Warbird Information Exchange

Forgive me (again...if you're able...on a Sunday...) if posted already. A quick search revealed a void.


Recently stumbled across the linked article at Martyn Cornell's Zythophile blog.

The research expands the wartime transporting of ale from the UK to the Continent by Spitfire to also include Typhoon, Thunderbolt, and Mustang. A variety of beverage receptacles used is illustrated as well. Enjoy.


http://zythophile.co.uk/2014/06/06/you- ... -normandy/

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Us Brits were not the only ones using fighters & drop tanks to move "Booze".
You Yanks also did the same, over "The Hump", using P-51's to carry Gin, which became known as the Gin Run.
Below P-51B-Lt-Ray-Crowell-The-Hump-July44-GIN-RUN-118th-TRS-India-China.

Regards Duggy

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When I was young "sex was safe & flying was dangerous".

A local P-38 ace, Herb Ross, once told me a story about flying to some base around Corsica and they saw a B-25 sitting there. A little while later they came into the same base and that B-25 was still there. He said they plotted to steal the B-25 and use it for their squadron's personal needs. They flew over and two P-38 pilots hopped in and flew it out. Neither had ever flown a B-25 but that didn't matter. Herb went on to say that they removed the serial number and painted a serial number off of one of their squadrons P-38's that had been shot down. He also said that they used that B-25 as their Beer hauler for the duration of the war. He said "you know you can get 8 kegs of beer in the bomb bay of a B-25!".

When things were winding down he said they were nervous about getting in trouble for having a B-25 so they flew it back to where they found it and just dropped it off.

Skip ahead to 2003 a guy named John Ward walked into my shop and said he wanted a B-25. I immediately thought of Old Glory as I had some personal history with the aircraft and knew what a nice B-25 she was. To make a long story short I got John a great deal and brought her home to Stockton and gave John several hundred hours of flight instruction in Old Glory. She was a hit wherever she went and John was pretty proud. We all had a lot of fun with Old Glory. Everything from flying air shows to dropping bombs at NAS Fallon's bombing range for a PBS special and lots of other adventures.

Old Glory (B-25J 44-28938) actually flew out to Corsica around September of 1944. I even have copies of the orders and I talked to the guy who flew her over. She was there but just what she did while overseas seems to be a mystery as nobody has been able to find any documentation of just what she did while in the Mediterranean or any other theatre. Aircraft just above and below her serial number flew with several bomb groups and had lots of combat time.

I told Herb about Old Glory's history and we agreed that 44-28938 was probably his beer hauler. Until anyone can come up with a better story that's what what we are sticking with!

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Taigh Ramey
Vintage Aircraft, Stockton, California
http://www.twinbeech.com
'KEEP ‘EM FLYING…FOR HISTORY!'

I'll admit my first reaction to seeing the classic Spitfire pic as a child was, "Why on earth are they delivering beer with a Spitfire? A Tiffy could haul twice that."

Over the years, I've learned never to question the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the truly thirsty.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Perhaps one day soon the Oshkosh grand champ will arrive with an authentic Mod XXX.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Ok water is 8 lbs per gallon guess cast is 40 gals that's 320 lbs not counting empty weight of cast so guess total weight of both would be round 700 lbs. Wonder if they left fuse tank empty.