Klaers Marks Milestone On Way to Pavilion's Second Half

Museum President and CEO Bill Klaers said the Museum's board of directors has approved the purchase of the building steel for the second half, or Phase II, of the Kaija Raven Shook Aeronautical Pavilion. When engineering tasks are completed and combined with architectural drawings, "everything will be put together" for this portion of the effort, Klaers said during a June 15 event at the Museum.

The first half of the Pavilion (Phase I), a 40,000 square foot aircraft display hangar, was substantially completed in 2019. Phase II will double the size of the Pavilion to 80,000 square feet, creating space for further growth of the Museum's aircraft collection and new additions to its education program.

Up next for Phase II, Klaers said, will be another board approval, formal notification to the city of Colorado Springs, and then receipt of a building permit. He made the comments during an overview of Museum activities that he gave as he introduced a presentation about the 56th Fighter Group in Europe, one of a series of historical presentations.

Phase II is not yet fully funded, but "we're going to break ground" in September or October, Klaers said. "We need to get it going this year, get the foundations in, get the steel out here before the weather starts turning," he said. "We're going forward."

The schedule for the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show, slated for August 17-18 at Colorado Springs Airport, is firming up, Klaers said. The Marine Corps Osprey will be there but won't fly because it needs a runway or taxiway in front of the crowd for its vertical takeoff and landing show routine, and this isn't available. But the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team will perform.

An F-22 Lightning II will fly with the Museum's P-38 Lightning in the U.S. Air Force's Heritage flight. The Navy's Legacy Flight will feature a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet flying with the Museum’s Brewster F3A-1 Corsair, the only surviving example of its type. Klaers also noted the possibility of flying the Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver, now in the final stages of restoration at the WestPac faciity. "Our team is working hard and it's actually coming together faster" than was once thought, Klaers said. Painting of some parts has begun. "The wings are now folding and the [landing] gear's pretty much set," Klaers said. "The hardest part is going to be painting it but mechanically it's coming together".

Our P-47D Thunderbolt flew June 15 following the 56th Fighter Group presentation. Coming "fly days" include July 13, when our P-38 Lightning White 33 is scheduled to fly (weather permitting, of course) following a presentation about the 39th Fighter Squadron in New Guinea, which was equipped with P-38s. "We will be doing fly days all the way through until October," except for the air show in August, which will include our fighters and bombers, Klaers said.

One or two of the Museum's planes may fly during a Fourth of July event, Klaers said. It was a popular affair last year, attracting some 800 visitors. Several aircraft will be on display with canopies open to allow the visitors to look inside the cockpits. Several of the Museum's military vehicles -- a half-track, a Jeep and a scout car -- will be available for rides.

Klaers welcomed a new Museum sponsor, PepsiCo of Colorado Springs, which has opened a 115,000-square-foot distribution facility spanning 12 acres directly across from the Museum on Aviation Way.

The Museum's YouTube channel has about 700 subscribers and is on the way to 1,000, Klaers said. "We have 40,000 views on all [14] of our videos," Klaers said.

He praised our 320 volunteers, calling the "the heart of the Museum." He said one of the foundations supporting the Museum says it's "destined to be the number one attraction in Colorado Springs."

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Flights West

The Museum was saddened to learn of the passing of several friends and heroes in the past two months.

Brigadier General Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson

United States Air Force Brigadier General Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson, triple ace in World War II, died in his sleep on May 17, 2024, at his home in Auburn, California, at the age of 102.

Born January 13, 1922, in Oakland, California, Anderson earned his private pilot’s license at 19 years old in 1941 through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. After joining the US Army Aviation Cadet Program on January 19, 1942, he went on to receive his commission as a Second Lieutenant and earned his wings in September 1942.

In his P-51B/D Mustangs named “Old Crow”, then-Captain Anderson was the highest scoring ace of the 363rd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force. Flying out of Leiston Airfield, England, Anderson served two tours with the 363 FS, flew 116 combat missions (480 hours), and scored 16.25 confirmed kills, two probables, and two damaged. With the exception of the quarter of a kill, which came against a Heinkel He-111, all of his other victories came against Messerschmitt Bf-109 and Focke-Wulf Fw-190 aircraft.

After the war he became a test pilot, commander of an F-86 Sabre squadron in Korea, an F-105 wing commander on Okinawa, and 355th Tactical Fighter Wing Commander during a combat tour in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war. He retired from the Air Force as a full Colonel in 1972, after which he worked in flight test management for McDonnell Douglas.

