Warbird Information Exchange

Greetings
Dose anybody have any good photos of Operation Chow Hound ? A effort made on the part of the English and Americans to get some Relief to the starving Dutch in early May of 1945 . Dose anybody know if their are any bombers that were used in this relief effort that might still be around ? from what I understand the Square J 390 Bomb Group was right smack in the middle of it converting the Bombers from carring Bombs to Stacks of supplies using little more than plywood and rigging the Bomb Bay doors where one side would hold the the Temp floor and the otherside acted as a trap door. AS always
Thankyou for the info that has been shared.

Glen

Here is one of the 17's during the Operation. And the 390th was right in the middle of it!

Photo is from http://www.parhamairfieldmuseum.co.uk/390home.html

Here is a slide show from 390th.org. You can also contact the 390th Museum at Pima.

http://www.390th.org/chowhound/chowhound.htm

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Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
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Trae

Hi Glen,
The RAF operation was called Operation Manna; only the US operation was 'Chow Hound'. Searching on 'Operation Manna' will throw up a number of references. (BTW, it's British (not English)), and there were also a lot of Commonwealth airmen involved, too. We can be a bit prickly about the differences. Y'all Texans, right? )

Many Dutch museums have a tribute to the life-saving operations, most moving.

A number of aircraft I think, survive, but for RAF aircraft a question on Flypast Forum might throw up an answer or two.

HTH

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

James
Thankyou for clearing that up Yis Sir a 5th generation Texan Thank you for that info . Would not want to say or type the wrong info. That would be as a Texan to a Okie We both form the south but that is as far as it gose So this was really the first Major Food Drop of Relief in WW2. Really suprised that a Movie has not been made of it I guess it is not enough for Humanitly for fellow man in need

Glen

I think it may have been. There was a proposal for a film on the Berlin Airlift ('Operation Plainfare' for the RAF, 'Operation Vittles' for the USAAF) a few years ago, and Aces High in the UK gathered a couple of C-54s to go with their Daks, but it seems to have foundered.

A film of either event would be a great story, and a counterbalance to the "let's be scared of 'planes" the media and politicians peddle.

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com