Warbird Information Exchange

from ww 2 through the korean war why did a high ranking general like ridgway always have a grenade attached to his web belt?? was this his signature of the man like patton's ivory handled pistols were to him??

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Found this on that, a quote from the General himself.

he always had a hand grenade attached to one shoulder strap on his battle jacket, and a first aid kit on the other. "Some people thought I wore the grenades as a gesture of showmanship," he said years later. "This was not correct. They were purely utilitarian. Many a time in Europe and Korea, men in tight spots blasted their way out with hand grenades."

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ridgway.htm

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Aviation Illustration Website
http://shepartstudio.com/illustration/

let's see a general get away with that today!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Carrying grenades or getting called "Ol' Irontits"?

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Aviation Illustration Website
http://shepartstudio.com/illustration/

both, because up to now i never heard that name applied to ridgway how did he get that title??

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

at least not to his face!!! Lots of mentions of it, just google, ridgway iron tits and you will get a lot of citations! Guess they "cleaned up" general history books to not offend anyone!

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Aviation Illustration Website
http://shepartstudio.com/illustration/