A little close air support never hurt ...

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7820

Napalm and low grade gas are dropped from Republic P-47's on a pillbox target during a demonstration of the fire bombs at Bastia, Corsica on 11 August 1944

Low level P-38 providing low level support

Corsairs providing close support for Marines.

P-47 Thunderbolts attack a group of tanks during Operation Rainbow in West Germany c 1950

AD Skyraider of VMA-211 Onslow Beach NC c 1955

Two AD-5 Skyraiders give tactical support to Marine Infantrymen, during amphibious training at Onslow Beach, North Carolina c 1955

A-1H aircraft make a low level pass over Vietnamese tanks

January 27, 1957, FJ Fury jets of Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 312 roar over the beach at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

North American FJ-2 Furys of VMF-312 during U.S.M.C. training at Onslow Beach, N.C. c 1957

A P-3A Orion pictured making a low pass of the U.S. Navy submarine Pickerel (SS 524) c 1965

J. Thompson · **Joined:** Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:56 pm **Posts:** 51

The two Skyraider's...wow!

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:13 am

Hands down the corsair.......the best

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon Apr 13, 2015 2:06 pm

Have you run across any photos of land based CBI AAF aircraft loaded with depth charges? IIRC, dense jungle was good at absorbing conventional shrapnel until someone realized the concussion from depth bombs would be the ticket the Japanese couldn't hide from...the technique supposedly also worked for some of the caves.

p51 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:04 pm

Great shots!
The ones with the Marines were kind of funny to me, they're all in the same pose through what had to be several different passes, and a flamethrower operator who looks way too close to that bazooka gunner.

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7820

airnutz wrote:

Have you run across any photos of land based CBI AAF aircraft loaded with depth charges? IIRC, dense jungle was good at absorbing conventional shrapnel until someone realized the concussion from depth bombs would be the ticket the Japanese couldn't hide from...the technique supposedly also worked for some of the caves.

Depth charges loaded on a 459th FS P-38

Armorers Load 250 Lb. Depth Charges Into Bomb Bay Of A North American B-25. Burma

sandiego89 · **Joined:** Mon May 21, 2012 12:28 pm **Posts:** 1199

Quote:

P-47 Thunderbolts attack a group of tanks during Operation Rainbow in West Germany c 1950

As always great photos. I know you did not supply the caption, but I find the P-47 caption interesting. I would have thought that by 1950 there would not be a USAF unit in Europe using the P-47- or technically it would be F-47? Right? Seemed USAFE had the best, newest stuff.

I thought P/F-47's were retired from front line use in 1949, with a few guard units staying with the type until mid-1950's. Interesting.

By many accounts the F-47 would have been better suited that the liquid cooled F-51 for ground attack in Korea, but the Jugs seemed to have disappeared surprisingly quickly.... Perhaps the first victory of the "fighter mafia" ?

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:09 pm

Thanx Mark!

Ken · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2015 8:32 am

The previous shot of the B-25 late model C/D or G is very interesting. I wasn't familiar with that type of emergency escape hatch as shown. The window configurations on the A-G models always intrigues me and is my weakest area on those model B-25s.

And, not to make a post without mentioning the mighty A-1, the following is a LIFE photo. Did not see a caption for this one, but based on what I see I would take an educated stab that this is a Pleiku-based A-1E dropping on a target in the highlands of South Vietnam in 1966-67. It looks that the airplane is still carrying 2 M47 white phosphorus bombs and what is likely a SUU-14 CBU dispenser, possibly a napalm can. On the centerline is the older style drop tank in 2-tone camo commonly seen on Pleiku airplanes.

Warbird Information Exchange

A little close air support never hurt ...

Who is online