Anderson was inducted into the:

- National Aviation Hall of Fame (2008)

- International Air & Space Hall of Fame (2013)

- Experimental Aircraft Association Warbirds of America Hall of Fame (2017)

He was also a 2017 recipient of the Air Force Association Lifetime Achievement Award and, along with all American Fighter Aces, was recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015.

In a March 2018 ceremony at the museum, we were honored to have him accept our new designation as the National Museum of World War II Aviation.

Anderson’s military awards included the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster; Distinguished Flying Cross with four Oak Leaf Clusters; Bronze Star, Air Medal with 15 Oak Leaf Clusters; French Legion of Honor; French Croix de Guerre; and additional campaign and service ribbons. On December 2, 2022, he received an honorary promotion to Brigadier General from Air Force Chief of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr.

When Bud Anderson reached 90 years of age he voluntarily quit flying; at that time he had amassed more than 7,500 flying hours in over 130 different types of aircraft.

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Dr. Monica "Nikki" Agnew-Kinnaman

World War II veteran Dr. Monica Agnew-Kinnaman passed away in Colorado Springs on Friday, May 24, at the age of 106. Born in England in 1918, she served in the British anti-aircraft artillery during WWII, helping to track and shoot down German bombers.

Her 104th birthday, February 12, 2022, was celebrated at the Museum, and she was featured in our February 2022 newsletter (https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/newsletter-archive).

At her 106th birthday earlier this year, she was hailed at a Colorado Springs restaurant by Randy Helms, president of the Colorado Springs City Council; Councilman Dave Donelson; and Pete Tetley, president of the Pikes Peak National Cemetery.

“Yes, I’m kind of shy, really, I don’t like a lot of fuss," she said May 1 at a special welcome when she helped teach history to seventh and eighth-grade students at a Colorado Springs school, according to CNN News. "I feel I don’t deserve [the recognition]. There are so many thousands of people who’ve done so much more than I have and deserve so much more credit."

In WWII, she first served at a gun site on the south coast of England between Portsmouth and Southampton, helping to protect Allied shipping and nearby Royal Navy bases. She was later posted to the Thames Estuary. German bombers used the Thames River as a night-time navigation aid to bomb London.

Agnew-Kinnaman, known to her friends as Nikki, was born in England and stayed there until two years after the war, when she moved to the U.S. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology and wrote several books about dogs. "Although she had dogs all her life, when her husband died she devoted many years to taking old, abused and abandoned dogs that nobody wanted, so they could end their days in peace and comfort, and with lots of love," Amazon says.

"She was an inspiration to us all," said Roger Fortin, who organizes social gatherings and meals in Colorado Springs for veterans and their spouses. He saw her several days before she died. "Her wings were ready," he said, "our hearts were not."

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Major General Patrick J. Halloran

Major General Patrick J. Halloran (USAF-retired) passed away recently at the age of 95. A friend of the Museum and a long-time resident of Colorado Springs, General Halloran flew 100 combat missions in Republic F-84 Thunderjet fighters during the Korean War.

As a highly accomplished and respected pilot, he was perhaps best known for flying the top-secret Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady and SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance planes. He logged 1,600 hours in the high-flying U-2 during missions from nearly a dozen locations overseas, and accumulated 600 hours in the SR-71.

General Halloran’s involvement with the Museum included making presentations to community groups, actively supporting the Museum with donations and encouragement, and freely providing contacts across aviation and in the local community.

He retired from the Air Force in 1983 but continued to fly, amassing a total of 11,000 flight hours. He was active in the Experimental Aircraft Association, was lead pilot of a replica of the 1930s de Havilland Comet racing plane, and owned and flew a Lancair experimental aircraft. General Halloran was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005 in his native state of Minnesota.

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

12,000 Planes Supported Allies' D-Day Landings

The Allies' D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 -- 80 years ago this month -- was a massive operation. On the first day of the effort to begin to free Western Europe of German occupation, 5,000 ships transported a force of 156,000 Allied troops to the beaches of the Normandy region of northern France. The number grew to a million men in 30 days, and then to three million after the follow-on invasion of southern France. The Normandy invasion force sailed across the English Channel from Britain to attack heavily fortified German positions. The invasion, of course, was successful, leading to the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945.

By the fall of 1943, P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt fighters with long-range drop tanks were striking hard at German fighters up to the periphery of Germany itself, complementing the shorter-range British Spitfires and Typhoons. In December of 1943, the superior P-51 Mustang fighter began taking on the Luftwaffe and escorting heavy bombers deep into Germany and back. All were striking targets of opportunity as they returned to England, and all strongly supplemented the strategic bombing effort -- the USAAF by day and the RAF by night.

