It’s been a busy day. I’ve been researching my new reinforced jump jacket and may have the vet identified. More on that later…
I just added a nice Vietnam Special Forces / SOG uniform, photo, document group to the This is a uniform, document, and photo group for a multiple tour Special Forces and SOG veteran.
CPT Thomas Dolighan was the S-2 for camp B-4630 in Thailand from 10/1966 to 09/1967, making him part of the original 46th Special Forces Group. Later he was the S-4 for the CLD (Command Liason Detachment) in Saigon from 10/1967 to 03/1968. Then Dolighan was the S-4 at FOB-3 from 03/1968 to 09/1968.
His tour at FOB-3 was interrupted when he was seriously wounded in the early morning of 08/23/68 at CCN headquarters, when over one hundred Viet Cong sappers penetrated the compound and killed 15 Special Forces NCOs and Officers, and 16 Chinese Nung mercenaries, Montagnards, and South Vietnamese Special Forces personnel.
CPT Dolighan also did a tour at B-55 (5th Mobile Strike Force) in Nha Trang, but exact the dates are unknown at this time.
The group includes:
1. OD rip-stop medium-regular jungle jacket (dated 1968) with CCN made name and Army tapes, Thai Master Jump Wings, US Master Jump Wings, CIB, subdued SF shoulder sleeve insignia (on both shoulders to denote that he served and was in combat with SF), and a Ranger Tab.
2. OG-107 Utility Shirt with subdued Special Forces SSI on both shoulders, Ranger Tab, Thai Master Jump Wings, US Master Jump Wings, CIB, and name and Army tapes.
3. OG-107 Utility pants
4. Nicely tailored Class A Blouse with Dolighan’s initials embroidered inside. The insignia has been partially reconstructed (by me) based off a period photo.
5. Two file boxes of paperwork including:
• Thai Training Logs and Field Reports (46th Gp Tour)
• Service Records containing general orders, special orders, award citations, transfer documents, etc (Some SOG related).
• West Point Photos, grades, notes, etc
• Field Manuals
• ID Cards, business cards, issued weapon cards, souvenirs, etc
• Language notes and books for Vietnamese and Thai
• Rubber Stamps and stencils
• Photographs in Vietnam, in 82nd Airborne, etc
Paperwork:
1) File folder containing: 1. West Point grades 2. Special Orders 3. General Orders 4. Award Certificates 4. Permanent Orders 5. Photocopies of photos 6. Project Delta Recon Manual “Tips of the Trade/Lessons Learned”
2) Vinyl 3-ring binder containing: 1. Copy of the CLD roster 2. NARA papers containing service record info 3. 23 8×10 photographs of Dolighan in the Army and at West Point 4. 4 5×7 photographs of Special Forces 5. Correspondence with 5th Special Forces archivist regarding Dolighan 6. More General orders 7. Photocopy of an article of the CCN sapper attack Dolighan was wounded in
3) Vintage 3-ring binder containing Vietnam era TO&E (Tables, Organization, and Equipment)
4) Vintage 3-ring binder containing Vietnam era SOP for Civil-Military Operations
5) Vintage 3-ring binder containing Royal Thai Army (46th GP) Counterinsurgency Leadership Orientation Course
6) Vintage 3-ring binder containing Royal Thai Army (46th GP) Counterinsurgency Company Level Training Course
7) Vintage binder containing Royal Thai Army (46th GP) Lesson Plans (Vol II)
8) Binder/Book containing the manual (5th Special Forces Group dated October 25th, 1967) for Regulations on Receiving, Issuing, and Awarding Decorations and Awards within Special Forces. Discusses criteria, shows examples of write ups, etc. Very unique book!
