Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Color Photographs – 56th Fighter Group Part V

A pair of 56th Fighter Group Thunderbolts on the ground at Boxted, the clutter next to the tarmac may be of interest to diorama modelers. The nearest aircraft is named “Bonnie”. (IWM)

An excellent view of Bonnie. I have not been able to identify the aircraft nor her pilot but the photograph is excellent and shows many details.

Another excellent photo, this one is identified as Colonel David Schilling’s P-47D serial 42-26641 “Hairless Joe” in some references.

A mass take-off of 63rd Fighter Group Thunderbolts from Boxted. Note the mix of camouflaged and NMF schemes. (IWM)

Armorers loading guns and fusing a bomb on a 56th FG Thunderbolt. Many ETO Thunderbolts carried national insignia under both wings to prevent friendly fire incidents with ground troops.

An armorer working on a Browning .50 caliber machine gun which rests on an ammunition crate. Prominent is the natural metal sleave over the gun’s barrel. (IWM)

Nose art of P-47D serial 42-28627 “Shack Rat” assigned pilot Lt. Arthur J Martin Jr. The aircraft ran out of fuel a mile short of Boxted on 26SEP44 and was written off, Lt. Martin survived. The Clarktor towing tractor was a common sight on U.S. airfields. (IWM)

“Lady Jane” was assigned to Captain John H. Truluck of the 63rd FG. Serial was 42-74750. Captain Truluck was credited with 7 victories. (IWM)

A fine photo of the nose art carried on P-47D serial 42-75185 “Princess Pat” of the 63rd FG. She was the mount of Lt. Charles W. Reed, who was credited with 2.25 victories. (IWM)

Stacks of 108 gallon paper drop tanks at Halesworth, with Thunderbolts of the 63rd FG in the background. (IWM)

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/05/29/republic-p-47-thunderbolt-color-photographs-56th-fighter-group-part-i/

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Color Photographs – 56th Fighter Group Part IV

P-47D-25 serial 42-26628 was assigned to Frederick J. Christensen Jr. of the 62nd FS. He was credited with 21.5 victories, including six Ju 52s on 21JUL44.

A gaggle of 56th Fighter Group Thunderbolts preparing to take off from Boxted. Nearest to the camera is 42-26466 “Anamosa II” of Captain Russell B. Westfall. (IWM)

“Josephine My Flying Machine” serial 44-21199 was the mount of Lt. Leo F. Butiste of the 62nd Fighter Squadron.

A detail of the “Josephine” artwork on the nose. Note the leading edge of the wing was kept in natural metal. (IWM)

Lt. Butiste and his mechanic pose in front of Josephine, showing details of the nose and paint chipping. (IWM)

Another view of P-47M serial 44-21199 with Lt. Butiste in the cockpit. His three aerial victories are marked on the fuselage. (IWM)

The starboard side of the nose with the “Josephine My Flying Machine” inscription, pin-up artwork was on the port side. (IWM)

A view of Josephine with her engine being serviced. (IWM)

P-47M serial 44-21237 was another Thunderbolt of the 62nd Fighter Squadron which carried a camouflage similar to Josephine. She was piloted by Lt. Walter J. Sharbo. (IWM)

A second shot of the same aircraft. She carried the “Marion” pin-up artwork on the port side of the cowl and “North Dakoda Kid” on the starboard side. Sharbo was credited with 5.5 victories, including an Me 262. He crash landed twice but survived the war. (IWM)

Part V here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/republic-p-47-thunderbolt-color-photographs-56th-fighter-group-part-v/

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Color Photographs – 56th Fighter Group Part III

P-47D-28-RA serial number 42-28543 of the 63rd Fighter Squadron. Her assigned pilot was Captain Gordon Stevens. “Pat” was lost on 09SEPT44 off the Dutch coast following a strafing mission, her pilot on that mission was Captain R. T. Fling who was listed as Missing.

“Little Chief” was P-47D-15-RE serial 42-76179. Her pilot was Lt. Frank Klibbe of the 61st Fighter Squadron. (IWM)

Pictured is Lt. Klibbe in the cockpit of Little Chief. He was to score a total of 7 victories during the war. (IWM)

Lt. Klibbe poses with his ground crew. (IWM)

A member of the ground crew poses by the nose, showing the Little Chief nose art to advantage. (IWM)

“Teddy” was P-47M serial 44-21117 of the 62nd Fighter Squadron. Her pilot was Major Michael Jackson.

A fine portrait of Teddy which shows off her field applied camouflage to advantage. Major Jackson was credited with 8 aerial victories and a further 5.5 destroyed on the ground. (IWM)

This photo taken at Boxted shows Teddy’s full markings. Major Jackson’s aerial victories are indicated with the black crosses, ground victories in white. (IWM)

2LT John Ross of the 63rd Fighter Squadron was the pilot of serial 42-75217, which he named “George”.