Up until early 1944 the job of the fighters had been to stick with the bombers, but an order to get German fighters instead resulted in the German fighter arm being significantly depleted. Allied air attacks began in February 1944 with Operation ARGUMENT, the campaign to reduce the effectiveness of the German Luftwaffe in the west reflected the understanding of top Allied planners that enemy air forces could not be permitted over the battlefront. The U.S. Army Air Forces and the British Royal Air Force also attacked the German transportation system in France and Belgium.

The attacks, conducted by heavy bombers, medium bombers, fighter-bombers, and fighters were aimed at limiting Germany's ability to respond to the invasion once it began. The attacks were widely dispersed and increased in intensity as D-Day approached; many hit the area around Calais to bolster an Allied deception that the invasion would take place there, some 150 miles up the French coast.

More than 2,400 fighters and fighter-bombers and about 700 light and medium bombers began hitting rail targets. Strategic bombers hit some of the same targets, but fighter-bombers were more agile and thus more precise than the mediums or heavies in hitting bridges over the Seine River near Paris and the Loire near Orleans. They were also better at evading or challenging German fighters. Beginning 21 days before the invasion, German airfields within about 130 miles of the Normandy coast also were hit. The strikes continued until D-Day.

They achieved their goal. In the five months preceding D-Day, the Luftwaffe was crippled. In March of 1944, 56 percent of available German fighters were lost. In April, 43 percent were lost; in May, just before the invasion, more than 50 percent were lost.

The effect wasn't so much on the number of German fighters destroyed -- many were still being produced -- as on the number of German fighter pilots killed. Between January and June of 1944, Germany lost many fighter pilots. In May alone, about a quarter of Germany's fighter pilots were killed.

On D-Day, Germany was able to mount only about 300 fighter sorties over the invasion area; the Allies flew about 13,000. Over 150 squadrons of British and American fighters carried out a variety of missions including covering Allied shipping; covering the beaches; escorting bombers and performing offensive fighter sweeps; hitting targets inland; and directly supporting the landing forces. Heavy bombers also struck the landing area but, by being sure not to hit friendly troops, they bombed well inland and had little effect on German beach positions. Medium bombers were more effective, attacking closer to Allied forces and at lower altitude.

Per the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, “Under field order 328, RAF Bungay’s 446th Group had the distinction of leading the 8th Air Force on the first mission of D-Day, 6th June 1944. Colonel Brogger in 'Red Ass' was first to take off at 0200 hours and, following a lengthy assembly, led the formations to hit the Normandy beach defences at H-hour minus 5 (five to six) on that fateful day. This was the first of four missions flown that day by the 20th Combat Wing in support of the landings, and the following weeks saw the 446th employed in mainly tactical missions until the land forces were firmly established in France.”

The combination of attacks on Germany's transportation system and its fighter arm constituted the first two phases of the Allied air campaign for invasion of Europe. The launch of the invasion itself marked the beginning of the third and final phase, interdiction of the battlefield and close air support. Additionally, Germany's oil production and imports were attacked.

After moving off the beaches in the period following D-Day, Allied forces had trouble breaking through German lines. British forces were halted at Caen, and American forces were stuck trying to break through thick hedgerows that separated farm fields in the Normandy countryside.

To help solve the problem, Allied generals departed from pre-war thinking about the use of strategic bombers -- that their sole mission was to strike deep into enemy territory -- by employing them in a troop-support role six different times. The first involved hundreds of British Halifax and Lancaster bombers at Caen on July 7. The second, on July 18, massed thousands of heavy and light and medium bombers. In the third, American heavies and mediums struck Saint Lo on July 25. The fourth, on July 30, supported the British Army south of Caumont. The fifth, a British-American raid on August 7 and 8, supported a Canadian thrust from Caen to Falaise. The sixth, on August 14, again supported the attack on Falaise.

The raids were generally successful, particularly when they were immediately followed by a ground assault. The bombings killed some Allied soldiers; Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair was one of over 100 Americans killed by errant Eighth Air Force bombs in the July 25 raid. Normandy was a classic example of complex combined arms, multi-service, coalition warfare.

Colonel Gene Pfeffer (USAF-retired), Museum curator and historian, contributed to this article.

