Martin B-26 Marauder Color Photographs Part V – 387th Bomb Group

“Mississippi Mudcat” was assigned to the 387th Bomb Group, 559th Bomb Squadron. She had a long career, completing 149 missions but was shot down by Bf 109s on 23DEC44. Serial number 41-31657, code TQW.

This is “Heavenly Body”, a B-26B assigned to the 387th Bomb Group, 558th Bomb Squadron. She was shot down by flak over Grimbosq, France on 08JUN44. Serial number 41-31664, code KXA. Modelers note the contrasting chipped areas – rivet heads, gun fairings, and nose wheel door and that the nose shows signs of repainting.

41-31677 was assigned to the 556 Bomb Squadron and named “Jisther” by her crew. The name was carried in the same script on both sides of the nose. The starboard side also carried the wolf’s head artwork seen here …

… while the port side carried Stork artwork and an impressive scoreboard. “Jisther” completed 95 missions. On 06AUG44 she was involved in a take-off incident when a flare was accidently discharged into the cockpit, hitting the pilot 1st. Lt. James H. Brantley. Brantley exited the aircraft but was struck and killed by the propeller. “Jisther” continued taxiing and crashed into a hanger and was written off.

Seen at her home field of Chipping Ongar in 1944, “Hangover Hut” displays an impressive scoreboard. She completed a total of 152 missions, and was one of the few Marauders who flew on the 556th Bomb Squadron’s first mission on 31JUL43 and survived to fly on the last on 17APR45. Serial number 41-31694, code FWF.

Serial Number 41-31696 was named “Roughernacob” by her crew. On her 111th mission on 12AUG44, she was hit by flak and lost fuel. Unable to return to England, she crash landed near an airfield in France. Her crew survived the crash but the aircraft was written off.

This is Serial Number 41-31900, coded FWT of the 556th Bomb Squadron. Proving there is no name too unusual for a USAAF crew, they have named her “Short Snorter”.

“Lucky Lady” flew her first mission for the 387th Bomb Group’s 556th Squadron on 21APR44. Her serial number was 41-35062, side codes FWN.

“Lucky Lady” did not live up to her name. On 21MAY44, only a month after her first mission, she experienced a total instrument failure upon take-off. Immediately returning to Chipping Ongar, she clipped another Marauder and ran off the end of the runway. Ultimately, she was written off. The 387th Bomb Group’s distinctive “tiger stripes” are visible on the tail.

“The Big Hairy Bird” is well-known for her outlandish nose art and is a favorite of modelers. Not so well known is that she was originally assigned to the 397th Bomb Group (with diagonal tail stripe), and later transferred to the 387th Bomb Group (tiger stripes) as seen here. Her serial number was 42-96165, while with the 387th she wore side codes KXT.

The 556th Squadron’s “Top Sarge II” wore fuselage code FWJ. She completed an even 100 missions, and flew on the Squadron’s last sortie on 26APR45. The mission was aborted three minutes into the flight when it was reported that the target area had been overrun by U.S. troops as the German resistance collapsed.

Seen at St. Simon – Clastres, France in 1945 is 43-34119 “Off Limits” of the 558th Bomb Squadron. She was written off shortly after the war after crashing on 20MAY45 in Jumet, Belgium.

ICM Sd.Kfz. 222 in 1/72 Scale

I’ve always been fond of this design, and armored cars in general.  The Sd.Kfz.222 was usually employed as a scout car, but had enough firepower to be a threat to softskin vehicles and infantry. The main gun was a 20mm, with coaxial MG 34 machine gun.

The Coral Sea 1942 Book Review

The Coral Sea 1942: The first carrier battle

Osprey Campaign Series Book 214

By Marke Stille, Illustrated by John White

Softcover in dustjacket,  96 pages, profusely illustrated, index

Published by Osprey Publishing, November 2009

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1-84603-440-4

Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.2 x 9.5 inches

The Imperial Japanese Navy planned Operation Mo to seize Port Moresby on the southern coast of New Guinea for the purpose of isolating Australia and threating Allied air bases there.  This would help secure the southern frontier of their Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and protect their bases at Rabaul.  Supporting the Japanese invasion fleet were the large aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier Shoho.  American and British signals intercepts warned Admiral Nimitz of the impending operation, and he decided to contest the invasion by sending all four of his available aircraft carriers, although Enterprise and Hornet did not arrive in time to participate in the battle.

The battle was the first naval engagement fought entirely by aircraft.  Although the opposing fleets were often in close proximity they never sighted each other.  The Americans lost the aircraft carrier Lexington, with Yorktown damaged, while the Japanese lost the light carrier Shoho, with Shokaku damaged.  With Zuikaku’s air group depleted the Japanese determined the landings at Port Moresby could not be supported and cancelled the invasion.

