Description
Nose art and special markings for FIVE B-24D veterans of TIDAL WAVE!
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- B-24D-25-CO 41-24225 Flak Alley 44th Bomb Group/68th Bomb Squadron: Probably the most famous nose art of all the TIDAL WAVE bombers!
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- B-24D-85-CO 42-40664 Teggie Ann 376th Bomb Group/515th Bomb Squadron: TIDAL WAVE COMMAND SHIP THAT LED THE ENTIRE MISSION FROM BENGHAZI TO BUCHAREST
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- B-24D-75-CO 42-40604 Satan’s Angels 93rd Bomb Group/328th Bomb Squadron: Survived the 93rd’s suicidally brave attack on WHITE IV and WHITE V–sophisticated nose art (different on each side)
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- B-24D-95-CO 42-40776 Old Blister Butte 389th Bomb Group/564th Bomb Squadron: Displaying very well known TIDAL WAVE nose art, this ship helped the inexperienced 389th COMPLETELY DESTROY TARGET RED (Steaua Romana refinery) at Campina, Romanian, about 19 miles north of Ploesti
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- B-24D-80-CO 42-40629 The Scorpion 389th Bomb Group/564th Bomb Squadron: LED THE 100% SUCCESSFUL 389TH ATTACK ON TARGET RED (the very important Steaua Romana refinery in Campina, Romania, about 19 miles north of Ploesti)
Note this set includes a 18-page history/configurations/markings booklet!
1/48 TIDAL WAVE B-24Ds Part 1. Part 1 covers the nose art and individual markings of five famous and important TIDAL WAVE B-24Ds. (Please note the image above contains specific errors to prevent others from copying these markings-sorry about that!
Your decal sheet will be exactly correct, obviously.) B-24D-85-CO 42-40664 Teggie Ann TIDAL WAVE Command Ship 376th Bomb Group/515th Bomb Squadron Named for 376th Bomb Group command Col Keith K. (KK) Compton’s two year old daughter, Teggie Ann is perhaps the most easily recognized B-24 that flew on the TIDAL WAVE mission. Carrying mission commander Brig Gen Uzal Ent, she led the entire mission until the great formation reached the mountains of Yugoslavia, where the formation was split in two. She later led the leading increment through the early turn and sightseeing trip to Bucharest instead of Ploesti. Of the many precision details on these decals, specially note the correct shape of the letter “G” in the name.
B-24D-25-CO 41-24225 Flak Alley 44th Bomb Group/68th Bomb Squadron. It looks like you guys really love this scheme, since you voted it your #3 most popular TIDAL WAVE scheme in the survey I ran a while back. Not only was the artwork remarkable, but Flak Alley was part of the 44th Bomb Groups BLUE Target Force that completely eliminated their important target refinery, Creditul Minier, about a mile south of Ploesti city. Flak Alley had astounding female artwork applied to BOTH sides of her nose. Representations of this scheme have been attempted before, but the 40+ original photos given to me by her crew members allowed Andy to very accurately portray both pieces of art, which were generally similar but differed in major respects. And they allowed me to get the remaining markings accurate down to the last detail. (One minor but interesting point is the exceptionally unusual “Project Number” stenciled under the data block on the left side nose. More on this in the decal set instruction sheet.) This nose art was remarkable not only for its brash representation, but also for a hidden story. As told to me by the crew chief and confirmed by Gen Leon Johnson, the girls as originally painted were sans panties and anatomically correct! This lasted about 15 minutes, until (then Colonel) Johnson, the 44th Bomb Group commander, saw it and calmly told the crew the girls had better be wearing panties the next time he came by. As far as is known, no photos of the panty-less figures were ever taken, or if they were, survived until today.
B-24D-75-CO 42-40604 Satan’s Angels 93rd Bomb Group/328th Bomb Squadron. This is another scheme you guys love, voting her into the top five of your most-requested TIDAL WAVE decals. SA carried sophisticated and beautifully executed artwork on each side of the nose-and the two sides were dramatically different. The illustration above shows only the left side, but the right side had an equally elaborate and well-executed reclining female image.
B-24D-80-CO 42-40629 The Scorpion, RED Target Force Leader. 389th Bomb Group/564th Bomb Squadron. Few people understand the crucial role The Scorpion’s played in TIDAL WAVE’s success. In this ship Col Jack Wood (later Maj Gen) led his brand-new 389th Bomb Group through Romania’s Carpathian Mountains to completely destroy their target refinery in the city of Campina, about 19 miles north of Ploesti. The 389th’s inexperienced navigators were given “modern” RAF and USAAF maps that were based on ancient Romanian maps originally drawn in the 1800s. Luftwaffe cartographers considered Romanian cartographers to be by far the worst in Europe, but regardless of the reasons, their maps were just too inaccurate for the precision navigation required. Approaching the general target area, Col Wood turned down the wrong valley, believing it was the one that led to their target. Luckily, his crew quickly recognized their error and revised their advice. (NOTE: this was NOT the early turn made by Brig Gen Ent at Targoviste, which led to the 376th and 93rd Bomb Groups infamous sightseeing tour to Bucharest rather than Ploesti). Upon discovering the navigation error, Col Wood’s superior leadership and airmanship came into play. While flying at low level in the mountains, he turned his entire 389th Bomb Group around 180°, taking them back up the valley to their original course. Upon reaching the correct Prahova River Valley, Col Wood turned south and his men went on to completely eliminate their target, the Steaua Romana refinery, from the war. It remained shut down until after the Soviets captured Romania thirteen months later.
B-24D-95-CO 42-40776 Old Blister Butte 389th Bomb Group/564th Bomb Squadron. Ye olde Old Blister Butte is a perennial favorite of TIDAL WAVE aficionados, and we’re offering it to you for the first time in decal form. Once I discovered a V-Mail letter written by the pilot to his parents on 21 July 1943, we were also able bring it to you in the correct colors. You’ll also note that as a late-Block B-24D, the fuselage star applied at the factory was reduced from the earlier 65″ diameter (seen on nearly all the other TIDAL WAVE ships) to the final 45″ diameter, making the wing and fuselage stars the same size.
