Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. The reverse has vertical straight pin for attachment to the uniform and is marked: LEVELLE & CO. WASHINGTON, D.C. PHILA, PA. STERLING |
Air Transport Command Service Members with 1/4 Ton Truck, above photo. This photo shows an Army Captain wearing a Type A-2 Flying Jacket with an Air Transport Command (ATC) patch on the left breast, above the pocket. The Enlisted service member on the right wears a Type A-2 Flying Jacket without insignia, but has an ATC Distinctive Insignia (D.I.) attached to the left side of the service hat. The Ford GPW 1/4 Ton Truck or "Jeep", produced during July or August 1942 has the factory blue drab registration number 20137601 painted on the hood, but the "U.S.A." is painted in white. Also noteworthy on this "Jeep", is the front spring has been replaced with a Willys MB style spring, but the rear two springs are the Ford GPW style spring. The spare tire on the "Jeep" has been removed. The damage to the right front fender, replaced spring and missing spare tire may indicate that this "Jeep" sustained critical damage on the passenger side. |
AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND - ATC MEMORABILIA |
Air Transport Command Patch, unofficial theatre made leather variation, above two photos. This ATC Patch was made in India for Lt August J Kieser. To see Lt Keiser's Type A-2 Flight Jacket CLICK HERE |
Air Transport Command Patch, leather, regulation type, above two photos. The two ATC patches, shown above, are water applied decal on leather. The patch shown on the left has had the brown border removed. The red and blue boxes around the edge of the patch symbolize the Morse Code for "ATC". |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, Gemsco, above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo painted over silver plating. The reverse has a horizontal straight pin for attachment to the uniform and is marked: SILVER PLATED GEMSCO N.Y. |
The Air Transport Command or ATC was re-designated from the Army Air Forces Ferrying Command on July 1st 1942. The responsibility of the ATC was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of personnel, supplies and equipment to United States military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport. The Air Transport Command consisted of two main divisions, the Ferrying Division and the Air Transportation Division. The Ferrying Division was responsible for the transfer of combat aircraft to overseas bases. The Air Transportation Division routed personnel overseas, and delivered fuel and supplies to locations that could not be easily achieved by ground. By the end of World War Two, the ATC had developed into a huge military air carrier utilizing C-46, C-47 and C-54 Cargo Aircraft, to deliver personnel and supplies, and the C-87 "Liberator Express" being able to deliver fuel. By 1945, the presence of the ATC had spanned from North America through South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. |
ATC DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA (D.I.) |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. The reverse has horizontal clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform and is marked: LEVELLE & CO. WASHINGTON, D.C. PHILA, PA. STERLING |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. This insignia was originally designed to have a vertical straight pin on the reverse (as indicated by the two boxes on the top and bottom) but this was changed at the factory to have horizontal clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform. The reverse is marked: LEVELLE & CO. WASHINGTON, D.C. PHILA, PA. STERLING |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. The reverse has vertical clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform and is marked: LEVELLE & CO. PHILA, PA. STERLING Note: this hallmark does not include the location Washington D.C. |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, Gemsco, above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo painted over silver plating. The reverse has vertical clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform and is marked: GEMSCO N.Y. |
Air Transport Command, Civilian Contract Aircrew Uniform, above photo. When the Army Air Forces Ferrying Command was designated on July 1st 1942, large numbers of pilots and support personnel were needed. In 1942, at the personal request of General "Hap" Arnold, C. R. Smith, formerly president of American Airlines, was commissioned a Colonel in the ATC, and made its Executive Officer, thereafter assuming the positions of Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander. Civilian pilots and crew were recruited directly from commercial airline companies. These crewmembers flew for the ATC wearing Army Air Force style uniforms, but retained their status as civilians. The rank structure was: Crew Members/Navigator-Radio Operator-Crew Chief-Flight Attendant, denoted by a single braid on the lower cuff sleeve or single black rank bar; 1st Officer/Co-Pilot, denoted by two braids on the lower cuff sleeve or two black rank bars; and Pilot, denoted by three braids on the lower cuff sleeve or three black rank bars; and Supervisory Officer/Chief Pilot. The uniform coat was constructed from chocolate-brown elastique material with ATC brass buttons. The pants and cover (hat) were the same as Army Officer uniform styles with ATC insignia and buttons. |
AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA: |
Air Transport Command, Civilian Contract Aircrew Uniform, details, above three photos. This Crew Member uniform, in the QuestMasters Museum collection, has ATC brass buttons on the front, replacing the Army Officer style buttons. The ATC Ferry Command Distinctive Insignia are pinned on the epaulettes, with the single black rank insignia missing. The ATC DI's have the motto "ACHIEVED BY DAUNTLESS RESOLUTION AND UNCONQUERED ABLE FAITH". The uniform was tailored by Lauterstein's, San Antonio, Texas during WWII. |