Both sides claimed victory.  On the Allied side, the threat to Australia was abated and the Japanese juggernaut was turned back for the first time in the war.  On the other hand, the Japanese thought they had sunk two American carriers.  Their own fleet carriers could be repaired and their air groups replenished, and the IJN would enjoy a two to one superiority in aircraft carriers in the meantime.  In reality, damage to the Yorktown was (quite heroically) repaired in time for her to participate in the Battle of Midway, while neither Zuikaku nor Shokaku were present.

Author Mark Stille has done an excellent job of documenting the events leading up to the Battle of the Coral Sea as well as the play-by-play of the battle itself.  Naval battles are complex affairs, but the graphics-intense format of the Osprey Campaign series shines in making a clear presentation of the ship and aircraft maneuvers.  The length of this work is just enough to present this engagement well.  This is one of the better volumes of this series and well worth picking up.

SPAD VII Walk Around

Photographs taken at the Air Zoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Women Warriors 140

Ukraine

Royal Australian Navy helmsman

IDF

Norway

Italian Alpini on patrol in Afghanistan with VTLM

US Navy quartermaster

Russia Emergency Ministry

IDF

ATA

IDF

Ukraine with RPG-7

Belgian F-16 Pilot

WASPs with B-17 Tail Guns

Ukraine

IDF

Russian Border Guard

US Navy Nurses WWII

For more Women Warriors, click on the tags below:

ICM Sd.Kfz. 222 Build in 1/72 Scale

ICM first released their Sd.Kfz.222 kit in 2005 as kit number 72411, this is the 2011 reboxing. These were often used in the reconnaissance role, and would be just the thing for those times when you’re trapped on a country road behind a slow driver!

The parts are well-molded and the breakdown is conventional. ICM have included photoetch for the engine vent in the hull and the grenade screen atop the open turret. Both of these PE parts are useful and appropriate for the intended applications.

Assembly was quick and the fit was good with no surprises.

The model was primed with Mr. Surfacer 1000 and then base coated with Alclad black primer. Thin coats of Panzer Gray misted on will allow for this to provide darker shadows in the recesses if applied carefully.

Here is the effect of lighter shades thinly misted on over the black base coat. Highlights were picked up with drybrushing.

Here is the finished model with an application of mud and dust. Everything was sealed and unified with Testors DullCoat. The radio antenna is Nitenol wire.

Fine Molds Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 of Hauptmann Heinrich Ehrler in 1/72 Scale

Heinrich Ehrler was assigned to Jagdgeswader 5 “Eismeer” on the Arctic Front for most of the war, eventually leading the unit as Geschwaderkommodore.  He was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and was ultimately credited with 204 aerial victories.

He was most famous for being scapegoated for failing to prevent the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz by RAF Lancasters on 12NOV44.  Even though Ehrler was in the air with 9./JG 5 at the time, several communication errors resulted in the Eismeer fighters not being notified of the RAF attack.  In fact, the command had not even been notified that the Tirpitz had been moved into the area.  None the less, Ehrler was court-martialed for cowardice.

On 01MAR45 Hitler pardoned Ehrler.  His rank of Major was reinstated and he was assigned to JG 7, then flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.  Although he claimed a further ten victories on the jet, he was emotionally devastated.  On an intercept mission against an American bomber stream on 04APR45, he claimed two B-17s.  He then radioed his unit, his last transmission was, “Theo, Heinrich here. Have just shot down two bombers. No more ammunition. I’m going to ram. Auf Wiedersehen, see you in Valhalla!”

The model depicts Heinrich Ehrler’s Bf 109F-4, of 6. / JG 5, at Petsamo, Finland, MAR43

Type A Ko-hyoteki (甲標的甲型) Target “A” Midget Submarines and the Attack on Pearl Harbor

The Japanese Ko-hyoteki midget submarines were used in several theaters of the Pacific War, but their first and most famous use was during the attack of Pearl Harbor on 07DEC41.  They were 80 feet in length.  They were powered by a 600 horsepower (447 kW) electric motor, which could drive them at a maximum speed of 23 knots (43 km/h) or for 100 nautical miles (190 km) at a low speed.  They carried a crew of two and two torpedoes, which were loaded externally from the bow.

For the Pearl Harbor raid they were carried piggy-back by five I-16 class fleet submarines and launched outside the harbor entrance.  The minisubs were launched during the night before the raid, with orders to penetrate the harbor and attack.  Nominally they were to rendezvous with their parent submarines after completing their missions, but the crews were under no delusions of the likelihood for successfully completing this phase and expected not to return.

