Hal Olsen

[Django]

This can't be right... According to Wikipedia, Hal Olsen painted the nose art on the Ruptured Duck. I know he painted the recreated nose art at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Hawaii. They depict him as AAF with a manequin with Doolittle. (huh?)

In articles, he is quoted as working repairing instruments for the Navy. So was he Navy or AAF? I thought AAF but would he have been working on Navy instruments? Obviously, he did.

Can anyone confirm that it was Hal Olsen that painted the original nose art on the Ruptured Duck?

[Robbie Roberts]

According to Ted Lawson, Pilot of USAAC 40-2261, aka. The "Ruptured Duck" "somebody had chalked the words 'Ruptured Duck' on the side of the fuselage" He then states that a gunner he knew, a Corporal Lovelace, was the one who painted the caricature on the aircraft. This is on page 23 of the 1953 Landmark Books printing of "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", by Capt. Ted Lawson. This was done while they were at Eglin.

It was his a/c, and I would guess he knew who he had paint the "Ruptured Duck" on it!

Robbie

[airnutz]

Yes, Cpl Roger Lovelace is also mentioned in the 1st chapter of the book "First Heroes" by Craig Nelson,
as having been "Ruptured Ducks" artist.

Yeah..this appears to be another Wiki-booboo. I believe the Wiki contributor lifted the Olsen comment
from an erroneous Air Force news article. I found this after a bit of googling, but when I went back to go
over the Wiki article again..there it was in the footnotes..1st entry!

Same photo and caption as posted to the Wiki... watch yer Wiki folks!
www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123050401

[Django]

I'd love to meet him.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth ... lOlsen.htm