Nose Art
- Thread starter 3175375
- Start date
Ah, the Me 323 Gigant, Germany's largest production aircraft. They were terribly slow and made for sitting ducks for the flyers inside of them.
3175375
Senior Member
2nd Lt. Hugh Fletcher and his crew, and his dog mascot para-pup "Salvo", of the 322nd Bomb Group - 452nd Bomb Squadron, with their B-26B-4-MA Marauder (serial number 41-18054), DH-R, nicknamed "Jezabelle", photographed on 31st August 1943, after rainfall.
'Jezabelle' was built in the fall of 1942 as a Block 4 Marauder, which put her in a very early configuration indeed. She had the original short wing (65′ rather than the later 71′ wing introduced on Block 10 B-26s). She also had the original short fin and rudder, which was 20″ shorter than the final configuration. Block 4 was the first time package guns were mounted at the factory. 'Jezabelle' had the original “sharp” tail gun stinger with twin hand-held .50 machine guns. No tunnel guns were fitted on the production line, but were obviously added later.
Little is known about JEZABELLE’s combat career with the 322nd Bomb Group. We know she was one of the early ships assigned to the 452nd BS, and based at AAF 485, Great Saling, Essex, United Kingdom, which had been named “Andrews Field” in honor of Lt Gen Frank Andrews.
However, by April 1944, she had been re-assigned to the 3rd Combat Crew Replacement Center at Toome, Northern Ireland, about 15 miles NNE of Belfast. It’s believed she was broken up at Stansted, in February 1945, making her (at that time) one of the oldest USAAF ships left in Europe.
Photo: Authors Own Collection.
Image Repair & Colourisation - Nathan Howland @ HowdiColourWorks.
'Jezabelle' was built in the fall of 1942 as a Block 4 Marauder, which put her in a very early configuration indeed. She had the original short wing (65′ rather than the later 71′ wing introduced on Block 10 B-26s). She also had the original short fin and rudder, which was 20″ shorter than the final configuration. Block 4 was the first time package guns were mounted at the factory. 'Jezabelle' had the original “sharp” tail gun stinger with twin hand-held .50 machine guns. No tunnel guns were fitted on the production line, but were obviously added later.
Little is known about JEZABELLE’s combat career with the 322nd Bomb Group. We know she was one of the early ships assigned to the 452nd BS, and based at AAF 485, Great Saling, Essex, United Kingdom, which had been named “Andrews Field” in honor of Lt Gen Frank Andrews.
However, by April 1944, she had been re-assigned to the 3rd Combat Crew Replacement Center at Toome, Northern Ireland, about 15 miles NNE of Belfast. It’s believed she was broken up at Stansted, in February 1945, making her (at that time) one of the oldest USAAF ships left in Europe.
Photo: Authors Own Collection.
Image Repair & Colourisation - Nathan Howland @ HowdiColourWorks.
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
B-25, the most widely used of all WWII Bombers. They saw many different types of flying activities.
3175375
Senior Member
That B-25 used to be in Camarillo, CA. I can’t remember where it moved.
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
Purple Shaft??? Oooo, a Mopar B-29!!
67newport
Old Man with a Hat
B-25 Mitchell "The Ink Squirts" from the 41st Bombardment Group. The “Ink Squirts” was a cartoon in the base newspaper of the Sea Bees of the 94th Battalion, on Tarawa, 1944.
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