Air Transport Command, Civilian Contract Aircrew, above two photos. TWA transferred its entire fleet of five Boeing 307s, along with their flight crews, to the ATC. The airline opened regular transatlantic service in 1942. The summer uniform, shown above, appears to be slightly inconsistent with ATC Contract Air Crew sleeve cuff rank structure. Shown here are single braids, large and small braids, and double braids - very similar to the U.S. Navy rank structure. The cuff braid also does not go all the way around the sleeve cuff. This uniform may be unique to early TWA crews that flew for the ATC early in WWII. National Air and Space Museum photo 1A14216. |
Air Transport Command, Civilian Contract Aircrew, above photo. Pan Am caption: "PAA CREW THAT FLEW TRANSPORT ON FIVE THOUSANDTH CROSSING OF ATLANTIC: Miami, Fla. - Here's the crew that flew a giant transport from Casablanca to Miami to chalk up the 5,000th Atlantic crossing by the Africa-Orient Division of the Pan American World Airways for the Air Transport Command. Reading up from the bottom, they are: Capt. R. A. Holman, pilot, of Lodi, Calif.; co-pilot Kenneth G. Brosdal, of Duluth, Minn.; Robert C. Simmons, navigator, Miami Beach, Fla.; John A. Grimshaw, flight engineer, Glenalden, Pa.; and A. E. Deese, radio operator, Miami, Fla.". University of Miami Library Special Collections digital ID: exh00090000110001001 |
Air Transport Command, Civilian Contract Aircrew, above photo. Six Air Transport Command pilots and co-pilots standing proudly on the side of a C-47 "Skytrain" aircraft during WWII. Photo: Delta Air Lines |
Air Transport Command insignia, above photo. The insignia shown here, in the QuestMasters Museum collection, are: top ATC Distinctive Insignia and ATC Ferry Command Distinctive Insignia below it, top left; ATC Contract Crew Hat Insignia and buttons, left top center; ATC Contract Pilot wings with star, top center right, ATC Co-Pilot wings below it and ATC Radio Operator Wings (two sparks over circle); ATC shoulder sleeve insignia, top right; 1st Officer/Co-Pilot, two black rank bars, center; ATC Distinctive Insignia patches, center; ATC leather jacket and embroidered jacket patches, bottom left, center and right; and ATC baggage tags, center bottom. ATC Contract Crew Wings, not in the collection, are Supervisory Officer/Chief Pilot (wreath around star), Flight Engineer half-wing (three bladed propeller over circle) and Flight Attendant half-wing (blank circle). |
Air Transport Command, Civilian Contract Aircrew, above photo. During World War II, Northeast Airlines experiences with frigid weather flying also proved invaluable. Northeast pilots were the first to explore the Arctic airways as they made Air Transport Command flights to Labrador, Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland. Photo: Delta Air Lines |
Air Transport Command, Women Army Service Pilots - WASP's, above two photos. Under the Air Transport Command, The Women Army Service Pilots, or WASP's, was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became trained pilots who tested aircraft, ferried aircraft, and trained other pilots. Their purpose was to free male pilots for combat roles during World War II. The WASP was preceded by the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). Both were organized separately in September 1942. They were pioneering organizations of civilian women pilots, who were attached to the United States Army Air Forces to fly military aircraft during World War II. On August 5th 1943, the WFTD and WAFS merged to create the WASP organization. |
GEMSCO NEW YORK: |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, Gemsco, above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo painted over silver plating. The reverse has a vertical straight pin for attachment to the uniform and is marked: SILVER PLATED GEMSCO N.Y. |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, AMICO, above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over silver plating. The reverse has a horizontal clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform and is marked: AMICO |
AMICO: |
LeVELLE & COMPANY: |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. The reverse has vertical straight pin (factory flawed) for attachment to the uniform and is marked: LEVELLE & CO., PHILA PA., WASHINGTON, D.C. STERLING Note, on this example, the order of Philadelphia PA. and Washington D.C. are reversed from other examples. |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. The reverse has vertical straight pin (variation, marked STERLING) for attachment to the uniform and is marked: LEVELLE & CO., PHILA PA., WASHINGTON, D.C. STERLING Note, on this example, the order of Philadelphia PA. and Washington D.C. are reversed from other examples. |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, LeVelle & Co., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. This insignia was originally designed to have a vertical straight pin on the reverse (as indicated by the two boxes on the top and bottom) but this was changed at the factory to have vertical clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform. The reverse is marked: LEVELLE & CO. PHILA, PA. STERLING Note: this hallmark does not include the location Washington D.C. |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, N.S. Meyer Inc., above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo enameled over sterling silver. The reverse has horizontal straight pin for attachment to the uniform and is marked: N.S. MEYER INC. NEW YORK Note: the normal ATC DI measures 1 1/8" diameter. The N.S. Meyer version is larger, measuring 1 1/4" diameter. |
N.S. MEYER NEW YORK: |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, no hallmark, above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo painted over silver plating. The reverse has a vertical clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform and is marked: STERLING SILVER Although this insignia is unmarked, it closely matches examples produced by GEMSCO N.Y. |
NO MAKER OR HALLMARK: |
Air Transport Command Distinctive Insignia, no hallmark, above two photos. This insignia has the ATC logo painted over sterling silver. The reverse has horizontal clutch-back pins for attachment to the uniform and is marked: STERLING with the hallmark removed. Note: the normal ATC DI measures 1 1/8" diameter. This DI measures 1 1/4" diameter, which is consistent with this insignia that was produced by N.S. Meyer, New York. |