PYND48049 PYN-up TIDAL WAVE B-24D Nose Art #6

Description

Nose art and special markings for FIVE B-24D veterans of TIDAL WAVE!

• B-24D-52-CO 412-40364 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 98^th Bomb Group, 343^rd Bomb Squadron. Another of the iconic 98^th BG nose art subjects, this was the second ship to carry the name Snow White after the first was lost in an air-to-air collision. As true for many of the “Snow White Squadron” ships, Snow White had a previous name of The Pink Elephant. Recall that the desert B-24s were colloquially called “pink elephants” because the sand camouflage finish appeared pink in certain lighting conditions. Also similar to other Snow White squadron ships with previous names, The Pink Elephant remained visible under the Snow White artwork. I’m indebted to the late Amos Nicholson, who painted the artwork, for his help with this project.
• B-24D-20-CO 41-24198 The Vulgar Virgin flew with the 98^th Bomb Group’s 344^th Bomb Squadron. Yet another iconic 98^th nose art subject, this was one of the best-executed pieces of art in World War II. Hit over the target, she crashed soon after but was believed to have dropped her bombs in the target area.
• B-24D-1-CO 41-23722 Bomerang, 93^rd Bomb Group, 328^th Bomb Squadron. Speaking of iconic, Bomerang was one of the original ships in Ted’s Traveling Circus, as the 93^rd was called at the time, and in fact was a veteran of the 93^rd’s first deployment to North Africa in Dec 42-Jan 43. All through her career in 8^th AF and all three desert deployments (Dec 42-Jan 43, Jul-Aug 43, and Sep 43) she wore a non-standard RAF fin flash, of course provided in this decal set. Although not confirmed, she probably received the 8^th Air Force’s B-24 flexible twin nose gun installation prior to the TW attack.
• B-24D-25-CO 41-24229 Buzzin’ Bear/Miss Delores, 44^th Bomb Group, 67^th Bomb Squadron. This has always been one of my favorite B-24s. First, I knew Bill Cameron, the pilot, but 35 years after the TW mission. Bill married Vinegar Joe Stillwell’s daughter, and retired from the USAF as a full colonel. Second, very early in my career I was assigned to the 44^th/67^th, again, 35 years after the war. This plane has not before been identified as also carrying the name Miss Delores on the left side nose, but we have irrefutable photographic evidence this name was on the plane at the same time. Another remarkable and so far unexplainable fact is the entire rear fuselage, which was produced as a separate unit, was painted at the factory a markedly darker shade of olive drab than the rest of the airframe. This is very obvious in photos, and will make for an eye-catching model. One attribute that has not been resolved is whether the P-bar on the fin was white or yellow. In some photos it appears to have been white, which is consistent with the 44^th Bomb Group’s marking scheme. In a number of other photos, however, the P-bar appears to be a definite yellow shade, similar to the serial number/Radio Call Number on the fin and markedly darker than the white of the RAF fin flash. Yellow individual aircraft letters were typical for the 93^rd, but the 44^th’s seemed to be universally white. I just don’t know, so I give you both options and you can make your own decision! Also note the 44^th Flying Eightball insignias were hand-painted and slightly different on every airplane. Our decal exactly matches the version painted on BB/MD.
• B-24D-85-CO 42-40657 G.I. Ginnie, 376^th Bomb Group, 514^th Bomb Squadron. The last of my TIDAL WAVE B-24D nose art selections is the unsung G.I. Ginnie, sister ship to KK Compton’s Teggie Ann, in which Norm Appold led the only three 376^th bombers to successfully attack a refinery in Ploesti. Their 3-plane strike on target WHITE II, Concordia Vega, caused more damage to that refinery than the entire 98^th Bomb Group inflicted on their target, White IV, Astra Romana. General Leon Johnson, who earned the Medal of Honor leading his 44^th Bomb Group into Ploesti, told me he thought Appold deserved the Medal of Honor more than some of the other people who were awarded it for the TIDAL WAVE mission. Some may consider Ginnie’s nose art to be pedestrian, but this is a historically important airplane; well worthy of inclusion in a TIDAL WAVE collection.