Posted on 02/08/2018 8:07:10 AM PST by DFG
Fascinating pictures of America's famous WW2 Black Sheep Squadron whose efforts helped win the war in the Pacific have been released in vibrant color.
The series shows the squadron's commanding officer, Colonel Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington who received the Medal of Honour and the Navy Cross, briefing his men on strategy and tactics before the 17 October 1943 attack on Kahili airdrome at Bougainville island, Papua New Guinea.
In this raid 'Pappy' and 24 fighters circled the field where 60 enemy aircraft were based to goad them into sending a large force. In the ensuing air battle, 20 enemy aircraft were shot down and the Black Sheep (VMF-214) squadron suffered no losses.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
If Pappy were alive now, he’d be in Mattis’ job, probably.
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Pappy had a bad drinking problem and it ruined his career.
He was listed as MIA until he was found to be in a POW camp. He was a character. He talked the Jap guards into getting what he needed to make his own booze.
Loved the TV show adaptation.
Must have been 20 something years since it was last on.
I got him to autograph my copy at Oshkosh.
Ugh, that awful TV show with that midget Robert Conrad and wrong late vintage F4U’s with 4 bladed props.
And then Japanese and American pilots would taunt each other over the radio.
Japanese aircraft radios were so poor they typically couldn’t even contact their bases much less talk to Americans on a different frequency.
Then after he was shot down and captured by the Germans he made like 3 escape attempts the Germans finally had to confiscate his artificial legs
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader
Put him on report for nonregulation shoes.
I love the F4U Corsair.
>>>Ugh, that awful TV show with that midget Robert Conrad and wrong late vintage F4U’s with 4 bladed props<<
If I recall, the ones used on the Show were the only operational Flying examples of the F4U at the time.
Of course the Flying scenes used stock footage.
Other part of the story on Bader was that after he was bailed out his artificial legs were left in his crashed aircraft and destroyed.
He and the Germans requested the Brits send his other set of legs and they did so in an air raid on the base that was holding him they dropped his other set of legs.
LOL! I was also wondering why one of the guys wore a modern NFL jersey top myself.
A bit of trivia: Goering approved that drop.
I met Colonel Boyington at an air show in Washington State years ago. He said the TV show starring Robert Conrad was BS.
Yeah, but the nurses were hot - and the chief mechanic character (actor Red West) was always entertaining. He probably had more in common with the real Greg Boyington (in terms of hard living) than anyone else in the cast.
I just love that Vought F4-U Corsair. Such a sexy plane. But I hear the tail dragger was a royal beeyotch to land. Zero visibilty over the nose cowling.
I read “Baa Baa Black Sheep”. Every American should read it. One of the amazing things that I learned was that Boyington spent most of 1942 working as a parking lot attendant in Seattle. He had previously resigned his commission in the Marine Corps and fought with the Flying Tigers in China. The Marine Corps was very reluctant to take him back. He drank so much hard liquor it is amazing that he was able to fly at all.
Oh, and the part of the story when he crashed his burning plane into the middle of the ocean and was picked up by a Japanese submarine...you have to read it.
I really enjoyed that TV show — Robert Culp, I think.
I was just thinking about that recently. The last surviving Civil War general (to hold general's rank during the war) was Adelbert Ames who died at age 97 in 1933. King Michael of Romania died this past December at 96, and was to my knowledge, the last surviving person to have held general officer rank (or equivalent) during WWII.
Robert Conrad.
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