Pin, Military
Object number2008.101.7
Date1939-1945
MediumSterling silver; Brass; Metal
Credit LineGift of Joseph A. Cardinal
DescriptionSilver pilot wings. Back: two pin-posts each with brass clutch back fastener.Dimensions1 x 3 in. (2.5 x 7.6 cm)MarksOn back "STERLING".
Historical NotesPilot's wings belonging to John Cardinal. John Cardinal served with the United States Army Air Force as a pilot in the Second World War. After being shot down in Germany, Cardinal was a Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft VI for the remainder of the war. A native of Tarentum, Pennsylvania, he was born April 24, 1917 and died July 13, 1947. He died at home from complications due to his time in the prisoner of war camp. Stalag Luft VI was a POW Camp located near the town of Šilutė (Heydekrug in German), in what is now Lithuania. It was the northern-most German POW camp; it opened in 1943, and the first Americans arrived in February 1944. When the Russians began to advance in July, the camp closed and the prisoners moved to camps further into Germany or Poland.
Related institution
United States Army Air Forces
Previous owner
John P. Cardinal
(1917 - 1947)
On View
Not on view
1941-1945
after 1942
1944-1945
