Waddy's Wagon

[Jack Cook]

Sadly Waddy and his crew were shot down and all KIA

[Ztex]

Wouldn't that look great on (Blasphemy follows) FiFi?!

[Green Goggles]

Waddy's Wagon has always been one of my favorites due to the pilot's connection with the Oklahoma Sooners. (Notice in the nose art, he is wearing football cleats.) Walter Young was an All-American on Oklahoma's 1938 Orange Bowl team as well as a member of the university's wrestling team, and the campus heavyweight boxing champion. After his career at Oklahoma, he played two seasons in the NFL with the Brooklyn Dodges.


This is a picture I have not seen before, though. Thanks for posting!

Very, very cool.

[Green Goggles]

This is the photo I've seen before:





Do you have any others?

[retroaviation]

That's the picture I was looking for. I just thought that was such a cool shot. A shame the crew was lost, for sure.

Gary

[the330thbg]

I forgot they were KIA.


Here is one from the 330th.., no where close to the quality fo WW.., but who would have ever thought this would be the name of a very famous 'Hair Band' 40 years later.., well, almost the name of the band!

[michaelharadon]

What happened to the WW crew?

[wwrw2007]

Found this on another site
The crew of B-29 Superfortress 42-24598 "Waddy's Wagon", 20th Air Force, 73rd Bomb Wing, 497th Bomb Group, 869th Bomb Squadron, the fifth B-29 to take off on the first Tokyo mission from Saipan on November 24, 1944, and first to land back at Isley Field after bombing the target. Crew members, posing here to duplicate their caricatures on the plane, are : Plane Commander, Captain Walter R. "Waddy" Young, Ponca City, Oklahoma, former All-American end; Lieutenant Jack H. Vetters, Corpus Christi, Texas, pilot; Lieutenant John F. Ellis, Moberly, Missouri, bombardier; Lieutenant Paul R. Garrison, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, navigator; Sergeant George E. Avon, Syracuse, New York, radio operator; Lieutenant Bernard S. Black, Woodhaven, New York, Flight Engineer; Sergeant Kenneth M. Mansie of Randolph, Maine, Flight Technician; and gunners - Sargeants Lawrence L. Lee of Max, North Dakota; Wilbur J. Chapman of Panhandle, Texas; Corbett L. Carnegie, Grindstone Island, New York; and Joseph J. Gatto, Falconer, New York. All were killed when "Waddy's Wagon" was shot down attempting to guide a crippled B-29 back to safety during a mission against the Nakajima aircraft factory in Musashino, Japan on January 9, 1945.
http://www.worldwar2database.com/galler ... 7.jpg.html
I'm still kind of a newby I hope I can post this.

[michaelharadon]

Thanks, ww. Nice bit of research. Very moving. A most appropriate post.

[the330thbg]

They nosed in trying to ditch near Japan. Young had already completed his bombing run and was returning to his base on Saipan. Another plane from his squadron was damaged and was losing speed and altitude while still under attack. Young dropped back to assist his comrades to fight off the swarming Japanese planes when both B-29's were lost over the Sea of Japan.

Young gave his life, doing in combat what he had done on the football field—running interference for his teammates.

In 1960, an honorary group of Air Force ROTC students designated their University of Oklahoma organization the Walter “Waddy” Young Squadron of the Arnold Air Society. The Society stresses leadership of the kind symbolized by “Waddy” Young and its members are chosen according to strict standards. Walter R. “Waddy” Young is certainly an appropriate inspiration for this group.

Last edited by the330thbg on Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:00 am, edited 2 times in total.

[the330thbg]

Two more crew photos. In happier times!




This is Sgt L. L. Lee and their mascot.., "Damit"

[Nathan]

They nosed in trying to ditch near Japan. Young had already completed his bombing run and was returning to his base on Saipan. Another plane from his squadron was damaged and was losing speed and altitude while still under attack. Young dropped back to assist his comrades to fight off the swarming Japanese planes when both B-29's were lost over the Sea of Japan.

Young gave his life, doing in combat what he had done on the football field—running interference for his teammates.

In 1960, an honorary group of Air Force ROTC students designated their University of Oklahoma organization the Walter “Waddy” Young Squadron of the Arnold Air Society. The Society stresses leadership of the kind symbolized by “Waddy” Young and its members are chosen according to strict standards. Walter R. “Waddy” Young is certainly an appropriate inspiration for this group.

WOW! Heroes all of them!

[tom d. friedman]

i never knew there was a hatch by the 29's tail. waddy was a life magazine tragic classic.

[the330thbg]

That is for the APU

[walkerarmyairfield]

Recently we receive an email from a nephew of one of the Waddy's Wagon's crew asking about our progress of our Pratt Army Airfield Museum. The nephew recalls seeing his uncle walk thru the Main Gate at Pratt due to the fact his parents couldn't drive their civilian car onto the Airfield. He remembers seeing his uncle in his neat uniform carring is duffle bag and leaving them. He went down with A Square 5 and this was the last time he saw his uncle. We think that the Pilot Jack H. Vetters was sick the day of the last Combat mission and a substitute Pilot flew the mission. This may be in error as we do not have the lost crew report. We do have a picture of the crew at the Local Pratt Swimming Hole. The swimming hole has been narrowed down to 2 possible sites. We hope to have the nephew visit our Little Museum when completed on the Pratt Army Airfield in the Parachute Building. Robert Morgan trained in the B-29 here at Pratt AAF and picked up Dauntless Doty "A Square 1" at Herington AAF and the rest as they say is history. The 497th had some interesting crews.
Those are great pictures of a Great Crew. Phillip