9) Manual (legal size) for the Royal Thai Army Special Forces Officer Course at the Special Warfare School at Camp Pawai, Thailand Jan. 1967 (CPT Dolighan helped developed a lot of this curriculum)
10) Manual (legal size) for SOP at DET C-101A (May 1966 46th SFGA)
11) 3 Legal sized folders stuffed with 46th GP lesson plans
12) Legal sized folder containing 46th GP After Action Reports
13) Folder containing “CT Camp Report”, a SF base camp in Thailand
14) File folder containing press clippings of Thailand incidents of violence and US/Thai relations
15) West Point Invitation to Founders Day Dinner 1966
16) Dolighan’s Wedding invitation
17) Military book published in Thai
18) Military manual on Thai Military Subjects and Situations
19) PSYOP Thailand Handbook
20) United States Army School manual on Las – Vietnam Political and Military Background
21) United States Forces Thailand Telephone Directory book (Jan. 1974)
22) Book containing Thai information to incoming personnel (post exchange, customs, etc)
23) Selected Bibliography for Southeast Asia put together by the Foreign Service Institute
24) Note cards containing info on a Thai Special Forces presentation
25) Newspaper article with CPT Dolighan in 5th GP beret
26) Full color military map of Thailand
27) US Army Handbook for Vietnam (dated Sept 1962)
28) Book entitled “Speak Vietnamese” containing hand written notes from CPT Dolighan (1966 edition)
29) Zip lock bag containing: Dolighan West Point name tape (1963), Soldiers Guide to Thailand booklet, map reading tools, Military Drivers license, 2 (1963 dated) M60 machine gun manuals, 6 private weapon registration cards (.45, .357, Walther 9mm, etc), business cards, code of conduct cards, etc
30) MAJ Dolighan foot locker stencil
31) Large plastic bag containing Ranger techniques booklet, Thai and Vietnamese phrase books, Thailand business cards, combat engineer/demo charts, too much to list!
32) Other Vietnam/Military related pamphlets, booklets, files, etc
Posted in Recently Sold Militaria, Vietnam War Militaria, Vietnam War Militaria | 3 Comments »
My newest acquisition is a reinforced M42 Jump Jacket
Background: In preparation for the Normandy jump, US paratroops from the 82nd and 101st Airborne took their M42 pattern jump jackets and trousers to the riggers (personnel trained to pack, maintain, and repair parachutes and related equipment). The riggers reinforced the jump suits with heavy canvas because the soldiers knew they were going to be heavily weighted down, and they did not want their pockets to blow out when they hit the ground.
Specifically, the jackets had elbow pads added and the bottom pockets were reinforced. The trousers had the cargo pockets reinforced; tie down leg straps attached, and knee pads added.
The canvas material used for both 82nd and 101st Airborne suits is unusual and does not resemble US canvas found on duffel bags, etc. I speculate that the material is British because the 101st and 82nd Airborne were stationed in England prior to Normandy, and that is where the rigger modifications were made.
Each soldier had more than one M42 uniform reinforced, so not all rigger sets made the Normandy jump. In fact, most found today in collections are the ones that stayed in England. However, I speculate this example may have made the Normandy jump because it is CC-2 impregnated.
The United States did not know if the Germans were going to use gas like they did in WWI, so prior to D-Day, Airborne personnel were directed to have their jump suits immersed in CC-2, a chemical compound that was supposed to provide a barrier, preventing gas from making contact with skin. Airborne personnel were also issued the M5 gas mask and gas detection brassards. These brassards were designed to change color when they came in contact with gas.
Clothing treated with CC-2 added weight to the garment, left a residue that was tacky to the touch, and had a distinct odor. Surviving examples of impregnated jump jackets or trousers are 70+ years old and seldom retain this odor, especially if they’ve been on display and given the chance to air out.
This jacket no longer has an odor, but it is heavier than other reinforced jackets, and the residue is still visible, especially in the seams and on the zippers. When handling the jacket, there is still tackiness to the touch.
This jacket had been in my friend’s collection (and on my want list) for many years. Here are some of its features:
1. It’s a larger size, probably a 40 Regular.
2. It has brass colored vent grommets in the armpits (rather than stitched).
3. The main zipper is steel and marked “Crown”. The knife pocket zippers are brass and marked “Serval”.
4. The male snaps are oxidized steel (not brass).
The rigger construction at the seams and grayish green canvas material used indicate that this is an 82nd Airborne jacket. 101st Airborne jackets are sewn differently and the canvas material they used was much greener.