1LT Eugene Timony of the 63rd Fighter Squadron poses in the cockpit of his Thunderbolt P-47D serial 42-26258 “Moptop’s Pride”, showing details of the windscreen. 1LT Timony survived the war with 2 aerial victories and eventually became a LCOL.

Part IV here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/06/19/republic-p-47-thunderbolt-color-photographs-56th-fighter-group-part-iv/

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Color Photographs – 56th Fighter Group Part II

The highest-scoring American ace in the ETO was LCOL Francis S. “Gabby” Gabreski. Seen here posing in front of 42-2641 are Crew Chief Staff Sergeant Ralph H. Safford, Assistant Crew Chief Corporal Felix Schacki, Armorer Sergeant Michael Di Franza, and LCOL Gabreski.

Seen here in the cockpit is Gabreski with his impressive scoreboard. He was credited with 28 Luftwaffe aircraft.

Armorers load .50 caliber rounds into the wing bays of Gabreski’s Thunderbolt. Many of the 56th FG Thunderbolts wore unique field applied camouflage schemes, 42-2641 was camouflaged in RAF colors over natural metal undersurfaces.

Gabreski’s propeller clipped the ground while he was strafing a Luftwaffe airfield on 20JUL44, his aircraft crashed and he was made a PoW. Surviving the war, he went on to fly the F-86 Sabre in Korea, where he scored a further 6.5 victories.

Colonel David Schilling was the Commanding Officer of the 56th Fighter Group from 12AUG44 to 25JAN45. Pictured is Schilling in his P-47D serial 42-26641 “Hairless Joe”. (IWM)

Another view of 42-26641. The 56th FG Thunderbolts were delivered in unpainted NMF, but were camouflaged in field-applied schemes of RAF colors over natural metal undersurfaces.

Another view of Hairless Joe, note the landing gear cover in natural metal.

Shilling’s Thunderbolt shares the field with a pair of Mustangs at Mount Farm. (IWM)

Hairless Joe was a character in the popular comic strip Lil Abner. This is another view from Mount Farm which shows the nose art to advantage.

Schilling was credited with 22.5 aerial victories with an additional 10.5 destroyed on the ground, making him the sixth highest-scoring fighter pilot in the Eighth Air Force. He survived the war but was killed in an automobile accident in August, 1956. (IWM)

Part III here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/06/12/republic-p-47-thunderbolt-color-photographs-56th-fighter-group-part-iii/

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Color Photographs – 56th Fighter Group Part I

Republic P-47D-5 serial 42-8487 was the mount of Captain Walker Mahurin. “Spirit of Atlantic City, N.J.” was a War Bond presentation aircraft. (IWM)

Mahurin in the cockpit of his aircraft, which displays 11 victory markings. Mahurin would go on to claim a total of 19.75 Luftwaffe aircraft before being shot down by defensive fire from a Do 217. He bailed out of his stricken Thunderbolt and evaded capture. (IWM)

Serial 42-7877 was another War Bond presentation aircraft and bore the inscription “Jackson County. Michigan. Fighter” in the place of the 61st Fighter Squadron’s usual “HV” code. The pilot was Captain Gerald W. Johnson who had the aircraft further adorned with the inscription “In The Mood” above pin-up artwork. Johnson was credited with 16.5 victories before being shot down and taken prisoner. He eventually became a Lieutenant General. (IWM)

42-22567 was assigned to Lt. Leroy B. Schreiber of the 62nd Fighter Squadron. Schreiber rose to the rank of Major and command of the 62nd. An ace with 12 victories, he was shot down and killed by ground fire while strafing an airfield on 15APR44. (IWM)

“Pappy” was the mount of Major Horace C. Craig, CO of the 62nd FS. 42-7870 was his mount when he achieved his only aerial victory, a Do 217.

42-26243 was assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron. Lt. Wally Groce was the pilot, he was credited with a shared victory over an Me 262.

“Belle of Belmont” was the mount of Lt. Armand A. Laflam. He was a native of Belmont, New Hampshire and survived the war.

Another view of “Belle of Belmont”, serial 42-26293. Note the drop tanks stacked in the background.

“Button Nose” was the mount of Lt. Albert Knafelz of the 62nd FS. The nose art was a spoof of the Hollywood film “I Wanted Wings”. The aircraft was a P-47D-22-RE serial 42-26298.

P-47D-22-RE serial 42-26299 was piloted by Captain Cameron Hart of the 63rd FS. Hart scored 6 victories during the war. Note the fresh paint where the Invasion Stripes on the upper surfaces have been overpainted.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/06/05/republic-p-47-thunderbolt-color-photographs-56th-fighter-group-part-ii/