B-26 Marauder
Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:42 am
Photo auction ends at 5:00PM PST
Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:14 pm
Thanks for posting that, Jack. Beautiful pic of a beautiful kite.
My old stomping grounds was Barksdale AFB, La. In fact, my first solo was at Barksdale as a member of the Aero Club (a C-150 on a nearly 12,000' runway - hmm, where do I land?
). But, I digress.
It's a little known fact that Barksdale was one of the major B-26 training bases in WWII. Matter of fact, the wartime training film, How to Fly the B-26, was filmed right there on Barksdale Field, as it was called then. Remember the scene where the guys walk through the personnel door built into the larger hangar door? Hangar 11, if I recall correctly, and you can still walk through that same door.
All those crew photos of Marauders during training with a number like B 1065 (or whatever) were taken at BAD. Numerous other groups, including many famous ones, came together and received their combat crew training at B-dale as well.
One a day in Tampa Bay, and . . .
(as I was told by numerous B-26 vets):
Two a day the Barksdale way!
More pics, pls!
Wade
My old stomping grounds was Barksdale AFB, La. In fact, my first solo was at Barksdale as a member of the Aero Club (a C-150 on a nearly 12,000' runway - hmm, where do I land?
). But, I digress.
It's a little known fact that Barksdale was one of the major B-26 training bases in WWII. Matter of fact, the wartime training film, How to Fly the B-26, was filmed right there on Barksdale Field, as it was called then. Remember the scene where the guys walk through the personnel door built into the larger hangar door? Hangar 11, if I recall correctly, and you can still walk through that same door.
All those crew photos of Marauders during training with a number like B 1065 (or whatever) were taken at BAD. Numerous other groups, including many famous ones, came together and received their combat crew training at B-dale as well.
One a day in Tampa Bay, and . . .
(as I was told by numerous B-26 vets):
Two a day the Barksdale way!
More pics, pls!
Wade
Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:33 pm
There are stories of Marauders at Hammond LA. in the Harding Field book too. 
One in paticular I remember,
A B-26 towing a target for a P-47, and the pilot makes a 10* deflection shot.
The B-26 limped back from Lake Ponchartrain trailing black smoke!
There is supposed to be wreckage of a B-26 under a house in Zion City.
One in paticular I remember,
A B-26 towing a target for a P-47, and the pilot makes a 10* deflection shot.
The B-26 limped back from Lake Ponchartrain trailing black smoke!
There is supposed to be wreckage of a B-26 under a house in Zion City.