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle and George White

Curtiss SB2C-1A Helldiver Restoration Progress

"Our team is working hard" preparing the SB2C-1A Helldiver for its first flight and "it's coming together faster" than had been thought, Museum President and CEO Bill Klaers said at a recent Museum event. It may be ready for the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show, August 17-18 at the Colorado Springs Airport. Painting of some parts has begun, Klaers said. "The wings are now folding and the [landing] gear's pretty much set. The hardest part is going to be painting it but mechanically it's coming together."

This Helldiver, built in 1944, was damaged in a ground accident in Seattle, Washington, and was abandoned in Lake Washington by the Navy in 1945. It was acquired by Jim Slattery and was eventually sent to WestPac, on the campus of the Museum at Colorado Springs Airport, for restoration.

When finished, it will be the only flying example of the SB2C-1A in the world!

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)

The WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) played a vital role in World War II. Stationed at 122 bases across the U.S., they flew 80 percent of all American ferrying missions; delivered 12,000 aircraft and freed up 900 male pilots for combat; towed targets for live anti-aircraft artillery practice; simulated strafing missions, and transported cargo.

As the museum's exhibit on women pilots in WWII says, when the war began in Europe, aviator Jacqueline Cochran suggested that women pilots be used for non-combat missions. She was asked by General "Hap" Arnold, chief of the U.S. Army Air Forces, to ferry a Lockheed Hudson bomber to England, then at war with Germany, to garner publicity for the idea of women flying military aircraft. In England, she volunteered for a short time with the British Air Transport Auxiliary and recruited 25 American women pilots to help ferry combat aircraft around Britain.

In 1941, Cochran and test pilot Nancy Harkness Love independently proposed using American women pilots in non-combat missions. Love formed the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) in September 1942 with 28 pilots who ferried aircraft from factories to military airfields. Cochran, meanwhile, formed the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) to train women ferry pilots. The two units were ultimately combined to form the WASP.

WASP recruits had to be between 21 and 35 years old, in good health, in possession of a pilot's license, and 500 hours of flight time, later dropped to 200 hours. Each WASP pilot was retrained to fly the "Army way" at Avenger Field in Texas. Twenty-five thousand women applied but only 1,074 earned their wings. They flew everything from AT-6 Texan trainers to P-51 Mustang fighters to B-29 Superfortress bombers. Thirty-eight WASP or trainees died in aircraft accidents.

The WASP were disbanded in 1944 as the need for male pilots overseas began to diminish. WASP had not been given military status and were treated as civilian contractors. They were given active duty status in 1977 after years of petitioning and, in 2009, were awarded the highest U.S. civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal.

The WASP have actively inspired successive generations of women aviators. Today, women have combat flying roles in all branches of the U.S. military.

Story Credit: Gene Pfeffer

National Museum of World War II Aviation

Named 2024 Top 1% Destination Worldwide! 

On behalf of our entire Museum team, thank you for making us a Top 1% attraction WORLDWIDE on Tripadvisor!

Additionally, the Museum has been named a Top 25 attraction in the United States, by traveler rankings, for three consecutive years … and has gotten better each year:

-       2022 ranked #17

-       2023 ranked #15

-       2024 ranked #11 … in the country!

Read the entire list here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopAttractions-g191

Phenomenal experiences by visitors has led to great reviews, and also resulted in the Museum being named Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best, which is TripAdvisor’s highest honor, for 2024! The award takes into account the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings, and ranks the very best destinations, accommodations, beaches, restaurants, and things to do in specific categories and geographic areas, as rated and reviewed by travelers.

According to the Tripadvisory.com website, "Fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor's listings are awarded Best of the Best, signifying the highest level of excellence in travel. The Tripadvisory Travelers' Choice Best of the Best designation is awarded to "experiences and attractions with a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from our community over a 12-month period".

This is a huge testament to the volunteers that keep this museum running, and to all the visitors who took the time to express their opinions … thank you all!

Would you like to leave a review of the Museum? Click here! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33364-d3844540-Reviews-National_Museum_of_World_War_II_Aviation-Colorado_Springs_El_Paso_County_Colorado.html

Story Credit : George White

Close Air Support Lessons Were Learned After D-Day

Close air support, like air power itself, came of age in World War II. Before the war, air power theorists generally focused on bombers, whose long range and heavy payloads could threaten distant enemy industrial centers. They thought bombers might even win future wars without ground forces.

The idea of close air support -- fighter-bombers working closely with front-line troops -- had been appreciated in the inter-war years. But the demands of combat in Europe and the Pacific forced new ways of thinking.

