Men and Mustangs: The 357th Fighter Group

Ace Don Bochkay poses with his scoreboard. All the photos in this post are courtesy of Major Bochkay.

“Pappy’s Answer”, a P-51D (44-14736) piloted by Lt. John Stern, 363rd Fighter Squadron.

Chuck Yeager’s “Glamorous Glen III”.

Leonard “Kit” Carson, top ace of the 357th Fighter Group.

Clarence “Bud” Anderson’s well-known bird, “Old Crow”.

“Gentleman Jim” flown by James “Jim” Browning.

“Reluctant Rebel” was piloted by Robert Foy.

“Horses Itch” was piloted by Major Ed Hiro. Both he and the aircraft were lost on 19 September, 1944.

Don Bochkay had an eventful landing in 44-15422.

Whale-o-rama

A3D-2 of VAH-123 at an NAS Whidbey Island airshow in the early 1960s. In the background, RCAF men enjoy the show from the top of their CF-100.

Big plane, little girl.

EKA-3B of VAQ – 308 in the early 1980s. Note both the whale on the tail and the pilot taking a break atop the aircraft. 147666 was among the last Skywarriors built and is now on display in Oakland, CA.

VA-3B (142672) was assigned as a VIP aircraft when this photo was taken in the early 1970s.

142672 again. This was not just any VIP bird, but was reserved for only the top brass. I imagine the interior was rather plush.

In a typical landing for the Skywarrior, A3D-2 of VAH – 4 comes aboard bouncing.

142651, like many a Skywarrior, was in service long enough to undergo major changes to its original purpose. It ended its days as a tanker/electronic warfare bird.

142236 of VAH-8. This aircraft crashed in 1962.

142250 and its sister, 142251 of VAH-4 in the early days. The former crashed in 1964, the latter is on display aboard the USS Midway.

A3D-1 135444 at an open house in the early 60s.

‘444 again, same open house. Day-glo orange was, of course, all the rage back then.

Air Force One and the Skyranger

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Two aircraft that one does not often see in the same photo would be the VC-137 and the Commonwealth Skyranger. Taken at the Renton Airport/Boeing plant in the summer of 1962, VC-137, “SAM 2600”, is undergoing finishing touches before it is delivered to the Air Force for the use of President Kennedy. This photo illustrates the classic adage of “I seen ’em come, I seen ’em go” by virtue of the fact that while SAM 2600 is now retired to the Air Force Museum, the Skyranger (N90682, built in 1946) is still registered and flying today. Really, about the only thing that shows this photo was not taken in recent times are the vintage automobiles.

One of the perks of being a general is…

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…having a fighter plane to call your own. Major General William Kepner was no exception; as boss of the 8th Fighter Command, he got around in style in his P-47 (42-26637) nicknamed “Kokomo”. Here we see it wears the name of an additional city, “Buffalo”. Or, perhaps, it is referring to the animal of the same name. Before the war, Kepner was more associated with balloons & such rather than fighter aircraft. He held six ratings, most rather quaint: command pilot, combat observer, senior balloon pilot, zeppelin pilot, semirigid pilot, and metal-clad airship pilot.

The color photo is courtesy of Bob Livingstone from the sunburnt country, the Land Down Under.

By request…

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Several people have asked me for the full photo of the image that appears on the header for this site. Nice guy that I am, here it is: The 6th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, circa 1935. The 6th Pursuit (later Night Fighter) Squadron was inactivated in 1947, and despite being one of the older units (activated in 1917) it entered a long post-war slumber*. This was rectified in 2017, and once again the 6th is an active component of the USAF.

*Note: Wikipedia states that the 6th was reactivated in 1968, assigned to the 11th Air Force, and flew F-4 Phantoms for 25 years at “Alberts Air Base” in the “San Francesco Islands”. Not a word of this is even remotely true thus serving as a helpful reminder why Wikipedia is not an accepted source at any college or university.

The “Dash 80”

Very early shot of the 367-80 at Boeing Field in 1954. Not the first flight, but early enough to garner a crowd of Boeing employees.

Most of the men in this photo look old enough to remember when the Ford Trimotor was the greatest thing in airline travel.

The -80 later in its life.

I will date this photo from the late 60s when the -80 was nearing the end of its operational days.

It is a testament to Boeing that even with the external design of the 367-80 now pushing 70 years of age, one could swap its four turbojets for a pair of turbofans, give it a modern paint scheme, and still have an airliner that would differ very little from those of today.

