The 1st Laotian Parachute Battalion badge 1952 – 1954
The first Lao parachute unit, 1ere Compagnie de Commandos Parachutistes Laotiens (1ere CCPL) was raised by the French in July...
The funeral of General Trình Minh Thế and the Cao Đài badge debate
On 3 May 1955, while standing near his military jeep, Vietnamese army Brigadier-General Trình Minh Thế was killed by a...
The Cao Đài and its Militia 1926 – 1956
One of my main areas of collecting interest focuses on the airborne, commando and unconventional auxiliary units relating to French...
The Pioneer Parachute Co. pin. Not a Caterpillar!
The Caterpillar Club, started in 1922 by Leslie Irvin’s Irving Air Chute Company, as a way of recording the names...
The Southern Rhodesia Commando ‘Cobra’ Qualification badge – 1941 – 45
In 1941, fearing that the Japanese may launch an invasion of southern Africa from Vichy French controlled Madagascar, the OC...
BOOKS: British Airborne Insignia & Airborne Insignia Volume 2 by Oliver Lock
Airborne insignia provides a popular collecting focus for many collectors and as a result has become a lucrative market for...
A 1992 issue Switlik Caterpillar Club badge for a WW2 Soviet pilot.
Last week’s post featured the Caterpillar Club badge of RAAF pilot Patrick Heffernan who became member number 16000 of Irvin’s...
WW2 Caterpillar Club pin to RAAF pilot, Group Captain P.G. Heffernan
The Caterpillar Club began in 1922 shortly after an American aviator, LT H.R. Harris, made an emergency descent using an...
Australian Airborne Insignia #1 – Airborne Platoon?
This is the first of an ongoing series of articles which will take a closer look at some of the...
WW2 USN Submariner ‘Dolphins’ from an officer aboard USS Skipjack (SS-184)
Another item from my collection this week. This time it is a WW2 USN “deep wave” type 2 Submariner badge...
