Warbird Information Exchange

Sorry no CY

Belly landing

Maj Throop CO 363rd FS

FO Dittie Jenkins KIFA

Maj Tom Hayes

Capt Jim Browning

Capt Jerry Tyler later of Cavelier Mustang fame

Lt "Daddy Rabbit" Peters

Lt Rod Starkey

Lt Paswcoe aka "The Desert Rat"

Capt John England

Capt Don Bochkay

Capt Bud Anderson

Lt Fletcher Adams murdered by SS

Capt "O'Bee" O'Brien

Lt Bill Overstreet

Capt Ed Hiro

wreck C5+H

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Don't touch my junk!!

I always like the markings of Maj. Peterson's "Hurry Home Honey"



And Don't worry Jack, I got your back.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

well....so much for this thread

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Don't touch my junk!!

Jack, I know you're not a fan of Yeager, but it's neat to see pictures of pilots he talked about in his book.

Thanks for the great pictures and keep it up!

Doug

The first Old Crow

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

While we're talking (typing?) about the 357th I wanted to share some sad news. Tommy Hayes passed last Friday. He was their "old man" at 26 years old when he became deputy group commander, having previously served in Bali and Java with P40s. He got two Japanese then and was then sent to the 357th to help train the new pilots for combat. Among other things he led the first raid on Berlin (Jeff Ethell's book on that raid has a great story by him). He ended his career as a 1 star General flying F106s.

Everyone I spoke with said they loved it when he led a mission because they had a much better chance of getting into a flight.

He also told stories of learning to fly fighters in the P-36 with the shotgun shell starter between your legs. A different time.

I became quite close with him due to "Frenesi" and he was a wonderful, quiet man. He gave me the actual lighter he carried on his mssions and when the fight was over they'd all light up. Here's his lighter that he used in the real Frenesi. Here's a shot of the front of the lighter. The back had his kills in the checkers, and he added to it as he downed another plane.



He'll be missed. jb

Jim that is really an awesome story, and a great keepsake for you. Sad to hear he passed on. We have lost so many legends.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

My father used to work for an architectural firm in San Antonio and the owner had been a ATC controller at one of the Flying Tiger bases - I think Kunming or one of those. He'd become good friends with Maj. Peterson and gave me a signed photo from him which I have kept in safekeeping somewhere...
The firm was supposed to have designed the planned American Fighter Aces Association museum across from the Alamo. I'd helped with the mock-up model, and built scale models for the interior. The plans were basically done and there was already a gift shop downtown - where I took more models and was trying to work a deal to work with them, but something went wrong and they ended up moving somewhere else. That really disappointed me as I might have ended up working there part time. I think I still have the two models I built for the architectural model. Never saw the models I built for the gift shop display again - despite a promise to get them back to me from the guy in the gift shop.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Way cool. The Mountaineer was flown by Paul Bowles. I had him for a professor in law school. We spend a day after the first class in "coal, oil and gas" law talking about his exploits in WWII. He died the following week.......

His law firm ended up being one of my principal adversaries and I extracted enough money from his clients over the years to buy several P-51s. I always said if I bought one, I'd paint it in his colors and paint on the gear door that his clients paid for it.

The good old days........

Mark H

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Fly safe or you get to meet me .......

If you've got a few minutes take the time to read this about the 357th.

http://www.cebudanderson.com/tommyhayesinterview.htm

Jack, you wouldn't by any chance have a pic of either "Evelyn" or "Marie", both from the 364th FS, would you? I found a grainy pic of "Marie" in 'Aces and Wingmen II" but was looking for something a little clearer.

Thanks as always for all these great pics you post!

Lynn

Good interview. Godspeed General...

Jim, do you regret changing Frenesi now? Just wondering.

Great pics Jack.

No but a good question -- I've really thought about it and it's time. Tommy had a great time with Frenesi (it's the old Dominican trainer FAD 1900 so it's got the dual controls in her) and he got lots of stick time. His family told me that before he saw Frenesi again, he never spoke of WWII but afterwards they said he wouldn't stop speaking about it. That makes me feel good. And because it's basically a new plane (or will at some point, right Rich?), and also given how there is a paucity of pacific schemes and no one seems to be telling the VLR stories, it seems appropriate to change, even if only for a few years. jb

That's some good stuff, Jim. Thanks for sharing that. R.I.P. Tommy!

Let's face it, there'd have to be thousands of mustangs in order to pay tribute to all of the "greatest generation" of Mustang pilots, so you're doing something good by paying tribute to different groups of pilots with one airframe.

Can't wait to see the new bird.

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com