There are some loose ends remaining.  The Light Cruiser USS St. Lewis (CL-49) reported being missed by two torpedoes outside the harbor entrance at 1004.  The Japanese fleet submarines were not positioned there so if the report is accurate, it is possible these were fired by I-16-tou.  Alternatively, many believe a photograph taken of Battleship Row during the attack shows a midget sub broaching after firing her torpedoes.  In either case, it is likely that I-16-tou ended up in the West Loch at the end of her mission and her wreckage was dumped off the harbor entrance in 1944.

The midget submarines are listed below by their parent subs.  “I-16-tou” means “I-16’s boat”.

Individual details:

I-16-tou, ENS Masaharu Yokoyama and PO2c Tei Uyeda, launched at 0042.  Likely penetrated Pearl Harbor, skuttled in the West Lock.  Many believe a photograph taken by a Japanese aviator during the attack shows I-16-tou firing torpedoes at the USS West Virginia (BB-48) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37).  Three messages were received from I-16-tou confirming a successful air attack, claiming that she had damaged U.S. warship(s), and a final message received at 0051 on 08DEC41 reporting that the submarine was unable to navigate.  Her wreck was discovered in three sections in the debris field of the West Lock disaster, dumped outside the harbor during the clean-up.  Torpedoes fired, scuttling charge detonated, crew unaccounted for.

I-18-tou, LTJG Shigemi Furuno and PO1c Shigenori Yokoyama, launched at 0215.  Found outside of Pearl Harbor, East of the entrance, recovered by USS Current (ARS-22) on 13JUL60 from depth of 76 feet.  Damaged by depth charges, abandoned by her crew, torpedoes were not fired.  Currently on display at Eta Jima, Japan.

I-20-tou, ENS Akira Hiroo and PO2c Yoshio Katayama, launched at 0257.  Sunk by the Destroyer USS Ward (DD-139) at 0645.  The crew died in the attack, her torpedoes not fired.  Found on the sea floor in 1,312 feet of water by a University of Hawaii submarine in August 2002.  Declared a war grave.

I-22-tou, LT Naoji Iwasa and Petty Officer 1c Naokichi Sasaki, launched at 0116, penetrated Pearl Harbor.  Fired one torpedo at the Seaplane Tender USS Curtiss (AV-4) and one torpedo at the Destroyer USS Monaghan (DD-354).  I-22-tou was struck by shellfire from Curtiss at 0840, then rammed and depth-charged by Monaghan.  Crew was killed in the attack.  Her wreck was recovered on 21DEC41 and used as fill during construction, remains of the crew still aboard.  LT Iwasa’s shoulder insignia was recovered from the wreckage confirming the identification, as he was the only full Lieutenant among the crews.  The insignia is currently on display at Yasukuni.

I-24-tou, Ha-19, ENS Kazuo Sakamaki and CWO Kiyoshi Inagaki, launched at 0333.  She had a faulty gyrocompass which delayed her launch.  She was depth charged twice off the entrance to Pearl Harbor and ran aground.  Broke free and proceeded east, then ran aground again off Bellows Field.  Submarine broke free during air attack and hauled ashore by U.S. forces.  Torpedoes not fired due to damage, scuttling charge failed to detonate.  Inagaki killed, Sakamaki taken prisoner.  Ha-19 was salvaged and went on a War Bond tour, and is currently displayed at The National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.

The Ko-hyoteki crews were deified after the raid. Based mainly on the radio report from I-16-tou, the Japanese believed that the midget submarines penetrated Pearl Harbor and that at lease one had attacked successfully. Missing from the portrait is ENS Sakamaki, who was captured.

A photograph of Battleship Row taken from a Japanese B5N2 “Kate” during the attack. In the center, both West Virginia and Oklahoma can be seen after taking torpedo hits and beginning to list, with oil slicks forming on the water.

A tighter expansion of the previous photograph. The disturbance in the water to the left has been interpreted as the I-16-tou breaching after firing her torpedoes. The three sprays to the left of her conning tower are water being thrown up by her screw, and two torpedo wakes are visible originating from that point. Just to the right of the submarine is a small boat. The interpretation of this photograph remains controversial.

The West Lock Disaster occurred on 21MAY44, when an accidental explosion spread through amphibious assault ships loading ammunition prior to the Marianas invasion. The explosions sank six LSTs and killed 163 sailors. The accident was hushed up and remained classified until 1960.

