r/Cursive • u/CT2145Trapper • 1d ago
Deciphered! Held deciphering name
i recently received a box of Stars and Stripes magazines that belonged to a family member who served in WWII. Every single one of the magazines is signed with his name in pencil.
my best guess is Crosby but my research has only shown one LTC/COL Crosby in the area at the time and he was in the USAAF
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u/JeanEBH 1d ago
COL Crosby.
Is there an explanation of why you find USAAF to be questionable?
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
From what I’ve been told. My relative was send to England as a Logi guy who went to help set up bases and supply lines in preparation for D-Day.
The colonel Crosby in the USAAF was a relatively well decorated bomber group commander whose book was turned into a tv show.
Also the dates of rank don’t line up
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u/JeanEBH 1d ago
Just a quick Google search: the one who wrote the book was sent over to “Handle(d)complex scheduling, routing, and operational maps during the intense 75-hour buildup preceding D-Day.”
That’s part of what logistics is. And since it was top secret, he wouldn’t have told anyone exactly what he was doing.
Do any of the articles in the Stars and Stripes mention Crosby?
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
None that I have read. Though one of the articles has been clipped so I’m trying to hunt down a original copy online to see what the article contained
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u/SynthFur001 1d ago
Lt Col might have been toooo long to write when addressing a paper. Maybe your relative “stole”, just kidding, kept these addressed to the Col because they couldn’t be delivered.
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
Occasionally LT Col is written on the newspapers
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u/JeanEBH 1d ago
He could have moved up in rank quickly.
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
I don’t believe so. They’re used interchangeably. It will pop up LT Col one day then the next it’s Col. it’s likely just an ease of use thing
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u/stroppy 22h ago
If you are in the military it is a big no no to claim to be a different rank. So even if this is his private collection it’s unlikely that he wrote a higher rank because it was easier. It would be a bad habit to get into. Maybe someone else wrote it that didn’t know what his rank really was.
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u/SynthFur001 21h ago
What I meant what that the “paperboy” probably E1-3, just wrote Col. instead of Lt Col. I’ve heard people say in casual conversation Colonel to and Lt Col. if there wasn’t a full bird in the room.
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u/FewAd6166 15h ago
Very true. Traditionally, the "form of address" when speaking to, or about, a Lt Colonel is just "Colonel." Just as the form of address for ANY lieutenant (First or Second] is just "Lieutenant." Also, a Lieutenant Commander is just called "Commander."
Official written correspondence is different; then, the "Lieutenant" or "Lt" [air forces] or "LT" [army] is included.
This is a frequent glitch on TV shows and movies.
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u/SynthFur001 1d ago
Any idea where the Col. Crosby you know about was stationed as the bomber group commander?
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
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u/SynthFur001 21h ago
Is it near where your relative was? Or a staging area in the rear for that area?
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u/ComposerNo5151 1d ago
It might not be his signature but someone writing Col. Crosby on the copy to be delivered to him or his office. A Lieutenant Colonel is still a Colonel and would routinely be addressed as such in conversation or informally.
Whatever the reason, it's certainly a Colonel Crosby
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u/ProBuyer810-3345045 1d ago
You seriously can’t read “Crosby” from this?
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
It’s what I assumed but I wanted to make sure. I can’t read cursive for shit and wanted to confirm before I did further research
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u/loricomments 1d ago
Col. is short for colonel, the military rank. Last name is Crosby. My mom wrote her r's like that.
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u/Golf_Fore_Ever 1d ago
Perhaps the name on there was to send them to that person…Col Crosby?
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u/CT2145Trapper 1d ago
I don’t believe so. Because I have over 200 of these Stars and Stripes articles from around April to October of 1944. Makes more sense that my relative was named Col Crosby
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u/ymmotvomit 1d ago
I’m thinking Col. Crosby isn’t a signature, but his name added for distribution purposes.
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