Slow But Deadly

[Jack Cook]

SBD-5s from VB-10 USS Enterprise 1944




LTjg Jake Jacobsen

[Owen Miller]

Gotta love 'em...the most successful ship killer of the war....

Good looking airplane, too. I'd bet it's a very docile, very easy airplane to fly (being shot at notwithstanding!)

[Pogo]

Gordon Baxter always said "airplanes pretty much do what they look like they'll do". I've found that to be amazingly helpful over the years; I'll bet the SBD is a plane the crews didn't hate. Sho' is a sweet lookin' bird.

[Zachary]

Here I thought this was a post about the reaction that comes when eating too many deviled eggs at the AirVenture WIX Gathering....

Zack

[m charters]

Great pictures Jack, and I have to ask, whats your story for those of us who are new here, and where do you get such fantastic photos?

[Jack Cook]

They had a story in the local paper recently about a lady who collected napkins for 65 years
Change 65 to 30 and napkins to photos and you keep the picture
The National Archives is a gold mine of cool stuff. Vets, Ebay, garage sales can yeild some amazing stuff.
I bought 1000 B-29 negs from Saipan a few months ago at a garage sale for $10
One of my friends went to Quantico to do some research and brought me back some really cool stuff!

[m charters]

You must have some photo album Jack!

[Jack Cook]

Sadly I lost about 4,000+ originals (among other things like everything)when our house burned down a couple years ago

[m charters]

Sorry to hear that! I had lots of negatives my wife got sick of and told me to toss them, so i did. Now there is equipment to put them from the negative to the computer. Wish i had them now! Had some i took years ago of the Dayton Mosquito coming through Hamilton. Mowed the lawn and buzzed the old tower which i was on top of! Can't find the print now!
Oh well....keep the photos coming, love the quizzes, need more canadian content!

[Mgawa]

I bought 1000 B-29 negs from Saipan a few months ago at a garage sale for $10

Jack- congratulation for that And images of Dauntless are amazing, I like this machine very much and I have note that people who flew them are very brave!

[Jack Cook]

There was a fellow here in town named Bruce Prosser who flew SBDs on Guadalcanal during the start of the campaign.
He was Dick Mangrum's XO and they flew them off the USS Long Island.
He was awarded the Navy Cross for his exploits during the Battle of midway flying a SB2U Vindicator.

[Mgawa]

Jack... you are ideal man to make book related to US aviation history in WW2!!! What are you waiting for- you have so much of material, met so much of veteran and became friend with, you have get info from various archive... what are you waiting?!

[Jack Cook]

A ghost writer and a sugar daddy.

Capt Bruce Prosser VMSB-232

[John Dupre]

Great photos Jack. Any indication of who took them? Anyone well known? I thought of Steichen as soon as I saw them, so rich and full of detail. You can really see why so many B&W photogs stuck with it so long after color became more affordable.