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OK, I posted this in the " TOP 10 AIRCRAFT NOSE ART" thread but I don’t think that anyone saw it so, here it is.
I did this mainly to remember and honor my friend’s service and friendship.
This is my favorite “NOSE ART” mainly because I know the guy who flew it. Joe Mc Connell is a friend and fellow musician who flew this bird (well, the real one) out of the PHILLIPINES in the 823rd sq. of the 38bg during the last months of the war. Prior to piloting this B-25 he flew right seat in an earlier modified glass nose version.
When on bomb runs Joe was responsible for releasing the bombs. He recounts on his first mission ,while attacking a JAPANESE train, the pilot gave the bomb drop command and after flying over they didn’t see any explosions. That’s when Joe realized that ,in his excitement, he’d forgotten to open the bomb bay. He said “there went a bunch of guys that lived for another day.”
I asked Joe if he ever flew again and he said that after the war he never flew a plane and didn’t ever think about it again until I started asking him questions about his war experiences. I eventually asked him if he’d like for me to build his plane,which stoked him, and he loaned me an old photo album with pics of his plane “SWEET SUE” (named after his sweetheart and wife Susan) plus his squadron mates and other planes in the unit.
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I tried to get the Monogram model as close to what I could see in the photos and there’s some questions about some of the markings eg. the squadron color and serial #. I do know that the tiger head and the planes name are accurate. These were hand painted onto decal film and applied accordingly.
Joe may have confused his earlier B-25 assignment with this plane since the serial number indicates an earlier year for when a B-25 J would have been built. I’m not certain. He liked it and that’s what was most important for me.
I built this model in the early '90’s and Joe’s had it since so, if anyone’s got a problem with detail accuracy- well, it’s to late for me to fix it now. I will note the comments for the future if I ever do this subject again.
Joe and Susan live happily on a farm in MANSFIELD Pennsylvania.
Joe’s plane is not famous like all of the so very well known bombers that we’ve seen for almost ever but it’s no less important.
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HAVE FUN and HAPPY MODELLING! |
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I really enjoyed the story that came along with this! Even though it may not be the most famous nose art, the fact that you know the person who flew really does make it special. Thanks for sharing the story AND the pics! [tup]
Sure I (we) saw it and it’s a great model. I put a post up there too but musta been a slow night… Tribute models are a fantastic thing. My own personal experience is that the flyer has a relationship to the a/c that is in NO way similar to ours as an enthusiast and modeler, so the reaction is instructive in itself. Very nice!
Thanks! Yes ,I feel very fortunate to know someone who expeienced WW2. What amazes me about my friend Joe is that he’s so "present " in his thinking and his life in general. He’s chronologicaly “old” but he’s as sharp as anyone I know and maybe even more so than some of the younger folk!
My dad also served and never really told much about his expriences save for one account that he told of hearing his Lt. sobbing one night. My dad figured that the strain of command and seeing the results of his orders(guys dying) just got to him. My dad’s gone and I’ll not get any more from him about what he went through. I’m sorry for that…
Now we’ve got yet another batch of combat vets that I think we really need to listen to and to help in any way we can. They seem to have been forgotten and doomed to an endless deployment.
My heart aches…
You did a wonderful thing, and created a beautiful model in the process.
This is a great tribute to you friend. You die an excellent job. You should be proud. It’s great to have someone that touches so. And such a “sweet” subject too!
Thanks for sharing
Zip
It’s great to build something that has such a close connection, great job.
It’s a great looking build. Our Vets, no matter how young or old, should never be forgotten. They should always be remembered as HERO’S, although they often down play their roles, no matter how large or small. There is a national military cemetary in the local where I work and I occassionally stop by and pay respect to the men and women burried there. I don’t know any of them, but I always say THANK YOU when I leave. Some of the head stones go as far back as the early 1800’s. Some are so worn from the weather you can’t even make out what was engraved on them because they are so old. thing that’s strange is I never knew it was there until a few months ago when my partner and I stumbled across it on our way back from a run. Sorry If I got off topic[%-)]
Chris
Great story, I love these types of builds based on personal relations with the actual events, people, aircraft.
So if you release the bombs with the bombbay closed, is/was there any sort of lockout to prevent them from actually releasing? I’m pretty sure it would have to be electrical and not a mechanical lock out.
Thanks MOON PUPPY.
I don’t know what the actual mechanism is, whether it was mechanical , electrical or both but I do know that if the doors aren’t open the bombs did not release. If they had ,my friend Joe would have been much more embarrassed!
Something that I’ve subsiquently found out is that Joe didn’t confuse his two bombers and the serial number on SWEET SUE is consisteant with a B-25J built early in the model run. B-25J’s were built ,all at Kansas City, between Dec. 1943 and Aug. 1945.
The only other uncertainty was the squadron color. I’ve references that have it as blue and a piece of artwork which depicts an 823sq plane attacking a Japanese ship with green. The artwork was to appear on the cover of the unit history which hasn’t been finished or at least I’m not certain if it was finished or not.
