![]() ![]() ![]() Navy rate patches for a Torpedoman’s Mate, third, second and first class, with a left-facing eagle. And today those uniforms range from the rare and highly collectible to the common and not very collectible at all.Įxamples of World War II U.S. From the undress white cotton jumper with front-flap bell bottom trousers and white cap, to the full dress officer frock coat with visor cap and dress sword, Navy personnel were among the sharpest dressed service men (and women) of any branch. Compare that to the 3.6 percent of Marines killed in the war and the 2.8 percent of Army and 2.5 percent AAF personnel killed, and the Navy was the safest combat branch of service to be in during World War II. True, more than 62,000 Navy personnel died during the war, but that was only 1.5 percent of the 4.1 million men who served in the Navy. While I didn’t like the idea of drowning and had a particular aversion to being eaten by sharks, sailors did have a rack to sleep in every night, hot food every day, lots of protective metal around you in case of attack. The early strategic bombing campaign in Europe was a particularly bad time, with many missions reporting aircraft losses of more than 50 percent. Only Army ground forces had more battle deaths. On the other hand, more than 88,000 airmen died during World War II. Stationed in relative safety in England or the Pacific, Air Force personnel slept in beds, had daily hot meals and their missions usually only lasted hours instead of days. On the surface, serving in the USAAF sounded pretty good. ![]() Due to the island-hopping campaign, their consecutive days in the field tended to be shorter, but their privations were just as bad as the Army, and on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, they went through some of the most horrific fighting of the war. Out in the elements for weeks at a time, cold, wet, no hot food, cannon fodder for the generals safely behind the lines. My reasoning went something like this: You definitely didn’t want to be in the front line Army. With me, it always came down to survival, so I usually ended up choosing the U.S. When I was younger, we used to have this debate: If you were in combat in the Second World War, which branch of service would you want to be in. This lot, which includes the pants and hat, sold for $128 in 2007. ![]() It has a Seabee patch on the left sleeve and a Gunners Mate 1st Class insignia on the right sleeve. Navy white enlisted men’s uniform and hat. ![]()
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