Consolidated B-24 Liberator

On 2016-07-31 23:30:48 +0000, Miloch said:

In article 2016073115331691137-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom,
Savageduck says...

On 2016-07-31 21:42:24 +0000, Miloch said:


Louis Zamperini, Olympic runner, and later war prisoner and hero, served as a
bombardier on two B-24s. The first, "Super Man", was damaged, and the crew was
assigned to B-24D "Green Hornet" to conduct search and rescue. On 27 May 1943,
the aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Eight of the 11 crewmembers were
killed. Zamperini, pilot Russell A. Phillips, and Francis McNamara survived the
crash. Only Zamperini and Phillips survived their 47 days adrift on a life raft
on the sea.[48] Zamperini is the subject of two biographies and the 2014 film
Unbroken.

...also, my father.

So, are you Cissy, or Luke?



Neither...not related.


Pre Pearl Harbor in Lancaster CA, my father was like a lot of guys who were
interested in flying. Down the road was a flying service owned/operated by
Pancho Barnes and he took his first lessons from her.

After Pearl Harbor, he joined the Army Air Corps but came down & was bed-ridden
with rheumatic fever just after graduation from flight school and was
pronounced
unfit for combat duty.

At the time, 1942, there was a pilot shortage and he was kept on as a flight
instructor (eventually for B-24s). He told me that one of his instructors was
Jimmy Stewart. I remember him giving hilarious impressions of Stewart giving
him instructions during flight training.

OK! It was just that the way you wrote the above, it seemed to imply
that Zamperii was your father. ;-)

My father flew P-47s, and P-38s with the 9th FS, 49th FG, and had on
occassion flown as wingman to both Dick Bong and Robert Johnson until
he became a flight leader.
He also has had the privilige of having Lindbergh fly as his wingman on
Lindy's South-West Pacific tour. After that mission some of the
participants signed a dollar bill for his "short snorter". On the
dollar bill Lindbergh is the clear signature followed by Tommy McGuire,
who was Lindy's handler for the tour, and #2 USAAF WWII ace, Maj. Bob
McComsey, and Robert De Haven an ace from 7th FS, 49th FG.



Here is the 9th FS at Biak 1944. My father is standing 4th from the
left, and Maj. McComsey is standing in the middle.



--
Regards,

Savageduck