Maybe the experts here have the bomb release info. I’d be interested in knowing…
Thanks
Here’s some interior shots I have of the Collings Foundation B-25.
I don’t know if I would be called an “expert” but I did load weapons on B52s back in the 80s at Grand Forks AFB. If you look in the first picture that Bondo posted you’ll see a silver looking box with two arms sticking up down towards the bottom . If memory serves that is a “A2 release unit”, one arm would actuate and arm the bomb by retaining the arming laynard and the other lever, when tripped will release the bomb. Interesting note, this is the same unit that was used on the B52 when I was in the service back in the 80s, I don’t know if they have changed it, but I don’t know why they would.
I reallised this when I saw “Sentimental Journey” at local airport. I asked the pilot, “James Stewart” if he knew the same unit is in the B52, he looked at me and just said “Well if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”. I suspect the same setup was used on all bombers of the time. I can’t remember the disignation of the bomb rack.
I"m guessing the same setup would be used on the B25 also.
GREAT SHOTS!
I particularly like the shot looking up the tunnel to the nose. It’s amazing to me that guys could crawl through that with heavy flight gear on without getting stuck. I doubt that I could get my pizza eating body, stripped naked and greased, through that tunnel!
Back in the '80’s I had the disticnt pleasure of crawling through the CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE’s SENITMENTAL JOURNEY. I was much younger then and it was summer so, I was dressed lightly. After photographing the the nose ,cockpit and upper gun station, I started down the catwalk in the bombay, which is V shaped, and I tell you that I barely got to the radio compartment! I used to watch all of the documentaries and I saw these planes on the inside. I also watched the movies and “12 O’CLOCK HIGH” the movie and T.V. show but until I was actually in the plane itself , I didn’t realize just how cramped the space was.
Now when I see scenes of B-17’s in a flat spin or spinning out of control , I remember those very closed spaces and I can only imagine the horror that the aircrew in those planes experienced while struggling against centrifugal forces and at the same time ,trying to find and attach their chutes after which,trying to make their way to any exit that they could get to.
What I feel when I see these images is inspiring ,horrifying and mostly indescribable.
Thanks for the pics.
Thanks MOON PUPPY.
Sounds like “GOVERNMENT WORK”!
So “NoWay” the bombs would drop it if the doors were closed? I’m guessing NO.
I have my friend Joe to prove it.
I’m amazed that the B-52 would still have that technology but come to think of it, that plane is REALLY OOOOLD so, it’d make sense.
Thanks. It is kinda fun, aint it?
I got 2 nieghbors who were in the Air Corp during WW2. One was a Japanese POW the other served in ETO. Both of these guys are small in size. I know this sounds weird but I think the guys back then were smaller than we are. I’m 6ft 200,OK250 (well there abouts)and I know what you’re talking about the cramp spaces, I’ve been inside Fifi, SJ and one of the B24s can’t remember. There is a recent picture of a B25 with 2 guys riding in the “greenhouse” nose and it was stark difference in seeing these guys in there compaired to what the pictures of B25s in combat.
Remember, I think the B52 went on the drawing board in 47? The B17 was about '34 I think? Shoot some of the same guys who designed the Fort may have been working at their same desk when they did the B52. Not that much time between the two but lightyears in technologies. But how many ways do you need to have to release a bomb?
The same day I took those shots I flew in their B-24. If you ever get the chance to, save up your money and do it if you haven’t already. It brought home to me all of those thoughts you’ve expressed. One thing about the -25 of course is that you couldn’t move from the nose to the tail. One reason we chose the -24 to fly in.
When we were being briefed before the flight, they asked for a volunteer and being Jonny-Jump-Up, I had to raise my hand. So I got to turn the props. But because of that I got to sit in the RO/ top turret gunners seat for takeoff, between the two pilots and just behind them. The Chief was kind of crouched across from me in the front of the bomb bay and as soon we were wheels up and climbing, he motioned to me-NOISY- that I could move. So I crawled forward under the 'pit deck and sat in the nose turret for awhile. During that crawl I had to negotiate my way around the nose wheel, which was still revolving, and take care not to kneel on anything painted yellow, like the gear doors.
The Chief told us before the flight that we could move from the front to the back by walking along the narrow beam that is where the two bomb bay doors closed against, but if someone came the other way, NOT to step aside onto the doors- they were designed to give way if a bomb fell off the rack onto them!
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF FUN! I may have to stop buying models and save up for one of those flights before it’s too late.
I’ve always wanted to fly but circumstances and life intervened. A take off and landing in one of these old birds would definitley satisfy a bit of that dream.
The info about the doors giving way for an accident that let a bomb fall ,or something else, is understood but did the bomb release get interrupted if the doors were not open? Still curious, thanks to all of you…
HOPE TO FLY SOME DAY!