(From a stash of old negatives I recently found hidden in one of my file cabinets.)

George AFB in the early 50s

F-86A (49-1244) of George AFB’s 94th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flares for landing.

F-84E of the 158th Fighter Bomber Squadron which was assigned to George during the Korean War.

F-86A of the 94th FIS

George AFB closed in the early 90s, but even then the flightline had changed very little from when this photo was taken almost 70 years ago. The hangars still stand today, but now the ramp is crowded with civil aircraft.

Aloha from the 4th Observation Squadron

The location is Luke Field, Territory of Hawaii. The date, oh, sometime in the 1930s. The aircraft, the Thomas Morse O-19. The 4th had obviously just done something worthy of the sizable trophy held by the officer in the middle. Given the sedate performance of the O-19, it is safe to assume the trophy does not reflect the squadron’s establishment of a new world record for airspeed.

Y1B-7 pilots of the 31st Bomb Squadron

Taken at March Field, California, in about 1933, the pilots are as follows: Front row, left to right, Squadron Commander Lt. Ralph A. Snavely, Lieutenants Lewis, Allison, and Eaker. Top row, Lieutenants Stone, Messer, Gardner, and Skaer. Although the number of B-7 (and its variants) were small (14 built in total) it marked a revolution in Air Corps bombers: all-metal, and a monoplane to boot. This revolutionary aspect can be seen when one compares the Y1B-7 with another 31st Bomb Squadron bird lurking in the background – a Keystone B-4 – which looks right out of World War 1.

Johnson Air Base, Japan, early 1950s

Here’s the man who took most of the photos. Unfortunately, we do not know his name. He sits in squadron CO, Major Carl D. Peterson’s bird.

F-94s of the 339th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Serials are 51-5460, 465, and 470. The latter crashed in 1954.

51-5452 zooms past a T-33.

51-5467 of the 339th FIS.

467 gets its guns armed for another mission.

The 339th “Gremlins”.

F-80s of the 41st Fighter Interceptor Squadron. 49-774 leads the way.

49-433 of the 41st FIS

Hurrying past the camera are 49-430 and 473 of the 41st FIS. are

A couple of 25th FIS birds: 49-700 and 739.

“Hawg” was name given to 49-775 of the 35th FIW.

F-80 of the 35th FIW glides in on short final.

A couple of hard working maintenance men show off their strength.

A P2V Neptune of VP-1 forms the backdrop for 49-514 of the 41st FIS.

VP-1 P2V on deployment from NAS Whidbey Island.

A pair of visiting F9F-5 Panthers of VF-192. On this deployment to the Far East in 1953-4, VF-192 had a starring role in the immortal film “The Bridges at Toko-ri”. No doubt these are two of the aircraft seen in that picture.

An F-51 Mustang gets a quick engine change while a C-47 waits its turn.

Sikorsky H-19 of the 39 Air Rescue Squadron visits Johnson AB. The remains of this aircraft are currently in an Arizona salvage yard.

Line up of A-26s of the 6th Tow Target Squadron.

Another visitor to Johnson AB was “Rough Knight” (44-35388), an A-26 of the 13th Bomb Squadron. This aircraft was shot down in 1951.

Pass in review for men of the 35th Fighter Interceptor Wing. SA-16s in the background.

No. 356 Squadron, RAAF, in the Cocos Islands, 1945

Liberators of No. 356 Squadron on West Island. Photo credit to Robert Livingstone whose father served as an RAAF navigator in No. 160 Squadron.

Surrounded by all the trappings of a tropical paradise, a MK VI Liberator idly awaits its next mission.

A “tropical paradise” had its limits: a soggy days days on West Island were the norm.

Armourers of 356 Sqn prep their bombs on the rain-drenched hardstand.

Although constituted late in the war, No. 356 Squadron made a name for themselves with attacks against Japanese shipping and land targets.

Flying the Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI, 356 Sqn operated from the balmy Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. An outfit that included Canadians as well as Australians, they proved a good mixture as the squadron amply proved in combat.

USS Randolph, 1945-46

Full deck as the Randolph prepares to launch

Taken from Randolph, a wall of anti-aircraft fire sends an attacker to his doom.

Pilots of VF-15, USS Essex

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Proudly posing with their scoreboard on the hangar deck of USS Essex, VF-15’s roster of pilots included many aces, the top being David McCampbell with 34 victories. The F6F Hellcat he flew to attain such a score is the backdrop for the photo, the famed “Minsi III”. McCampbell is seated to the right of the scoreboard.

