One For You L-5 Junkies

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:35 pm

L-5 s/n 42-98981 (?) Belgium 1944

Taylor Stevenson · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:39 pm

Jack, you've made my day once again! Keep the L-5s coming! Got any G-Model photos??? The S/N will start with a 5...

Forgotten Field · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:21 pm

Thanks, Jack. I believe that is one from a Field Artillery Unit. The Liaison Squadron aircraft mostly had squadron codes. I appreciate you digging for these!

akdhc2pilot · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:33 am

That's actually a 153d Liaison Squadron bird. Another one (42-98989) is pictured in flight during the summertime (exact same markings) in both Ken Wakefield's books "Fighting Grasshoppers" and "Lightplanes at War". Note that, contrary to convention, the identifying ship number '8' and squadron code 'R' are placed incorrectly and should have been in opposite positions. The 153d primarily supported the First Army HQ (incl. V, VII, and XIX Corps HQ's) and Twelfth Army Group HQ and saw a lot of action in Europe from August 1944 onward. In December they were based at Spa, Belgium and were forced to evacuate to Liege at the beginning of the "Battle of the Bulge", around the time the photo was taken. I'd guess, due to the heavy snow in the photo, that this picture was snapped either during the week of Dec. 17th thru 25th or possibly the second week of January 1945 - both periods when heavy snow fell across the region.

Jim Gray
www.sentinelclub.org

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:55 am

Any information on this bird?

Ryan

Forgotten Field · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:59 am

That is a 14th Liaison Squadron aircraft. I believe that is Harry Weeks airplane.

Forgotten Field · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:58 am

That is a 14th Liaison Squadron aircraft. I believe that is Harry Weeks airplane.

akdhc2pilot · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:21 am

Holy cow Ryan!!! Great shot and I personally know the liaison pilot who flew 6C*S. His name is Harry Weeks and he lives in Yuma. I talk to him often, have met him several times in person, and have a couple other shots of his bird. John Seidts (Forgotten Field) also has a taped interview of him done last year at Oshkosh. Man, is Harry going to flip when he sees that photo. Where did you get it?

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:33 am

akdhc2pilot wrote:

Holy cow Ryan!!! Great shot and I personally know the liaison pilot who flew 6C*S. His name is Harry Weeks and he lives in Yuma. I talk to him often, have met him several times in person, and have a couple other shots of his bird. John Seidts (Forgotten Field) also has a taped interview of him done last year at Oshkosh. Man, is Harry going to flip when he sees that photo. Where did you get it?

Got that from Footnote. I can send you the large size if you email me...

Any chance he'd be willing to come out to our Grasshopper Gathering if I could work out some kind of arrangements?

Ryan

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