In Europe after D-Day, Army Air Forces bombers were sometimes pulled from their strategic duties and given the tactical job of clearing the way for troops on the ground. There were sometimes tragic consequences when bombs fell short, but concepts for direct support of ground troops using fighter-bombers slowly emerged.

Even commanders of American and British tactical air forces didn't always fully comprehend the contribution their fighter-bombers could make to the ground campaign, but there was little question that close air support helped make the breakout of ground troops from the Normandy beachhead into open country a great success.

Lieutenant General Elwood R. "Pete" Quesada, Commander of the U.S. Ninth Tactical Air Command, spearheaded the initiative to make fighter-bombers the flying artillery for the ground forces. Improved communications equipment eased the coordination between aircraft and ground units. Another Quesada idea helped spur the Allies' drive across France. This was armored column cover, in which fighter-bombers were on call to speed the movement of tank columns by attacking any obstacle in their way. The idea was enhanced by using pilots in tanks as forward air controllers.

Quesada also oversaw adaptation of radar to help chart aircraft target areas. Under ideal conditions, this allowed ground controllers to guide fighter-bomber pilots flying on instruments to unseen targets. At a controller's signal, the planes would release their bombs. They could also be redirected in flight to other targets. Such flexibility helped alleviate some of the complexities of close air support. Overall, technical innovations, good weather, powerful armies and a retreating enemy made close air support a winner in the summer months following D-Day.

But as the Allies approached Germany's West Wall in the fall and winter of 1944 their advance stalled, and close air support became more difficult. Then, on December 16, Germany counter-attacked in a last-ditch effort that became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Initially bad weather inhibited close air support, but when the weather cleared on December 23, tactical, strategic and transport aircraft rushed in, helping to turn the tide. By mid-January 1945, the German attack had failed and the way was open to the defeat of Germany on May 8, 1945.

Tactical air commanders like Quesada proved the concepts of close air support could work. Its effectiveness had been proven, and it would re-emerge as a vital mission during the Korean conflict.

Colonel Gene Pfeffer (USAF-retired), Museum curator and historian, contributed to this article.

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

The Mysterious P-61 Black Widow

The first flight of the Northrop XP-61 Black Widow prototype night fighter took place May 26, 1942, at Northrop Field, Hawthorne, California, with Vance Breese at the controls. The Northrop P-61 design was selected over the Douglas XA-26A (a night fighter version of the A-26 Invader) on December 5, 1940. The first P-61A production aircraft came off the assembly line in October 1943. The U.S. Army Air Forces used the P-61 in the European, Pacific, China-Burma-India, and Mediterranean Theaters of World War II.

In service for only a little more than a year at the end of WWII, the P-61 claimed just 127 victories; 18 of those were against German V-1 Buzz Bombs. In total, just 706 P-61’s were built; 674 during the war, and 32 after the war’s end.

Rather than the well-known glossy black paint from which it earned its Black Widow name, three different paint designs were originally tested; olive drab with a flat black underside, flat black, and gloss black. It was discovered during night spotting tests using searchlights that while both the flat black and olive drab paint jobs were unsuccessful in disguising the aircraft from below, the gloss black paint rendered the aircraft silhouette almost impossible to see. This led to the easily recognizable P-61 we know today.

The 422nd Night Fighter Squadron (NSF) was the first squadron equipped with P-61’s in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). In the book “422nd Night Fighter Squadron : A History” by Charles McEwen, Jr., he tells of the unit’s joy in receiving the first aircraft and finally being declared operational.

“During the final nine days of the month (May 1944), it seemed as if there was never a dull moment. On the 23rd when Gen. Schramm of the 71st Wing was coming out of the mess at lunch time, Col. Johnson almost took off his hat in celebrating the arrival of the first P-61 to be delivered off the assembly line. His exhibition was the signal for a general rush to the field to welcome the arrival of our first combat plane, after 77 long disappointing days in the E.T. O. By the end of the month we had taken delivery of six and were beginning to at least look as if we were operational.”

In July, he further related, “Operational at last! That, in a nutshell is tantamount to saying that July was our biggest and best month to date. True, we were operational only in detachments, as will be seen, and only for part of the month, but it was sweet to see our Skipper, Col. Johnson, pilot the first P-61 in combat in the E.T. O. and put the 422nd in the books as being the first American Night fighter unit in combat in the E.T. O. Our record of 4 Buzz Bombs destroyed, left much to be desired, but nontheless, after all the frustration, difficulties and disappointments, we were finally in combat.”

