Chinese-Made WWII USAAF 16th F.S,51st F.G,14th AF Jacket Patch of Colonel Leland Cranmer

Beautiful Chinese-made WWII United States Army Air Forces 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, 14th Air Force jacket patch originally owned by P-51 pilot and eventual US Air Force Colonel Leland A. Cranmer. The center of the patch shows a white cloud with a flying, yellow/gold winged Great Wall of China with an eye and ominous set of teeth set against a blue background with Chinese lettering along the bottom. The reverse reads: "CRANMER" handwritten in ink along with illegible lettering beneath, the reverse also has a piece of masking tape on it that reads: "LELAND CRANMER 14th AF 51st FTR GROUP 16th FTR SQN."
Colonel Cranmer entered the US Army during WWII and became a fighter pilot at age 1He flew missions in the CBI Theater with the 16th Fighter Squadron and an accident report was filed after he apparently crashed his P- 51 in Kumning on October 1, 194Cranmer later served in the USAF during the Korean War and upon returning home was stationed with the New Jersey Air National Guard, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel and was command of the 119th Tactical Fighter Squadron. During the 1960's he was the chief pilot for the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center and the Southern Railway. He accumulated more than 25,000 hours of flight time by his retirement in 1984.

Circa WWII

Approximately 5" in diameter

Multi-piece painted leather

None. To be sewn on.

"CRANMER", "LELAND CRANMER 14th AF 51st FTR GROUP 16th FTR SQN."

This is from a USAAF collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. VFJJX15 LABGEX10/15 SABJJX12/15

9- (Excellent+): The patch show minor wear and soiling, nearly all the painted details remain bright and intact, overall excellent condition.

As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.