Warbird Information Exchange

Ya'll, please.

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."

Regarding the B-17 ... I just got a reply from Grandpa Jim who was the aircraft commander of "He11's Angel Out of Chute 13" when the war ended.

"He said the man on the left is MSgt C. H. Brown, known as "Brownie"
and he was the ground crew chief. The man who is right center is
Corporal C.S. Smith, a member of the ground crew. Jim thinks the man who is left center is Sgt F. Able, member of the ground crew (but is
somewhat unsure if he is that person), and could not identify the 4th
man."

In addition, a copy of this photo was stuck inside a copy of "Serenade to the Big Bird" that Jim once signed for me as a gift. On the back of the photo he wrote, "After each mission, I taxied off the runway - stopped - and "Brownie" my crew chief would get in - come up to the cockpit and ask 'How the old bird that day fly? (sic)' "

It pains me to think of the stories and experiences that are lost forever when we lose these veterans. Getting him to identify some of the men in the photo is a minor thing but I think it matters.

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

Ken,

I think identifying some of those guys and telling their stories IS a big deal, and thanks for telling us that little bit of history. That information may mean a great deal to someone in the future.

Scott

The picture of the horse on the B17 crew escape hatch doesn't favor the representation of the bucking bronco on the link.

Love to see a close up of that hatch art... or better yet see it hanging in the American Airpower Heritage Museum.

The rider on the horse (on the hatch) seems to be looking back at possibly the "filly" he left behind, if I Reckon right!

And I think they got the rivet count wrong!

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Support Your Local Warbirds! KBO!
The only reasons the airplanes matter is what the veterans did with them... and why.

Well done JDK. Knew it was familiar from somewhere.

Great post, Dave. Haven't come across those chaps before.

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http://aircrewbookreview.blogspot.com/

Dave do you have any details on

Sqn Ldr Desmond Malcolm Rolph-Smith DFC. [killed in flying accident - mid air B-24 and Spitfire in Palestine circa May 1945]

He is a friend's uncle [who's father flew P40's in the Pacific with RNZAF

Invader26,

Here is an entry in Errol Martyn's book 'For Your Tomorrow' Volume II which I will copy below:

Thu 18 Nov 1943
Mediterranean Air Command
Circuit and Landing Approach
1675 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF (Lydda, Palestine - 203 Group, Middle East)
Liberator II AL540 - on final approach at 100 feet, was struck by a 1 Air Delivery Unit Hurricane IIA (BV168) making a steep gliding turn approach turn from 1000 feet at 1410. The Hurricane flew into AL540 from behind, severing the starboard tailplane, fin and rudder with its port wing. The Liberator crashed on ploughed ground 1000 yards from the airfield boundary and burned out. Its four crew are buried in Ramleh. Hurricane BV168 fell 100 yards away, the pilot surviving with serious injuries. Amongst recommendations issued by the subsequent Court of Enquiry, it was stated that rear gunners should in future be carried in tail turrets when on circuits to forewarn captains of similar occurrences.
Captain: 36429 Sqn Ldr Desmond Malcolm ROLPH-SMITH, DFC, The White Eagle of Yugoslavia 5th Class, RAF - Age 24. At least 29 ops.
The CWGC register states Rolph-Smith's Yugoslav award to be 1st Class, but RAF documents record is as being 5th Class (in fact the highest Yugoslav award at that time).

End of Quote from Errol's book.

The following results were also found on a search of PapersPast (which is the New Zealand National Library's online searchable site for historic newspapers). Click the links to see the period articles mentioning him.

Royal Air Force
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

Oddly this one says he was appointed to the RNZAF, but it doesn't seem like he was in the end
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

Air Force Commissions
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

Promoted to Flying Officer
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

DFC's Awarded
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

Air Force Casualties
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

Posthumous Awards
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... Zz-smith--

There was another article that came up in the search called Aiding Guerillas from 1944 but the site seems to have frozen on me and I cannot open it. Try the search at the top of these pages that are linked - searching his name - to get it.

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The Wings Over New Zealand Forum http://rnzaf.proboards.com

The Wings Over New Zealand Show http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZ_Show.html

Wings Over Cambridge http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz

Thanks very much Dave.

At least you said Y'all and not U'all (which we all know is a rental truck).

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

Sorry guys but the Aussie is correct. The word is y'all. The apostrophe is a substitute for the missing "OU". Of course you're aware that "y'all" is the singular use of the word. The usage when referring to a group is "ALL Y'ALL".

Miudge the dialectician and grammarian

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Land of the free because of the brave