T-Bolts On Saipan

[Jack Cook]

318th FG P-47Ds T-Bolts on Saipan June 1944

P-47D "Little Rock-ette" 19th FS

P-47D #E "Big Squaw" 19th FS

Capt Babcock 73rd FS

Lt Stan Lustic 19th FS

P-47D "Joey" of 1Lt Bill Mathis 19th FS

P-47D of Maj Harry McAffee CO 19th FS

Scratch one P-47

P-47D "Lady Ruth" 19th FS

[sdennison]

Jack, any info on this? Seems like it may have caught "lite" starting or some such as it appears to have been towed via the rope off the line and out of harm to other aircraft?




Scratch one P-47

[RyanShort1]

318th FG P-47Ds T-Bolts on Saipan June 1944

P-47D "Joey" of 1Lt Bill Mathis 19th FS

Very nice photos. It also looks like there are three OY-1s from a Marine unit in the background in this shot!

Ryan

[tom d. friedman]

razor backs that late in the war???

[Jack Cook]

razor backs that late in the war???

Come on now Tom 20 lashes!!!
It's only June 44 and razorbacks were still operational in the 9th, 10th, 12th & 14th AF at the wars end

[sdennison]

razor backs that late in the war???

Come on now Tom 20 lashes!!!
It's only June 44 and razorbacks were still operational in the 9th, 10th, 12th & 14th AF at the wars end

Heck, Pop had not even transitioned into the 38's yet! CBI 60th FS of the 33rd FG.

[k5083]

Natural metal cowls and tail feathers seem to have been common. Was that an unofficial recognition aid?

August

[HMFischer]

In the pre dawn of June 26, Japanese soldiers got in and burned the P-47 "Hed up 'N Locked". Ground crews opened fire and yelled for reinforcements. Sgt. Raymond Murphy ran through a hail of fire and taxied the adjacent plane to safety. The Japanese tactic was to puncture gas tanks by bayonet and burn the planes. But they were all killed or captured and only got one plane. The same night, 300 Japanese broke through the lines and overran part of the field. Combat engineers, marines, and ground crews wiped them out. An enemy bomber managed to briefly ignite some gas drums very close to a large fuel tank. The fire was smothered by bulldozer. When it was over, the 318th had just become the first of only two Army Air Force units to fight in ground infantry combat in all of World War 2!

Copied from the 318th from website. Reference given to the book "One Damned Island After Another" Hugh

[Jack Cook]

The 2nd was the banzi attack on the 21st FG's encampment on Iwo Jima.
Harry Crim CO of the 531st FS was awarded the Silver Star and my friend Jim Van Nada CO of the 72nd FS the PH. I have a few narly photos of the aftermath if ya'll want to see them.

[RNDMTRS4EVR]

Well of course Jack!

Scott......

[RyanShort1]

In the pre dawn of June 26, Japanese soldiers got in and burned the P-47 "Hed up 'N Locked". Ground crews opened fire and yelled for reinforcements. Sgt. Raymond Murphy ran through a hail of fire and taxied the adjacent plane to safety. The Japanese tactic was to puncture gas tanks by bayonet and burn the planes. But they were all killed or captured and only got one plane. The same night, 300 Japanese broke through the lines and overran part of the field. Combat engineers, marines, and ground crews wiped them out. An enemy bomber managed to briefly ignite some gas drums very close to a large fuel tank. The fire was smothered by bulldozer. When it was over, the 318th had just become the first of only two Army Air Force units to fight in ground infantry combat in all of World War 2!

Copied from the 318th from website. Reference given to the book "One Damned Island After Another" Hugh

I think that men from the 163rd LS also fought on the ground on Okinawa at least once. The guy I flew at our event back in May told about their camp being infiltrated and seeing Japanese soldiers. He and his tent mate ended up opening fire with their .45s and he shot one Japanese soldier in a creek bed very near to their tents. I'd asked about his most interesting experiences on Okinawa and that was tops for him - more than being shot at by AAA. He said that the Japanese soldiers were starving towards the end, and would often invade the camps in search of food towards the end. One time they got very close to a fellow rummaging for provisions - but the Japanese soldier took off without opening fire.

Ryan

[Jack Cook]

21st FG pilot's tent area with Jim Van Nada's tent on the right.

Jim's tent

and another

[Jack Cook]

While Jim was recuperating from his wounds in Hawaii. He, by chance, saw Lt Horace Wallace from his squadron walking the the same street in Honolulu. Turns out shortly after Jim was evaced, Wallace wrecked Jim's P-51D when the motor quit on take-off.

Lt Wallace being helped away from the wreck of "Honey Chile".

[Django]

bttt. Wow.

[Jack Cook]

BTW Jim still suffers from PTSD.