KITS 09/2021

B-25J-5, 43-27952, 823rd BS, 38th BG, 5th AF, Morotai, Indonesia, November 1944

The 38th Bombardment Group (Medium) was constituted on November 20, 1940, and activated on January 15, 1941, at Langley Army Air Base,

Virginia. The initial personnel were transferred from the 22nd Bombardment Group. The 38th BG consisted of four squadrons, but two of them

were assigned to the 42nd BG after the Battle of Midway. The 823rd Bomb Squadron was constituted and assigned to the 38th BG in New Guinea on April 20, 1943, as well as the 822nd BS, the two bringing the 38th BG to the full strength of four squadrons again. The 823rd BS adopted

the name „Terrible Tigers“ and started to decorate their aircraft correspondingly. It was also the case of the No. 952 ship, which was one of few

with glass cockpit left, as many B-25Js of the 38th BG were either original strafers with solid nose or modified with the glass nose painted

over. The “952” was assigned to Lt. John W. Lupardus as a pilot. The tiger´s head was partly painted over the glass part of the nose of the ship,

the camo colors were standard Olive Drab and Neutral Gray. The lower part of the fin was either green or blue. The blue was assigned to the

squadron, but the green was also used on some aircraft as it did not intervene with markings of other squadrons (the 405th BS used also

green color, but on the upper part of the fins

B-25J-1-NC, 43-27540, 487th BS, 340th BG, 12th AF, Alesani, Corsica, France, March 1945

One of the most famous squadrons within the 37th Bombardment Wing at the end of the war were the Dogfaces, the 478th BS. It was decided

one of the squadrons of the 37th Bomb Wing should honor the bravery and misery of the soldiers on the ground, and it was decided by the

personnel to do it by means of paintings of the characters of the famous cartoons of Bill Mauldin. Mauldin himself sketched twelve characters

based on his often-featured infantrymen Willie and Joe. The 43-27540 ship was nicknamed “Watch Copier” according to the painting of the

soldier checking his watches. Other known ships decorated in the honor of the infantrymen were for example “Uncle Willie”, “Supper Unit Ration K” or “G. I. Joe”. These impressive paintings were made by Sgt. Greg Moore and Sgt. Durley Bratton with assist of sergeant Gavette during

January of 1945. The ship with code 7E was flown by several pilots most frequently by Lieutenants C. Cook and B. O. Lyons. The “Watch Copier”

ship was painted in Olive Drab/Neutral Gray finish, supplemented with blue spinner and front of the engine nacelles. At the end of the war, she

had 142 missions flown.

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INFO Eduard - September 2021