Raber Antique Special Auction 8-31-2026
Lot 417:
Description
This lot features an officially named United States Army Air Forces Distinguished Flying Cross grouping awarded to Staff Sergeant Harry R. Haines. The Distinguished Flying Cross is struck in bronze and features the characteristic four-bladed propeller design. The reverse of the medal is officially engraved in period block lettering: S/SGT. HARRY R. HAINES A.C. The medal is suspended from its original tri-color ribbon and includes a matching ribbon bar. The set is housed in its original black leatherette presentation case with a yellow velvet and satin interior. The grouping includes a comprehensive set of service documentation and personal ephemera: An original teal-colored award card for S/Sgt. Haines, service number 33236656, citing General Orders No. 4, Headquarters Fourteenth Air Force, dated January 11, 1945. A Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Military Affairs burial record card for Haines, documenting his dates of service (July 22, 1942, to October 18, 1945), unit (3501st AAF Base Unit), and rank. Two newspaper clippings including a period article titled S. Sgt. Haines At Boca Raton Field which details his service as a radar technician on a B-24 Liberator with the 14th Air Force in the China-Burma-India theater, completing 50 missions and over 200 combat hours. An obituary for Haines (1921-1997) is also included. Two black and white portrait photographs of Haines in his USAAF uniform. Haines served in the 14th Air Force, which was the successor unit to the American Volunteer Group Flying Tigers under General Claire Chennault. His documented service includes high-risk missions over the Himalayas and Japanese-occupied territory.
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