Warbird Information Exchange

Thank you very much for the research on 898. I very much appreciate your efforts on this. OK so how do we paint her???

I believe there was a A-26 pilot who won the MOH in Korea in one. Or maybe one of the early ETO 9th AF squadrons.

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Don't touch my junk!!

If it's Korea, here's a good place to start:

http://www.13thbombsquadron.org/

Click on the noseart section. All the "Chadwicks" were held near & dear with the 13th. "7th Chadwick" would be my personal pick, but of course I'm not paying for the paint!

Enjoy!

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

Personally, I feel like the 13th is represented quite well. The group that isn't, is the 17th BG. Out of all the A-26s the only ones I can think of in those markings are the USAFM example and then Collings 44-35696. The Collings example was painted that way, because those were her exact markings in Korea.

The 17th consisted of the 95th BS, 34th BS, and the 37th BS. All 3 have been around since the beginning of the USAAC. This group flew P-12s, to P-26s, B-25s (anyone ever heard of the Doolittle Raiders?...yeah most of these guys and airplanes came from these 3 squadrons), Marauders, and then A-26s in Korea. I don't know their history past the A-26s but they did end up flying U-2s here very recently. The 95th flew with light blue trim (very attractive), the 34th flew with green, and the 37th had red. There was a commander airplane that used a combination of all 3 colors. This airplane was extremely attractive too.

I'll find some photos and post them when I get a chance.

Rick

Douglas B-26B s/n 44-34314
Captain John Walmsley Jr. MIA
Captain Phillip Browning MIA
1Lt Phillip Mulkins MIA
MSGT James Morar POW
(released OP Big Switch)
10 miles NW of Yankdock, N. Korea


Captain John Springer Walmsley Jr. served as a flying instructor in the United States and Japan throughout the 1940s. In June of 1951, Capt. Walmsley went to Korea as a B-26 pilot in the 8th Squadron, 3rd Bomb Group. He completed twenty-five combat missions. On September 14, 1951, Capt. Walmsley successfully attacked an enemy supply train. When he ran out of ammunition, he used a searchlight mounted on his aircraft to illuminate the target for another B-26. Despite heavy antiaircraft fire, he continued to light the area. When his B-26 was hit, it crashed into the surrounding mountains and exploded.

CITATION

Captain John S. Walmsley, Jr., United States Air Force, a member of the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3d Bomb Wing, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Yangdok, Korea on 14 Sepember 1951. While flying a B-26 aircraft on a night combat mission with the objective of developing new tactics, Captain Walmsley sighted an enemy supply train which had been assigned top priority as a target of opportunity. He immediately attacked, producing a strike which disabled the train, and, when his ammunition was expended, radioed for friendly aircraft in the area to complete destruction of the target. Employing the searchlight mounted on his aircraft, he guided another B-26 aircraft to the target area, meanwhile constantly exposing himself to enemy fire. Directing an incoming B-26 pilot, he twice boldly aligned himself with the target, his searchlight illuminating the area, in a determined effort to give the attacking aircraft full visibility. As the friendly aircraft prepared for the attack, Captain Walmsley descended into the valley in a low level run over the target with searchlight blazing, selflessly exposing himself to vicious enemy antiaircraft fire. In his determination to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, he refused to employ evasive tactics and valiantly pressed forward straight through an intense barrage, thus insuring complete destruction of the enemy's vitally needed war cargo. While he courageously pressed his attack Captain Walmsley's plane was hit and crashed into the surrounding mountains, exploding upon impact. His heroic initiative and daring aggressiveness in completing this important mission in the face of overwhelming opposition and at the risk of his life, reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Air Force.

and th a/c one serial # away is


http://www.warbirdregistry.org/a26registry/a26-4434313.html

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Don't touch my junk!!

In order to rule out certain alternatives, is there any colors you don't want on the plane?

T J

Hello All-

I have a biased opinion as to how to paint her, but it will involve some research. I had a family friend that worked with my Dad, and he was a pretty influential man! He helped develope the MAD Boom that was tested upon the P-3 way back when. His name was Bill Green, but he is more famously known as General Arthur W. Green, USAF. He flew Invaders in Korea. Perhaps you could find some info on his plane? He was a wonderful man, and unfortunately passed away a few years ago. We miss him dearly. Great man, wonderful stories, and really had an impact on history, not just by serving it.

-Dennis Sauter
Greeley, CO

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"We must bond together and fight as brothers or we will all die as fools."

Gents, All great ideas. Whatever she'll be will hopefully be an accurate representation of something interesting. RAAF 77 Sqn Mustangs and Meteors also flew escort on B-26's in Korea and they shared the same base in Japan [Iwakuni]. The 13th BG had its Pacific War roots in Australia as well. Maybe "Oscar" is it?????

Also, sorry she couldn't be at Reno...missed it.

John

I would definitely be in favor of seeing a Korean War scheme as it would be a nice change from the plethora of WWII schemes typically seen at most airshows.

Oscar, obviously its yours to do with it as you please, but it's a pleasure knowing it will be in good hands either way.


regards,


t~

I'd like to see it in the paintscheme of a B-26C flown by Fred Weddle.

I'm not sure exactly what the markings are, but Fred was a great man and a great pilot.

One story my grandfather tells about him (my grandfather was a good friend of his) is about a night recon mission Fred had.

Fred was trying to get information on a bridge and was shot at, receiving heavy flack. The nose was blown away and Fred's feet started to freeze. Then a voice came over the radio and was able to direct them back through the mountains (they were flying at low altitude because of the nose) and back to base. The next day, a general called Fred in and showed him the plane...the hydraulics were shot out and the radio was a pile of fused material. Fred, a Christian, always believed that God saved him that night.

Fred also flew B-36s, PQ-14s, P-38s, B-17s, B-25s, and a bunch of other ones. During WWII, he flew as a B-18 pilot. He had some sort of permission which allowed him to bump anyone but white house staff off a plane he needed to get on.

He used to fly model aircraft with my grandfather.

Fred died in 1999, IIRC.

Oh well....

If anyone can fill out the blanks about Fred, I'd appreciate it.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread.

I'm close to thinking that an all semi-gloss OD scheme circa 1950 of "5th Chadwick" CO of 13th BG in Japan/Korea