The Skyraider

Flown by 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom Air Base, Thailand, this Skyraider (52-139598) had its picture taken while on display at nearby Korat Air Base in 1970. Unfortunately, time was running out for 598: On 24 December of that same year, the aircraft was lost while escorting rescue helicopters deep into hostile country. The pilot, Major Albro L. Lundy, was killed, his body being recovered and identified decades later. R.I.P.

Aloha From the 1930s

A-3 Falcons of the 26th Attack Squadron, Wheeler Field.

Keystone B-5s of Luke Field’s 72nd Bombardment Squadron pay a call to Wheeler.

P-12s of the 18th Pursuit Group warming up at Wheeler Field.

The photo’s caption says the crew of this DH-4 was “O.K.”. Well, that’s good, but despite having survived the crash, their troubles were not over: They have ended up in a field full of Opuntia ficus-indica, also known as the prickly pear cactus (“Panini” in Hawaiian). This no doubt caused a lot of cursing and swearing as the crew worked their way out of the field. Additional blasphemous language was supplied by the mechanics who arrived later to haul the wreck out of there.

Fairchild C-8

When this photo was taken on April 24, 1934, the 1st Observation Squadron at Mitchel Field, NY, was mainly in the business of flying the Curtiss O-1 Falcon. However, they also had this Fairchild C-8 for hauling cargo and personnel from place to place. This C-8 (31-463) was one of only 14 ever built for the Air Corps.

The propeller shop at Randolph Field was a busy place in the 1930s…

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One would be forgiven when seeing these photos for laughing at what appears to be multiple views of one pilot’s misfortune. Unfortunately (for the taxpayer, that is) these are different aircraft on (I assume) different days. Same plane – the BT-14 – and, same place – Randolph Field. The invention of the tricycle landing gear was a welcome addition to the world of flying, especially for those who were just getting started.

More great ads!

Considered by many as one of the worst aircraft designs of all time, the “strut-less, wings like a bird” Christmas Bullet had (surprise!) an annoying habit of shedding those unsupported wings immediately after takeoff. Two were built, both lost their visible means of support. Note: Dr. William Christmas designed the aircraft with an idea in mind that it could be used to fly over to Germany and kidnap Kaiser Wilhelm II during WW1. No, I did not make that up.

The artist might have sketched a hard-working engineer that did not look like a mad scientist in his laboratory.

11th Fighter Squadron, Adak, Alaska

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A 4th of July salute to a great American – General Curtis E. LeMay

On Independence day, it is well to remember those who have ensured that such liberty endures. One such man is the immortal General Curtis E. LeMay. General LeMay will be long remembered for his revolutionary concepts on airpower strategy and doctrine. As the absolute boss of Strategic Air Command, he put those theories to the test. He was always willing to find out what worked, or did not. Furthermore, from the B-29 to the SR-71, LeMay always knew a good aircraft when he saw one.

In his day, LeMay’s personality and strong beliefs caused him to be a terror in the minds of many. While he was incredibly firm, he was also incredibly fair. He knew what he wanted, and in case one did not know what that was, he would tell you in no uncertain terms. Intimidating though he was to those in the 1950s & 60s, in today’s juvenile-minded political & societal environment he would cause many of his fellow Americans to wet their pants. That being their sole means of expressing their inability to argue with the man.

USS Los Angeles in Puerto Rico

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In May of 1925, the mighty airship USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) paid a call to the steamy waters of Puerto Rico where, as it swung lazily from its tender, USS Patoka, it attracted quite a crowd. Judging by the number of rowboats, I would guess a tidy business was underway where, for the right price, one could get a closer look at the giant airship.

B-36, 92nd Bomb Wing

44-92060 had, by today’s standards, a brief life. Delivered in 1949, and assigned to the 92nd Bomb Wing at Fairchild AFB in 1951, it did its part for five years until it was scrapped in 1956. Made for a lot of pots and pans.

The patch of the 92nd during the B-36 days at Fairchild. B-52s arrived in 1957, and, alas, this patch design was done away with.

In search of Pancho Villa: On the Border with the 1st Aero Squadron, 1916

This Curtiss JN-2, Signal Corps No. 43, was the first aircraft assembled and flown after the 1st Aero Squadron arrived in Columbus, New Mexico, in March, 1916.