Original Item: Only One set Available. Genuine Vintage WWII cold weather lambskin flight mittens with trigger finger. Condition of these gloves is excellent. The brown finished leather is supple with no stains, cracks or open stitching. The lining is curly white lamb's wool. Size is medium.
The exterior of each glove has white painted stencil markings that read:
These marking indicate the the mittens were issued to a flier in the NAVAL AIR TRANSPORT SQUADRON THREE
(VR-3)
Established December 1941 - NAS Fairfax, KS
Relocated January 1944 - NAS Olathe, KS
Relocated January 1946 - NAS Patuxent River, MD
Aircraft Types Flown:
R4D Skytrain, R5D Skymaster,
R6D Liftmaster, C-130 Hercules
On Dec. 12, 1941 the NAVAL AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE was established under the Chief of Naval Operations to "Provide rapid delivery of critical equipment, spare parts and specialists to Naval activities and fleet forces through out the U.S. This was followed by the establishment of VR-3 on December 29, 1941 and its formal commissioning in April 1942. Under the command of Lt. Vernon A. Doyle, USN this squadrons area of responsibility was the continental U.S. operating the R4D (DC-3 type) Skytrain aircraft. On April 1, 1943 the squadron flew the first scheduled flight between Washington DC, and March AFB, CA.
In Dec. 1943, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox visited the newly commissioned Naval Air Reserve Base at Olathe, KS. The following January he ordered VR-3 to be moved there to continue their operation. This resulted in the inauguration of scheduled round trip flights to the west coast Naval installations. VR-3 was the first military unit to operate "Air Evacuation" flights with their aircraft, flying wounded WWII and ill servicemen from Washington to Burbank, CA. It was followed in December with once a week scheduled flights to Toronto Canada with a flag stop in Ottawa Canada. That same month, they inaugurated four daily flights between the east and west coasts. At that time (1944) VR-3 was the first naval unit to have a WAVE (female sailor) assigned, when a Link trainer was obtained.
