335th Fighter Squadron's NARVIK dispersal shelter at Debden ...
Jack Raphael's WWII A-2 jacket as modeled by his daughter-in-law. The "Eager Beaver" artwork painted on his P-47 can be clearly seen. Jack flew just shy of 60 missions with the 4th Fighter Group ...
P-51D Mustang 44-14387, "Lois II" coded VF-E, lands at Debden, circa December 1944 (based on the size of the red nose marking). Normally assigned to Lt. Richard J. Corbett, this ship was lost on 17 April 45 with Lt. Robert O. Davis (KIA) shot down by flak ...
Another view of "Lois II" ...
Famous ace Capt. Don S. Gentile with some armorers in a posed shot on the wing of P-51B "Shangri-La" ...
11 April 1944. General Eisenhower pins the Distinguished Service Cross on Capt. Don Gentile's tunic. Upon meeting the young fighter pilot, Ike remarked, "You seem to be a one-man air force!"
4th Fighter Group commander Col. Don Blakeslee (right) also received the DSC that day. Two days later Gentile 'pranged' his beautiful P-51B Mustang "Shangri-La" while buzzing the base on return from his last mission after nearly two years of constant ops and a triple ace-plus record. He died in 1951 in a T-33 accident in Maryland. Col. Blakeslee died in 2008 at age 90! I was privileged to spend some time with "Col. Don" in 2001 and I had the opportunity to 'explain' my "One-Man Air Force" painting, which depicted one of Gentile's aerial combats, to the Colonel ...
>> Col. Blakeslee's 2008 obituary:
http://www.mishalov.com/blakeslee-obit.html
... and what the heck - an in-progress pic of my current painting. It's why I got out the scanner in the first place!
Wade
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