Merlin's In Profile

[Jack Cook]

P-40F s/n 41-14106 #106 "Pee Wee"/"Irene" flown by Capt Sam Hitchcock of the 44th FS on Guadalcanal Jan 1943

P-51D s/n 44-14995 HO+I "Dopey Okie" flown by 1Lt Karl Dittmar 352nd FG Bodney, England 1945

[mlenoch]

Me thinks the P-51 photo is winter time, which likely places the location as Asche, Belgium rather than England.
VL

[JimH]

Does anybody know the approximate location of Asche airfield?...trying to google earth it.

jim harley

[Mgawa]

Jack- how about large scan of the Mustang logo on nose?

Thank you

[Jack Cook]

Vlado's correct but it was late and I didn't care to double check the caption

[Rogue]

P-40F s/n 41-14106 #106 "Pee Wee"/"Irene" flown by Capt Sam Hitchcock of the 44th FS on Guadalcanal Jan 1943

I thought this was "Bone Crusher"?

[Jack Cook]

This is the 2nd #106 which Capt Hitchcock was assigned after the loss of #1.
Bone Crusher was #3 after Hitchcock completed his tour Wheadon took #106 over and named it Bone Crusher.
Judy Pay's P-40F which is being restored is NOT Bone Crusher it's Pee Wee
When I told Judy that #106 was Bone Crusher over 10 years ago I didn't
know there were 4 #106s. I've been trying to get this straight ever since
Except for the name here the photo shows exactly how Judy's a/c looked.

[Django]

Love the Mustang photo. Do you have any others in profile?

Does it not snow in England?

[Jack Cook]

Dittmar down 3 MIGs in korea with the 4th FIW and was a VERY talented
artist decorating many of his sqd's F-86s!!

[Rogue]

This is the 2nd #106 which Capt Hitchcock was assigned after the loss of #1.
Bone Crusher was #3 after Hitchcock completed his tour Wheadon took #106 over and named it Bone Crusher.
Judy Pay's P-40F which is being restored is NOT Bone Crusher it's Pee Wee
When I told Judy that #106 was Bone Crusher over 10 years ago I didn't
know there were 4 #106s. I've been trying to get this straight ever since
Except for the name here the photo shows exactly how Judy's a/c looked.

Ok Jack, I'm Confused.... so Judy Pay actually has 41-14106, not 41-14112?

Do you have the serial numbers for above A/C?
106 #1
"Pee Wee" 106 #2
"Bone Crusher" 106 #3
106 #4

Sorry Jack,
I just have a thing for Merlin Warhawks, and want to be straight in my notes.

[Jack Cook]

Congrads you've fell into the same hole I tossed everybody else into over 12 years ago. serial # 4114112 is "PeeWee" with Judy Pay. This a/c 41-14106 is #2 #106 "PeeWee'/"Irene" and the 3rd #106 was 41-19836 first "PeeWee' the renamed "Bone Crusher". When I first talked to Judy I never realized there were more than 1 #106 so I told her that her a/c was "Bone Crusher" OOPS Over 10 years now I've been trying to undo that booboo Now no ones believes me They all say prove it! Well all these guys are dead now and most of my records and photos went up in smoke with my house

[Jack Cook]

Here you go............

[mlenoch]

The second 352nd FG book, quotes that P-51 photo as Asche, Belgium.
I've been to Bodney and thus the background did not look familiar.
The unit moved to Y-29 on December 23, 1944. The crews moved there via C-47s and the Mustangs arrived in the afternoon, during the return from a mission over Germany.
VL

[mlenoch]

JimH asked about the location of Y-29:

You can see it on Google-Earth. Look up Genk, Belgium. Then look east about 6 km. The airfield appears abandoned with farm or storage buildings on the north west side.

Also known as Asch or Asche. Located south of the town As, Belgium.
Coordinates of 50deg,58'05"N and 5deg35'0" E.

VL

[Starduster77]

Jack, do you have a photo of #106 when it was Wheadon's Bone Crusher?
Thanks
Rick