Marine PBJ of VMB-612 (and some other 'stuff') ...

[Mark Allen M]

Saw these a long time ago in the SDASM archives and forgot about them. Photos state "VMB-612 Experimental Squadron 1943". Taigh Ramey perhaps is still looking for some stenciling detail for his PV-2 rockets. There's some good detail in a few of these photos.

There's some other nice stuff I shall post as well.


Neat looking setup here. Pretty powerful tractor by the looks of it.


I can read the stenciling much more clearly on the photo before I post on WIX


Any idea what that device is used for?


Another question mark on the plugs I see in a couple of shots.


Solid navy blue for the whole airplane? Assuming the same as the CAF's devil dog?


Assuming an experiment here.


Interesting how small the star and bar are here.

And a few interesting items ...



PV-2's off the Aleutians with P-38 escorts


P-51C with double wing tank configuration, notice the wood braces. I believe this was taken in the CBI theater


P-51C with an assortment of "stuff", notice again the wood braces. This must have been some sort of mock up?

[Mark Allen M]

More good stuff here on VMB-612

http://vmb612.com/photographs1.html

[Mark Allen M]

More 'unrelated' stuff. Interesting never-the-less.


"Iowa Belle" carries the markings of 75FS, 23FG, 14AF, incendiaries under the wing?


90th Bombardment Group; 5th Air Force C-47, this would be a neat scheme for a C-47 today IMHO


B-24 and a few Grumman's. Interesting the F4F's are still wearing the older star in this photo. Location unknown.

[wendovertom]

I wonder if that device in the second shot is a arming system. I have a bunch of surplus items that are simply very strong nylon cord that attaches to the plane with a clip on one end and to a bomb/rocket/etc with another clip on the opposite end. When the weapon drops away and the cord's end is reached, the weapon is armed. I'll take some photos tonight of one of them.

Tom P.

[Warbird Kid]

90th Bombardment Group; 5th Air Force C-47, this would be a neat scheme for a C-47 today IMHO

You and me both brother! I've been thinking that for awhile. If I ever get a C-47...

[Nathan]

my uncle probably worked on some of those PBJ's before leaving the states

[m50a1ontos]

That doo-hicky looks like an arming circut tester. Plug it in, guy in the cockpit hits the switch. If it lights up, the system works. If it doesn't Somebody's chasing wires looking for the fault.

[lmritger]

Ok this is all kinds of kicka55 right here. Looks like it might have the red-bordered national insignia... and I'm guessing the rudder would be black? Anyone have any other info on it? This absolutely NEEDS to happen on one of our many non-D-Day participating C-47s... if there's one out there with a nondescript history, this ought to be her new paint scheme. Think of the money they'd pull in from t-shirt sales alone!

Lynn

[Warbird Kid]

Ok this is all kinds of kicka55 right here. Looks like it might have the red-bordered national insignia... and I'm guessing the rudder would be black? Anyone have any other info on it? This absolutely NEEDS to happen on one of our many non-D-Day participating C-47s... if there's one out there with a nondescript history, this ought to be her new paint scheme. Think of the money they'd pull in from t-shirt sales alone!

Lynn

Glad you like it Lynn! My Grandpappy's squadron. The rudder does indeed seem to be Black. Probably the same as "Little Chief" the squadron's A-20 base hack.



Here is a 1/144th example my father is redoing.

[Snake45]

Solid navy blue for the whole airplane? Assuming the same as the CAF's devil dog?

They're PBJ-1Ds and IIRC they were painted overall Nonspecular Sea Blue, same as the topside color of tricolor Corsairs and Hellcats. I believe Devil Dog represnts a PBJ-1J. I can't recall offhand if the late PBJ-1Js were overall NSSB or Glossy Sea Blue--I'll have to look that up. Quite a few of them (and PBJ-1Hs) were in tricolor, too.