P-47D Pilot Henry Mohr Update
Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:11 pm
I had a very nice chat with Henry Mohr this afternoon and learned quite a bit from him.
1. He doesn't remember the serial # or the a/c code letter.
2. It wasn't his assigned a/c he was just flying it.
3. This was his 15th combat mission with the 511th FS and he was a 2Lt.
4. There were 2 flights of P-47s and the mission was a low-level armed recon of POW camps. They were trying to determine if German units were attempting the kill their prisioners and they would attack if they saw evidence of this.
5. During a low pass he had to break off to miss a smoke stack and attempted to rejoin his flight which was low over the lake.
6. He touched the water during the rejoin and the engine quit making a making water necessary. He hit at 225-250 mph and the T-Bolt went straight down like a anvil.
7. He had no Mae West or raft and had given up trying to stay afloat and was actually under water going down when a boat showed up and someone suck a oar into the water which he managed to grab with the last of his strenght.
8. This was the 3rd attempt at recovery.
9. The backer of this was Doug Scroggins of Scroggins Aviation of Las Vegas, NV
http://www.scrogginsaviation.com/
10. The pilot in the flight that was at the recovery was named Powers. His name during the war was Machevarea (sp)
I'll be talking to Mr. Mohr further and will pass on any more information I receive.
1. He doesn't remember the serial # or the a/c code letter.
2. It wasn't his assigned a/c he was just flying it.
3. This was his 15th combat mission with the 511th FS and he was a 2Lt.
4. There were 2 flights of P-47s and the mission was a low-level armed recon of POW camps. They were trying to determine if German units were attempting the kill their prisioners and they would attack if they saw evidence of this.
5. During a low pass he had to break off to miss a smoke stack and attempted to rejoin his flight which was low over the lake.
6. He touched the water during the rejoin and the engine quit making a making water necessary. He hit at 225-250 mph and the T-Bolt went straight down like a anvil.
7. He had no Mae West or raft and had given up trying to stay afloat and was actually under water going down when a boat showed up and someone suck a oar into the water which he managed to grab with the last of his strenght.
8. This was the 3rd attempt at recovery.
9. The backer of this was Doug Scroggins of Scroggins Aviation of Las Vegas, NV
http://www.scrogginsaviation.com/
10. The pilot in the flight that was at the recovery was named Powers. His name during the war was Machevarea (sp)
I'll be talking to Mr. Mohr further and will pass on any more information I receive.
Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:58 pm
Great story and good work Jack. You could let your imagination runaway with you. A pack of soggy Lucky's stuffed away in a safe place till after the mission that never got lit that day, eight loaded brownings. You could go on and on...curious though from the photos you can't really get a good look inside the cowling. I can't see any of the R2800 cylinders and you would think some of the propeller hub at least would still be present. Tom
P47
Wed Jun 15, 2005 10:02 pm
This is one of the great things about WIX!
A little bit of aeronautical history is brought up from the bottom of a lake a half a world away.... a phone call is made... and we get to relive aviation from another time...
Great stuff!
A little bit of aeronautical history is brought up from the bottom of a lake a half a world away.... a phone call is made... and we get to relive aviation from another time...
Great stuff!
Wed Jun 15, 2005 10:12 pm
nice investigating jack, appreciate you taking the time to all of our informational benefit. best, tom
P-47
Wed Jun 15, 2005 10:24 pm
Henry had no idea that the airplane was recovered. It seems they forgot to tell him so I got to and to send him some pictures!
Wed Jun 15, 2005 11:48 pm
must have been beyond thrilled!!!
Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:30 am
Fantastic initiative Jack!
Seems odd that one of the original flight's pilots was present at the salvage but the FORGOT
to contact Mr. Mohr.
Glad to hear he now knows. It would be nice if we could get a full history of this aircraft and the man who flew her
regards,
t~
Seems odd that one of the original flight's pilots was present at the salvage but the FORGOT
to contact Mr. Mohr.
Glad to hear he now knows. It would be nice if we could get a full history of this aircraft and the man who flew her
regards,
t~
Thu Jun 16, 2005 8:37 am
Excellent work, and great story Jack! I've posted your interview over at http://www.hyperscale.com (fully credited, of course), and am hoping to get some interest in seeing a set of scale decals made to build a model of "Dottie Mae".
Please keep us posted, and keep up the good work!
Lynn
Please keep us posted, and keep up the good work!
Lynn
Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:07 am
Imritger
I was just thinking the same thing. I've got a bubble top "D" waiting on the shelf. Was just looking for somthing different as far as the scheme goes and "Dottie Mae" seems a little more tangable since she still exist and now recovered. Would be awesome to get some real good walk around photos in her current condition. She's a real time capsule. Makes one wonder if some of her skin will be preserved as is off the aircraft.
Shay
I was just thinking the same thing. I've got a bubble top "D" waiting on the shelf. Was just looking for somthing different as far as the scheme goes and "Dottie Mae" seems a little more tangable since she still exist and now recovered. Would be awesome to get some real good walk around photos in her current condition. She's a real time capsule. Makes one wonder if some of her skin will be preserved as is off the aircraft.
Shay