Warbird Information Exchange

I'd like to know if someone has a better photo than the one that I have linked to. I'd like to zoom in to see if the B-29 in the foreground on the hardstand, is my uncle's B-29 (A Square 28.) I see it's A Square 20 some thing. It would be cool if it's his!
-PBY
http://www.nps.gov/archive/amme/wwii_mu ... ian_lg.jpg

PBY

quite a few photos of "A-Square" aircraft in the Birdsall book "Saga of The Superfortress", but none (apparently) of A-Square-28; did this a/c have a name, or do you have the s/n?

greg v.

The name was WereWolf sn: 42-63423. Capt. Elmer G. Hahn was the skipper. The only photos I have are the port and starboard nose sides, and from the front. Nothing of the whole aircraft, and I'd like to find one if possible.

The bad news is that the B-29 in the foreground of that photo is A-Sq-26, 42-24622, lost with Lt Sam Wagner and crew when it was rammed near Tokyo on November 24, 1944.



The good news is that A-Sq-28 Werewolf, 42-63423, is on the next hardstand.

Even better news may be that A-Sq-28 is the aircraft shown in the color photo on the dust jacket of Saga of the Superfortress.

www.B17BlackJack.com

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www.B17BlackJack.com

More good news--it looks like we can determine which hardstand ship 28 parked on with some certainty. The fork between her stand and ship 26 only occurs on two areas of the 497th Group area.

Great to have you aboard, Steve--I've been studying your work for many years!
Scott

With the help of Steve's photo above I have decided with some certainty that Werewolf was probably parked here:

I put a question mark at the other three-plane parking area, but the feeder taxiways are a bit too long judging from the photograph. Also, if you count the number of parking stalls starting at the east end, the pad I've marked comes out to be number 29. Providing that the 497th parked in a more-or-less orderly fashion, that would be pretty darned close to where ship 28 would park. Depending on how recent the google satellite photo is, it appears that your uncle's hardstand is still intact, Jonas.

Scott

I can not tell you guys how much this means to me. I've been trying to find a whole shot of the airplane, not just the nose art. I appreciate it, and if it's ok I'd like to save copies of these. I would show these to my grandfather, but he passed last May. He's the reason why I started researching his brother, he never knew what happened. I'm very happy to have been given this info. Thanks so much guys, I owe you a beer. What kind of beer do you like? I hope to go to Saipan and find their hardstand. YOU GUYS MADE MY DAY!!!!!

I can't speak for everyone else, but I will be happy if you post a photo of your uncle's hardstand with you on it. I'm going to keep looking for any documents that can definitely pair Werewolf with the exact pad she called home. I'll stay in touch.

Scott

Steve, I sent you a PM saying how much I enjoy your books. I have quite a few of them on my book shelf. They've been a big help! I watched a few clips on Youtube on B-29s, and they show an interview you did. Wish you could John Hancock some of the books....but I appreciate the info even more. THANKS A TON!

Everything I have supports Scott's analysis and I believe he has correctly identified Werewolf's hardstand.

Moving down towards Runway Able from A-Sq-28's hardstand, the other B-29s shown in the photo in question are A-Sq-22, 42-24616 Haley's Comet, unidentified, but maybe A-Sq-8 Coral Queen, A-Sq-10, 42-24597 Our Baby, A-Sq-4, 42-24596 Little Gem and A-Sq-5, 42-24598 Waddy's Wagon.

This is a very early photo and the final group of three hardstands was not yet paved when the photo was taken.

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www.B17BlackJack.com

These Werewolf threads keep getting better...

Can anyone ID the various ground equipment and materials stacked up on the perimeter of the hardstands?

Edward,

There is a pretty darned nice ground crew shack just off Werewolf's right wing. An empty M-5 bomb trailer like the one we're restoring at ship 26, and a loaded one at 28. The small carts with bombs loaded are in a string under Werewolf's wing, and similar carts are parked just off the asphalt on the left aft side of 26. There's a fire bottle set on the left front of 26's stand and what could be a crew chief cart with equipment etc. just to the right of the fire bottles. It also appears that the guys are servicing #4 on ship 26. I'm not sure what the smaller items are to the rear and right aft side of Werewolf, but I did notice that the airplanes are still carrying the 20MM tail guns.

Scott

Thanks, Scott.

Today I unwrapped my ebay DVD video "The Twentieth Air Force World War II."

This was an unexpected treat. Hours of actual footage with Saipan as the emphasis. Lots of A Square aircraft. This will be something I will be studying for sometime. A Square 28, not sure, maybe, but in the meantime there is for sure many of her A Square sister ships!

The first time through the video I noticed A-Square's: 1, 3, 7, 21, 25, 29, 41 clearly. Shots both in the air and on the ground. Lots more could be mined with better analysis, however my remote clicker is broken so I can't freeze frames.

Some of the footage was taken on the first Tokyo trip with Dauntless Dotty leading (Nov 24, 1944), more of the footage said it was taken in January of 45.