Debris from the West Lock Disaster were quickly cleared away and dumped off the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Among the debris lie the remains of I-16-kou, broken into three sections. In places the hull is pierced and cables have been threaded through the holes so the sections could be hoisted. The bow section has empty torpedo tubes and the unique “figure 8” cable cutter fitted to the Pearl Harbor attackers.

I-18-tou was discovered by U.S. Navy divers outside of the harbor to the east of the entrance. Her torpedoes remained in their tubes, her hatch had been opened and there was no trace of her crew. Submarine contacts were reported off the harbor entrance throughout the morning and many were depth charged (the USS Ward attacked four separate contacts). I-18-tou showed damage from depth charging, perhaps she was another of Ward’s victims?

There can be no question about this one. This is the I-20-tou resting on the sea floor, the hole from Ward’s #3 4-inch gun clearly visible at the base of her sail.

This is I-22-tou. She penetrated the harbor and worked her way around to the west side of Ford Island. There she was engaged by the USS Curtiss and USS Monaghan. She fired a torpedo at each ship but missed. Her hull shows the “washboard” effect of Monaghan’s depth charges and her hull is broken from being rammed and rolled under the destroyer. She was recovered two weeks after the raid.

I-24-tou was plagued by misfortune. The last midget sub to be launched because of trouble with her gyrocompass, she ran up on a reef outside the harbor. After working free she was depth charged and her crew disoriented. She worked around Oahu to the east until she hung up on another reef. Her crew exhausted and overcome by fumes, they abandoned ship after the scuttling charge failed to ignite. ENS Kazuo Sakamaki made it to the beach to become PoW #1, CWO Kiyoshi Inagaki drowned. I-24-tou is seen after being hauled up onto the beach off Bellows Field.

The control station of I-24-tou. Behind the ship’s wheel a man has his hand on the faulty gyrocompass. Reportedly it began to work properly after it was hit firmly.

One of the items recovered from I-24-tou was a detailed map of Pearl Harbor, the entrance is at the bottom. Mooring positions and target ships are indicated. Also note that courses and turning times have been annotated to assist navigation. The Imperial Japanese Navy had spies who provided detailed observations of the harbor prior to the raid, proof such as this only fueled suspicions concerning the Japanese population on Oahu.

The I-24-tou was shipped to the mainland for use in War Bond drives. She is seen here being inspected by shipyard workers in California.

First to Fight Polish TKS Tankette in 1/72 Scale

This is a Polish TKS tankette with a 20mm cannon.  The kit is from First to Fight, a Polish company which specializes in Polish and German subjects from the 1939 invasion.  Their catalog includes several vehicles which are uncommon or unique in 1/72 scale.

Voices of the Pacific Audiobook Review

Voices of the Pacific: Untold Stories from the Marine Heroes of World War II

Author: Adam Makos

Narrator: Tom Weiner

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, April 2013

Audio Length: 10.75 hours

ISBN: 9781624609848

While I generally favor traditional printed books (preferably in hardback), I do occasionally listen to an audiobook.  The advantage of this format is the book can be enjoyed while engaged in other activities, such as modeling or driving.  In this case I was able to download the audio file from my local library, then link my phone to the car speakers and listen while driving to the MMCL IPMS show in Louisville last month.  It beats listening to the radio and makes the drive informative and enjoyable during what would otherwise be wasted time.

This book lends itself well to the audiobook format, being the personal recollections of fifteen Marines who fought in the Pacific War.  The men all share their stories in short narratives, and often relate different perspectives of the same battles.  The campaigns covered are Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and finally Okinawa.  Each of these operations was unique, with its own set of conditions and environments.  One thing they had in common was the effect on the Regiments and individual Marines.  By the end of each campaign the units had suffered tremendous casualties, and the surviving Marines were in rough shape – exhausted, underfed, diseased, and with their uniforms in tatters.  Assaults which were planned for three days often lasted for thirty days or more.

I recognized two of the Marines as authors of their own books – Sterling Mace and Chuck Tatum.  Many others relate anecdotes of other names well known to students of the Pacific War – authors Robert Lecke and Eugene Sledge, along with Marines famous for their combat exploits such as John Basilone and Lewis “Chesty” Puller.

Overall this is a fine book which offers insights of the war from the perspective of the individual Marines who fought it.  The last two chapters were also interesting, they described the Marines’ discharges from the service and their assimilation back into society.  They were also asked what advice they would give to young people today, and to society in general.  While this podium is continuously mis-used by celebrities, media figures, politicians, and athletes, the Marine veterans have paid for their citizenship in a very real way and earned the opportunity to voice their opinion.  Listening to this audiobook is time well spent, I can recommend it without hesitation.