Uniforms and ranks and medals!

[Friendly_flyer]

Here's a nice shot of the CO of no. 19 Squ, Brian Lane, taken at Fowlmere during the high tide of the Battle of Britain:



I guess this is the picture philip.ed was referring to when he mentioned Brian Lane wearing the prototype battledress? The fabric of the jacket seem to be different from the service dress jacket worn by the pilot on the right.

As for what was worn in the air, this picture of Bader and the rest of no. 242 Squ indicate that dress code for flying was not very strict:

[peterwoods@supanet.com]

Originally Posted by Friendly_flyer

The fabric of the jacket seem to be different from the service dress jacket worn by the pilot on the right.

The pilot on the right is Flt Sgt "Grumpy" Unwin. As an airman his No1 SD jacket is made from serge, not the barathea that officers uniforms were made from.

Philip could be correct in saying that the Sqn Ldr's is a prototype.

Thanks for the reminder though, I had forgotten that photo of Sqn Ldr Lane. You wouldn't think to look at him that he was 23 years old at that time.

Pete

[philip.ed]

Yes, he's wearing the prototype, and as far as fellow collectors and I have agreed, the only type of battldress worn during the BoB. It may have been trialled, but I think it was only later sent to stores. Of course post-BoB is another matter, but currently I think sending kit references which exceed the BoB date would just confuse the team into modelling this type for the BoB.
I've already seen examples where the team has used post-BoB kit (type 21 microphone modelled, mark VIII goggles shown in a poster for the game etc)

It's also worth noting the differences in the Other Ranks and officer's uniforms: material (as you say), also the officers tunics had buttons on the two lower 'flap' pockets which the Other Ranks' versions didn't have. Of course the rank insignia was different, and the Officer's would have a tailored cut.
Let's be honest, modelling all these differences would just be a lot of time spent pleasing a minority of people it's still useful for the future, I suppose.

[PeterPanPan]

Originally Posted by Friendly_flyer

Here's a nice shot of the CO of no. 19 Squ, Brian Lane, taken at Fowlmere during the high tide of the Battle of Britain:

I have a particular interest in Brian Lane. Not only is this pic one of the most iconic of the era, and not only did Lane write one of the few contemporaneous accounts of a Spitfire pilot (a great read BTW, it's called Spitfire!) but he also happened to live a few streets away from my house in London.

I recently tried to get Lane honoured by English Heritage's Blue Plaque Scheme. For those who might not know, properties in London which had a notable person living there can be eligible to have a commemorative Blue Plaque put up on the outside. Incredibly, English Heritage denied my application for a plaque for Lane on the basis of his "slight connection with London". Well, he lived in London, went to school in London, worked in London before the war and then fought in the skies above London. What more do they want?!? What a joke. RIP Brian.

As previously posted, the chap on the right is George Unwin. Here's a short interview with him ...

YouTube

.

[Friendly_flyer]

Originally Posted by PeterPanPan

I have a particular interest in Brian Lane. Not only is this pic one of the most iconic of the era, and not only did Lane write one of the few contemporaneous accounts of a Spitfire pilot (a great read BTW, it's called Spitfire!) but he also happened to live a few streets away from my house in London.

Thanks for the link. He looks rather more composed of the book cover. Same prototype battle dress jacket though:

[DoolittleRaider]

Originally Posted by Former_Older

Fascinating concept

I realize that there are many, many dedicated and knowledgeable simmers and enthusiasts here. However, consider for a moment that there are people whose passion and interest have been uniforms of various military organizations since before flight sims were on PCs; their interest is this specific slice of detail
...
I am sure that there are enthusiasts of this kind who participate in online forums and the like, who specialize in German, British, Italian, Polish, French, etc etc uniforms and dress regulations and practices of the second world war

So members here, if you know of such places, or even yet, if you participate there, I am sure that a wealth of information is literally right at your fingertips

This has useful Luftwaffe uniform forum/threads:
http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/fo...p?showforum=35

[Snuff_Pidgeon]

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=252583