History WWII nose art 5th air force

For all the "old guys"----Ran across this old leather jacket patch insignia that Brother in law gave me during WWII when I was 11.
This same black panther was on the nose of his B-25 bomber in the Pacific Theater where he flew 57 missions as the pilot.
He also gave me his sweat stained hat, which I had for many years, but can't remember where it went.---Don

 

Don..

Great patch!!

Would have been either the 822nd Sqdn of the 38th BG, or the 501'st Sqdn of the 345th..
Do you have any other info that could help pin it down??

Bill

 

Thats very cool and looks to be in amazing condition.
Id frame and hang that in my den.

 

Interesting that looks along the same style as my Dads unit in Germany. He was in the 66th division, I have a few of his patches.

 

All I can say Bill, is at 11 years old in 1943, I was more impressed at recieving these neat items!
I emailed my niece today (it was her father), & said I was sending it to her, I felt it should be passed on to her & her family for history.

On a side note: Since he was the pilot, & very busy just flying on the attack runs,& strafing Japanese aircraft on the ground, his tail gunner took lots of pix from the rear position showing results each time they were in action.
He would send the pix back to his parents to see, & when we visited them from time to time during the war, I would "pour" over that album like mad!
If I had access to the pix----I would post them---But I don't---Just the "Patch"----Don

 

It's funny that you mentioned nose art. Just a moment before a buddy sent me a E- mail video of Rita Hayworth. I would guess she was a model for a lot of war bird art. I wasn't born 'til 54, so, you'd know better than I would.

 

My dad was in the 389th Squadron, 312th Bomb Group. They had a patch with Donald Duck throwing a bomb ... they flew A-20-s with a skull and cross bones on the nose.

 

Don..

Great thing to do for her...

Re: photo's...My dad brought back over 400 photos from his time overseas with the 3rd. He went over in Aug 42' and came back on Sep 45'. I do have a bunch of Mission photo's so if you guys are interested, I'll gladly post what I have..
Here's a pic of dad.. Taken in March 43' just after they moved from Port Moresby to Dobodura. Back of the photo is written " Not V for Victory, but 2nd mission flown from Dobo"



July 43' Bogden Bay off of Cape Gloucester. Looking for barges and ran into two Destroyers.. This is an 8th plane making his run.. My dad received one of his Air Medals for knocking out one of the guns on the DD.






and even made the news back home! Notice the ship is incorrectly called a Cruiser!

 

Big thanks to all that have served in both war time and peace. You went where you were told and stayed until they said you could come home.

 

The 312th and the 3rd flew many combined missions in 44' -45' after the 3rd converted over to an all A-20 Group.
the 3rd's 89th Sq was the first to fly the A-20 in the Pacific, and dad flew as a fill in gunner with the 89th for a while. Here's a pic out of an early A-20 upper gunners position that dad took on take off.

 

I always enjoy these WWII aircraft threads, thanks to everyone that served and their families that saved all these artifacts. Dad was a B-17 Armored at Great Ashfield in England with the 385 BG, I've got his photo album. I really wish I'd asked him more questions about day to day life on the base. Bob

 

Lots of cool info and pics in this thread. Thanks to all involved.

 

thanks for sharing! i love that they got those shots! thats priceless! post more mission pictures! please.

 

Heres a series of photos that show how dangerous low level skip bombing was. 8th Sqdn pilot Bob Widener runs into the bomb blast of the CO's plane at Hansa bay. The first pic you can see Widener's -25 "Reluctant Dragon" approaching the ship and the bomb is just going off. Photos courtesy of my good friend Jack Heyn



-25 flipped over, right wing and tail gone.



-25 hitting the water

 

What rotten luck running into the bomb blast. Fortunes of war. Great pic's though.

 

i love nose art, my great uncle was a mechanic with the flying tigers.

 

More please!!!!

 

You know Don, you kinda bought a tear to my eye there.
Not only is it fantastic that you still have this treasure but sending it to the daughter of the original owner? Awesome.

I got an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from my youngest sister, quite a few years ago I gave her my old Airborne beret when I got a new one out of Q-store. This beret has been everywhere and seen some incredible shit, she told me she found it and was sending it back to me.
It's just amazing how much something like a piece of cloth can mean to you.

Doc.

 

Hey Doc, I agree with you about some of the stuff the men took back with them. My dad flew A 20 's also.
There is a great book titled "Attack Bombers" We Need You!, written by Ralph Conte that covers some of the 668th, 669th,416th,670th(dads group), and 671st bomb groups in WWII. They were great planes with great pilots.
You might fine it good reading.....thanks.

 

A couple more pics.. March 43' The 5th had one of their most successful attacks on Japanese shipping. App 20 Japanese ships were trying to get to Lae to reinforce their troops. 8 Transport and 8 DD's were sunk ..

89th Pilot Bill Beck in "Lawnmower" had trouble with his bomb release on his run on a Transport. Needless to say, Bill made repeated runs on the ship till another plane finished it off..



Another Transport that was hit by a 13th Sqdn plane. Jack Methvin was credited with the successful attack..

 

A-20 pulling up after bombing Humbolt Bay

 

Another pic of Bill Beck in "Lawnmower" An often seen photo of an attack on the Japanes air base at Lae..

 

Incredible photos!! Can't wait to see more!!

Doc.

 

My Pop was a 5thAF pilot in Australia & New Guinea back then, with the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron [Beeliners]. Primary aircraft C-47 "Gooneybird" [civil.designation DC-3], but he did several missions as 'second seat' on a B-25 crew. This happened because bomber squadrons [owing to rotational downtime requirements], were not infrequently long on aircraft but short aircrews. At this point [early in the war particularly], troop carrier squadrons were often conversely plush with aircrews but short aircraft. The solution, for a time, was that they would rotate 'first seat' transport pilots into 'second seat' positions in the bombers in order to keep the bombers in the air. As I recollect, he said he did about five missions, all with the same crew, and as fate would have it that crew didn't return from the next mission they flew after he'd rotated back to his own unit. He allowed that flying cargo & paratroops after that was exciting enough for him, ...thanks anyway! ...although he described more than a few harrowing moments in the front seats of 'goonies' as well. Those young men [the lot of 'em] were some tough cookies!

Dad got out after the war, built a house for us and was just enrolled in school at Univ of Iowa when he was recalled for service in Korea, after which he opted to remain in the AF 'til he retired in 1963. By then I was a senior in HS, making me an AF Brat for most of my early life.

 

Cool stuff.

 

Man, I love stories like these!!!

No one in my family flew planes, but my great-grandfather was in the Navy from '43-'45... He has lots of awesome stories, 50% of which are of bar fights and getting sent to the brigg... He served on a cargo ship in the Pacific and eventually ended up in the Mediterranean on a destroyer escort.

 

Most likely the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Mar 2-4, '43. Have you made copies available to history groups?

 

George..

Yep, Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Been working with the two writers who are putting out a book on the 3rd. I'm very fortunate to have met a great group of guys who have been generous in sharing both their experiences and photo's. I do post on the AAf and WIX sites..

Bill

 

Joe..

Here's a pic for you!!! 312th A-20 at Cape Sansapore

 

53 ..

I believe this is a 21st Group bird