


The controller is using an Aldis lamp and standing under a recycled aircraft nosecone, possibly from a B26 Marauder?

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B26 Marauder
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Best Regards,

Adrian
 
Great assessment. I would agree the nose cone is more similar to the B-26.

I love the spotted British camouflage showing clearly through the checkered repaint. The plane markings are a great match, well done.

Any details on the bike?

Aaron
 
@Huffy45
im no expert on british civilian bicycles however this may be a raleigh, judging by the chainset and the only real way to distinguish British civilian bicycles at a distance. I've made this assumption based on the fact the chainring has an inner ring as well as what could be 3 straights from the BB to the edge of the chainwheel.
See below for reference. As I say, I may be wrong but most bikes on the airfields were civilian bikes (although the RAF did have a very small number of bikes made specefically for them which were marked RAF and then a serial number).

Screenshot_20240824_084950_eBay.jpg
 
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