If there was ever shoulder sleeve insignia on this jacket, it must have been tacked on (which is common) because there is no indication of a removed patch. The epaulets had sewn on Lieutenant bars, which are now removed. You can see the darkened areas where they were, along with thick, white thread remnants crudely peaking through the material. This thick rayon based thread is identical to the thread used to crudely tack on 82nd patches on other jump jackets.
This jacket also has two large laundry stamps marked, “H 0608”. I’ve seen this same large stamp and font on another reinforced jacket that was recently posted on a popular web board.
I am beginning my needle in a haystack research to ID this jacket. I can deduce that:
1. The soldier was in the 82nd Airborne
2. The jacket had Lieutenant (or possibly a Warrant Officer) insignia at some point
3. The first letter of his last name is “H”
4. The last four digits of his Army Serial Number is “0608”
Posted in Airborne, WWII US Militaria | 4 Comments »
June 15th, 16th, and 17th, I had the pleasure of attending the Japanese Sword Show and Shinsa in Minneapolis, MN hosted by Larry Klahn and Chris Bowen (of www.ejapaneseswords.com). Although I’ve been interested in Nihonto (art swords) for several years, this was the first show I’ve been able to attend. I was not disappointed.
I attended the show with Dr. Peter Bleed, one of my former Anthropology professors, and a long time Japanese sword enthusiast. I had a great time during the drive, swapping stories and getting Peter’s perspective on the history (and future) of Japanese Sword collecting in America.
The show had dealer tables with plenty of swords and accessories, sword care products, books/DVDs, Japanese textiles, some militaria, etc. It also featured lectures on subjects including: sword etiquette, bonsai trimming, Japanese steel making, tea ceremonies, Japanese flower arrangements, among other events. I wasn’t able to attend all the lectures because I was busy buying things and meeting people. There were rooms set up at the hotel outside the show for shinsa evaluations, calligraphy, and a display containing amazing examples of shinshinto blades to handle and study.
One of my favorite parts of the show was watching the shinsa evaluate swords. The shinsa are a group of Japanese sword experts that evaluate and grade swords on a point scale. For a fee, anyone can submit their sword and see where their blade falls within the spectrum of junk or national treasure.
Later, Miyano Sensei (head shinsa and NTHK president) gave a lecture on the shinshinto blades in the exhibition room. It was interesting and entertaining to watch Chris Bowen translate and interact with the shinsa (see pic).
Being a militaria collector, I’ve always had an interest in Japanese blades in WWII era “shin gunto” mounts. WWII era Japanese swords are not terribly difficult to find, but finding one with a traditionally made blade in good polish is a challenge. Most of the WWII era Japanese swords are “showato”, meaning the blade is machine made or only partially hand made, with oil quenching, and often a false temper line (acid etched). A small number of WWII swords are higher quality, or “gendaito”. Gendaito technically means that the sword was made after 1876, but collectors and authors use this term to imply that a blade is traditionally made, using clay tempering and water quenching.
Fortunately, I returned from the show with my first gendaito sword. It is a very clean gendaito in shin gunto mounts, with a star stamped nakago (tang). The smith is Yasu Hiro from Ichi, and dated December of 1943 (thank you Mick for selling me such a nice gendai). The blade is in excellent polish and the jihada (surface-grain pattern) and hamon (tempor line) contain many wonderful things to look at and enjoy.
Thanks again to Larry Klahn and Chris Bown for putting on such a spectacular event, and Stephen C, thanks again for taking the time to answer all my emails with sword questions over the years. It was a pleasure finally getting to meet you in person!
Chris Bowen translating Miyano Sensei (head shinsa and NTHK president)
Shinsa
Shinsa 2
Shinsa 3
Shinsa 4
Mick, Myself, Dr. Peter Bleed, and Stephen
Shin Shinto Exhibition Room
Posted in Rally Point News | No Comments »
It was time to completely revamp the site and incorporate new features including a news blog, better photo gallery, and site navigation, etc. Keep checking back as I load updated galleries and images of new acquisitions, items for sale, blogs, etc.
Posted in Rally Point News | 1 Comment »
