Lt Col Atlee G Manthos, A remarkable career ...

[Mark Allen M]

Another great set of color photos from a very unique and honorable veteran. Lt Col Atlee G Manthos USAF
Some very interesting photos of before, during and after WWII in the career of Lt Col Manthos. Please feel free to take some time and read his bio.
(from the photo archives of Lt Col Atlee G Manthos USAF)

http://manthos.net/manthonomicon.htm
http://manthos.net/pappypix.htm

See additional photos in the galleries (second link) as well as descriptions and info for several of the posted photos. Some very nice looking aircraft in the collections (some have been seen before, but many are new) Well worth some time to read Col Manthos military history. A true hero.

HICKS FIELD KELLY FIELD 1941-42















LEISTON AIRFIELD DUXFORD AIRFIELD 1944-45























BIGGS AIRFIELD TEXAS LAWSON ARMY AIRFIELD GEORGIA 1947















CLARK FIELD PHILIPPINES TAINAN NAVAL AIR BASE FORMOSA 1948

























NOSE ART CLARK FIELD PHILIPPINES 1948 (view at your own discretion with warning about the nose art)





















FOSTER FIELD VICTORIA TEXAS USA MAY 1944

[daviemax]

Very nice work Mark. Thanks!

Dave

[pjpahs]

OK, I looked and looked and can't identify the 25th photo, the 4 engine , twin tail aircraft. The 31st
photo is a Northrop p-61 variant, the F-15 Reporter, photo recon plane. Also on another subject I found
very little of film of Japanese aircraft recovery on aircraft carriers. Lots of American recovery, and takeoffs
and some of Japanese takeoffs, usually the same film, but hardly any of recovery.

[Larry Kraus]

I come out with photo 24, but I think that this is what you are talking about as the four engined twin tailed aircraft:

[pjpahs]

Ah ,Yes, the Lancastrian, thank you.

[Mark Allen M]

Greetings Larry, this is the same type airplane is it not?

"Converted to Lancaster XPP specifications as a long-range passenger and transport aircraft -registered as CF-CMV; delivered in July, 1944; used by Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS) for mail and VIP service between Dorval and Preswick. They carried ten passengers and crossed the Atlantic in about twelve and half-hours. They were cold and noisy but did the job. Sold to Fight Refueling Ltd. in Sep.47.on British register as G-AKDO and gave excellent service during the Berlin airlift. After Berlin air-lift was scrapped."




























This last photo of a Lancaster is quite beautiful IMHO. I like the bare look.

[Mark Allen M]

And if you would like to see some great detail on this aircraft, take a look here. Great stuff.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98353311@ ... 7494824515

[Chris Brame]

Terrific batch of photos, Mark! Noticed a couple things:

Looks like two slides or negatives went into the scanner at once?

Second Storch image was reversed, now fixed - here you go:

[Scott 'Gunny' Perdue]

Mark-

These are tremendous photos! How did you find them? How did you track down Atlee Manthos? My Dad and Atlee were good friends in Austin years and years ago. I used to try and get WWII stories from him and he never really wanted to talk about it. Very cool, thanks!

gunny

[Mark Allen M]

Scott I could sense your 'need to know' so I felt an obligation to find some answers.

Seriously it's a simple case of while looking for something many times finds something else in the process. I'm always happy to read posts such as yours. As I've always preached, it's about the veterans and those who want to know about them and care about the veterans. Luckily there's sometimes some great photos of old airplanes that come along with remember these hero's

[lmritger]

TRUE STORY.

Lynn

[lmritger]

Also, I'd like to note how absolutely gut-wrenching it is to see the baked, fading and broken P-61s of the 548th NFS and the P-47Ns of the 318th FG in glorious color. Seeing the broken and baked windscreen on "Lady In The Dark" with her paint fading- knowing she scored the LAST aerial victory of WWII- is like a punch in the throat.

I know it was a different time then- the focus was entirely on looking forward, not back, and people wanted to move on from reminders of the war as quickly as possible- but 70 years on, it's just a sobering reminder of how much we let slip away in our haste to forget.

Lynn

[Scott 'Gunny' Perdue]

Scott I could sense your 'need to know' so I felt an obligation to find some answers.

Seriously it's a simple case of while looking for something many times finds something else in the process. I'm always happy to read posts such as yours. As I've always preached, it's about the veterans and those who want to know about them and care about the veterans. Luckily there's sometimes some great photos of old airplanes that come along with remember these hero's

Mark-

Thanks, and you are so right! To top it off these are excellent photos and COLOR! That alone is fantastic!

gunny