Captain Ted Mahl came over for a visit today, he flew B-25s over Rabaul during WW2 and P-51 Mustangs during the Korean War. For a guy that is 83 years old he sure has a lot of life left in him. He brought with him a wonderful collection of pictures he took of various nose art and we spent hours talking about things he experienced over there.
Here is Ted in his first B-25
This is a shot of one of several air bases he operated off of during the advance though “The Slot”
This is a Japanese gun position firing on Ted’s aircraft, right after this picture was taken a P-38 flying top cover dived on the position and took it out.
Ted allowed me to scan pages and pages of nose art pictures he had taken of B-25s operating with the 13th Air Force, 42nd BG, 69th Sqd., I’m still processing these but here is a sample page
He also had some really cool pictures of other B-25 nose art from the Pacific Theater like this stuff (I see at least one B-24 snuck in there) …
and this stuff …
I have two B-25 kits in the stash and am starting to feel like building a couple with some custom nose art. Obviously I’ll have to model “Darlin” but which one for the second? So many choices …
Thats awsome Matt its a shame that when all the WW2 vets are gone we will lose a wonderful and nolageble gruop of men not to mention we will lose alot of history. I like the dear john not only is it neet but alot of guys got those dear john letters[2c] Iam shure you will figure out what other B-25 you will build.
That’s one reason when I was doing research on my Dad’s WWII Victory ship, I made it a point to take notes and then write everything down. Even though their memories are 60+ years old, there is NO substitute for getting information from the guys who were actually there and did the things that we can only read up on and wonder about. Once they are gone, that history is lost forever.
I like “I tell you Boys IT’S HEAVEN” myself. Also, “OVERSHOT TOO” is neat. Swanny, you must be some kind of lucky. You get in the papers, you talk to old vets. What’s next?
What a great post. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Mr. Mahl was relating stories to you. It’s an honor and a please to read your post…I can imagine how you feel to be listening to him. I’m sure I speak for many in the forum when I say please pass along a “thank you” the next ime you see him.
That is awesome.Its sad that we are losing these veterans at an ever increasing pace,and not enough of their stories are being written down. When I was 13 I was lucky enough to talk to a member of the then Confederate Air Force who flew P-51s and B-29s.Didn’t write it down or get pictures like you did though. My grandfather got the chance to build a B-25 for a member of the Bats Outta Hell squadron,after the gentleman had autographed a copy of the book about the unit. I am personally hunting down info on a friend’s grandfather who was a gunner in Torpedo Squadron 8(post Midway).We all need to try to reach out to our veterans and get as many of their stories down on paper.
Matt, please pass on my thanks and appreciation for Captain Mahl’s service not only for the world during WW2, but for getting these pics into the hands of somebody who will appreciate them.
Whichever one (or two, or three) you decide on, I’m sure you’ll do it justice!
Outstanding photographs Swanny. Thanks for sharing them.
My uncle flew the P-40 and P-38 in the Pacific in WW II. He later flew the P-51D in the ETO. In Korea he flew the F-86A and later the F-86E. I loved talking to him about his war time experiences. I once presented him with a P-51D “Dixie Belle” that he flew with the 4 th FG in the ETO. He always kept it displayed until his death two years ago. His son now has it on display in his home. Those times with him are treasured moments which I will never forget.
My father was a WW II Marine vet. He had a hard time talking about his time in the Pacific and I didn’t know much about it. I still enjoyed many talks with my dad and twenty two years after his death I still miss him.
If any one knows a WW II or Korea War Vet, take the time to talk with them. Time is short and it waits for no one. Soon they will be all gone and along with it a legacy that can’t be repeated. I’ll get off my soap box now.
Swanny, what you have there is nothing short of an absolute treasure. I have just finished reading an excellent history of the South Pacific Campaign. It is called “Fire in the Sky”. I absoultely reccomend it to any aviation buff. (in fact if any one wants it email me to work out a trade, I will take considerably less than what I paid for it)
The rampage across the central Pacific and the great stream of bombers over Europe has from time to time overshadowed the men and machines that fought what may have been one of the most bitter campaigns in the entire war.
Hang on to those photos.
On a bit of an altruistic bent perhaps some philanthropic minded decal maker would put out these images on a limited basis and make some sort of a donation of proceeds to the Veterans Administration.
I know the feeling about talking to a vet from the earlier wars. A very close personal friend flew something like 60 missions in C-46 and C-47 cargo planes across the “Hump” from India to China during WW-II. He also flew quite a number of C-47 missions between Japan and Korea and between Okinawa and Korea during that war. He went to war for a third time during Vietnam in C-130s and finally retired in 1968 as a Lt Col. and is 84 now. I built a Williams Bros 1/72 scale C-46 with his personal markings on it for him a year or so ago. He was quite pleased with it. We have lengthy talks about his experiences every so often, although he has only a couple of pictures of that era.
He is a computer guru and helps me quite a bit on that subject while I have taught him how to fly radio control models. He is now flying fixed wing and helicopter RC models.
Great pics, I had the same op in '84 with my dad. He gave me a flight jacket and a photo of him in front of a single prop job with some nose art. It looks like shark teeth on a P-40. Theres a big radial in the backround w/3 props. I think this was taken in the pacific… as soon as I figure out how to uplink the photo I hope someone can confirm.
You know there is enough knowledge and skill right here in these forums to do this ourselves. I would suggest proceeds went to the USO or Purple Heart Foundation. Perhaps even our gracious hosts @ FSM could support us with some adverts (?)…
You’re right (and that’s what I was alluding to! [;)]). All right, who’s got an ALPS printer? And who’s a master of Photoshop? My photoshopping skills approximate the quality you would get from a five year old drawing with blunt crayons, so I’m out!!
I suggest that the price of the decal sheet be the same as a retail sheet, say $10-12 and whoever does the printing volunteers their time and gets paid for the material with the balance being contributed. I further suggest that the proceeds are split between the USO and the PHF. Sort of a “pay it back and pay it forward” deal.
edit Sorry Matt for highjacking your thread, but it was an inspiration! /edit
That’s great Matt!! I am very happy to hear you spent alot of time reviewing his pics & hearing his stories.
I would have loved bein’ a fly on the wall [;)] I think " I tell you Boys It’s Heaven" is a Dandy [tup] It’s a B-24-J (ser# 44-xxx4)
look closely by “It’s” one can almost read the fine print.
Matt, can I ask a favor of you? It’s sorta on-topic… could you ask Capt. Mahl if he knew, or served with a guy named Frank
D. Witmer. (a friend of mine’s dad) was given “a flightline promotion” by Jimmy Doolittle in 1942. (flew B-17s-26s, & a P-38)
I’ll get off my soap box now. Do give my respects to capt Mahl, a thank you & Salute.
I had a similar encounter when the radio operator from the B-17, the “Ruptured Duck”, sat down next to me here at the library.
He had some interesting stories to tell, like the time when the brakes failed on landing and one of the plane’s props destroyed a small building.
What I found interesting was that the Rup[tured Duck got its name because it was made from two different air frames!
As it turns out, the front was of Boeing manufacture, and the rear was made by Convair, which made it heavier then that of Boeing manufacture, which made the aircraft fly “tail heavy”, always with a certain degree of “nose up” angle.