History WWII nose art 5th air force

Might just have some old B-25 action pix coming from Niece from her dads WWII photo album---I'll post em' IF I get um'---Don

 

Absolutely fantastic thread. I love aviation, especially WWII era aircraft ,about as much as hot rods. My Dad was stationed in England with a hospital that served the 8th AF. He told stories about removing injured crew from B-17s returning from bombing missions in Germany. Those guys gave it all. Thanks for sharing.

 

Don..

Hope your successful! Never thought this post would have that many views... Guess I'll finish off with one of the hardest missions the 5th flew, Rabaul and Simpson Harbor. Following pics are from the Nov 2, 43' attack on the city and shipping. Thanks to the Payson family, Jack Heyn and other Reapers who passed these photos on.

Bill

Rabaul and Simpson Harbor. The plan was for the 345th to hit the township with smoke to confuse the Japanese gunners, then the 90th, 13th and 8th Sqdns, flying between the Mother and Daughter volcanos and attacking the shipping in the harbor



The routes the 3rd Sqdns flew:

 

Jock Henebry, 90th CO who led the 3rd into Rabaul. his plane was badly shot up and eventually ditched on the way back. the crew was picked up and back home before their cloths were dry!



Ray Wilkins, CO of the 8th Sqdn. Wilkins sank a Destroyer, hit a transport ship, then was shot down into the harbor while trying to block a Cruiser from knocking down the other Sqdn planes. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions



"Tugboat Annie" 8th Sqn plane flown by Bill Mackey, also was lost that day

 

wow this is a great thread! i love those pictures thanks again!

 

You guys are doing GREAT!---Keep em' coming!

 

Oh man....OUTSTANDING pix Hemiman....PRICELESS.

Keep em coming champ !!

Rat

 

Ok...since the post by Don says nose art, here's some for ya..



For you "Nawlins" Cajuns







"The Sting of Death"

 

That A-20 is LOW!!!
Hard to believe most guys (pilots & crew) were in their early 20's!!!
Good pix Hemiman 426

 

I was in the Army in Honduras in '87. CrewChief DoorGunner Bell Huey Gunships. Think Air Cav.

 

Gotta love the "Sting of Death", written so that the enemy could get the message while he was gettin' the ordinance! A bit like having 3M TA3 on your windshield.

 

Great post! Man those guys were brave! They saved the world!
They really are "the greatest generation" My dad included.
JimV

 

Great way to start a morning---thanks to all who contributed to this thread---

 

Well guys,

Thanks for the responses, but I can't take any credit. In 1999 my first good computer and modem allowed me to begin a search. Dad died at a very young age and I had questions from my kids I couldn't answer.I found an Aussie, Pete Dunn, who had built the first website dedicated to dad's outfit, which opened the gates, so to say.
Jack Heyn ,a 3rd Photographer was my first contact, and in the 13 years since have become very good friends. Hell, I kinda feel that Jack and his wife Jonnie are more family than friends.
A reunion in 2000 led me to men who remembered dad and explained much about his time in the SWPA. Melvin "Buzz" Freeman, Chester Kulesza, Mike Kischkum, Bill Webster, "Two Gun" Brown, Orvil Casteel, Ed Shook, Dwight Turner and many others treated me like a lost son, and I can never, ever, repay or thank them enough for what they did back then, and what they have shared over the years.
Sadly, many of my "Reaper" family have now "gone west", as the old aviation saying goes. The lack of emails and phone calls hurt much, but I still have their words and pics to cherish.
This generation gave their all, and we will never forget. Visit a VA facility, say thanks to that vet you see on the street, and cherish the ones left..

Bill

 

Thanks, Bill, for your contributions. How great that you were able to connect with some
of your dad's group and talk with them directly - invaluable. Sadly, their generation is
fading away all too quickly today.
(My dad served as a pilot in the R.C.A.F; primarily Mosquitoes - based in England.)

 

Wow Hemiman, just........................Wow!

I recall building model kits of some of those aircraft, I had the decals for 'Stinky' in an A-20 kit but I built as an Aussie A-20 Havoc.
I was fascinated with gunships for a while and built several B-25s, 'Johnny Pom Pom' was one of them, it was the predecessor to the 5pound nose gun some attack aircraft like 'Lil Fox' had, though they were short lived due to the stress on the airframe firing them caused. Most had the 5-6 .50cal's.
The other B-25 was one of the 5 pounder ships, it had the big black skull on the nose but I never finished that one.
Just amazing the history surfacing on this board. Ryan, you are certainly the man!

Doc.

 

fantastic thread! we have a older gentleman who served in PNG that hangs at our shop most days. ill have to show him these pictures! he'll get a kick out of them for sure. hes shared a few stories one about robbing plexiglass from the wounded planes that lined the air strip and scavaging from the ammo dump where the wrecks were towed to and buried.

 

fascinating pictures! The amazing part is those kids ALL seem to be smiling in their pics, despite what was going on around them daily.. Balls o' titanium i tell ya!

 

Great Thread

 

Doc,

Nobody over here better say one derogatory remark about "our" diggers lest they wanna get whomped a good one on the head!!

Bill

 

While crusing thru the shelves at a Borders book store one day I found this book. A great resource for nose art of WWII and the Korean War. It is 208 pages of pics of nose art with a caption explaining what plane it was on etc. Great book.

"The Conferderate Air Force in Harlingen Texas, has perhaps the largest collection of authentic WWII nose art in the world. These are all panels that were cut off of aircraft being scrapped at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, in 1946."

 

Great thread and amazing photos! Wow what history seen through the eyes of the men that lived through it.

 

My friend Bill Beck and his crew Art McCain and Bill Black



Harry Rucker





ole #89

 

Thanks "Vinnymac44"---I'll have to check this out!---Maybe I can find out more on the brother in laws B-25 nose art!-----Don

 

ENOUGH!!----Back to MY POST!!!----DON

 

they were great man, in a bad time but new how to get the job done.

 

Otay!!

 

This is a great example of "GI hotrodders" the LARGE barrel you see in the nose is a field modification they came up with for anti shipping attacks. thats a 105mm HOWITZER they bolted in there! when fired, the plane momentarily stopped in mid-air from the recoil!!!!