The P-61 Black Widow’s operational life as a night-fighter was short-lived, as it was soon replaced when the war ended by the North American F-82 Twin Mustang and then by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion jet fighter. It found a second life as a photoreconnaissance platform during the Korean War as the Northrop F-15 Reporter, and with the United States Marine Corps as the Northrop F2T-1N radar trainer.

Today there are only four known surviving P-61s, all of which are in museums.

General characteristics

·    Crew: 2–3 (pilot, radar operator, optional gunner)

·    Length: 49 ft 7 in

·    Wingspan: 66 ft 0 in

·    Height: 14 ft 8 in

·    Empty weight: 23,450 lb

·    Gross weight: 29,700 lb

·    Max takeoff weight: 36,200 lb

·    Fuel capacity: 640 US gal internal and up to four 165 US gal drop tanks

·    Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,250 hp each

Performance

·       Maximum speed: 366 mph at 20,000 ft

·       Range: 1,350 mi

·       Ferry range: 1,900 mi with four external fuel tanks

·       Service ceiling: 33,100 ft

·       Rate of climb: 2,540 ft/min

·       Time to altitude: 20,000 ft in 12 minutes

Armament

·       Guns: 4 × 20 mm Hispano AN/M2 cannon in ventral fuselage, 200 rounds per gun

·       4 × .50 in M2 Browning machine guns in remotely operated, full-traverse upper turret, 560 rounds per gun

·       Bombs: for ground attack, four bombs of up to 1,600 lb (726 kg) each or six 5-in (127 mm) HVAR unguided rockets could be carried under the wings. Some aircraft could also carry one 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb under the fuselage.

Avionics

·       SCR-720 search radar

·       SCR-695 tail warning radar

Editor's Note: This article is for my dad, who recently asked me if we had a P-61 at the museum and who sounded a little disappointed when I said no!

Story Credit: George White and Rich Tuttle

The Airfield

C-47 Skytrain That’s All, Brother

Lead Aircraft of the D-Day Invasion

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS

ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

With these words, the Allied invasion of France at Normandy known as Operation OVERLORD and D-Day was set in motion.

Leading the way were over 13,000 paratroopers from the United States 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, the British 6th Airborne Division, and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, in what was the single largest airborne assault in history up until that point in time.

Departing from bases in England in the late evening of June 5, 1944, 925 Douglas C-47 Skytrains carried troops across the English Channel on a night jump behind enemy lines hours before the scheduled seaborne landings at the zones designated Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. The C-47’s flew in serials (groups) of 36, 45, or 54 aircraft which formed nine-ship V formations, with a separation of 1,000 feet between serials.

On that evening, C-47 Serial Number 42-92847 That’s All, Brother led the airborne invasion as the lead aircraft.

That’s All, Brother had been built by Douglas Aircraft at their Oklahoma City Plant and delivered to the USAAF on March 8, 1944. On April 16, 1944, she went to England with the Air Transport Command.

This aircraft was chosen as lead because she’d been fitted with an SCR-717C Navigational Radar which would be used to detect beacons, set by Pathfinders, which designated drop zones, and the GEE Mark II navigational system.

As the lead aircraft, That’s All, Brother was designated Chalk 1 of Serial 7. The word chalk was used because numbers were literally written on the sides of the aircraft in white chalk so that paratroopers could identify the aircraft they were assigned to load into.

The paratroopers assigned to That’s All, Brother on June 5 were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment. Also aboard were Episcopalian Chaplain Raymond S. Hall, combat surgeon Major Douglas Davidson, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion Commander Lt Colonel Benjamin Weisberg, Corporal Victor Nelson, and Private Donald G. Johnson.

The flight crew was:

• Lieutenant Colonel David E. Daniel (Pilot, and Commander of the 87th Troop Carrier Squadron)
• Lieutenant Colonel John M. Donalson (Command Pilot, and Commander of the 438th Troop Carrier Group)
• First Lieutenant Barney Blankenship (Co-Pilot)
• Second Lieutenant Robert G. Groswird (Navigator)
• Second Lieutenant John N. Shallcross (Navigator)
• Technical Sergeant Harry A. Chalfant (Crew Chief)
• Staff Sergeant Woodrow S. Wilson (Radio Operator)
• Lieutenant Colonel Daniel also brought his Scottie dog, which sat beside him on a flack suit.

Lieutenant Colonel Donalson himself named the aircraft, as a message to Adolph Hitler.

That’s All, Brother took off from the runway at Greenham Common (also known as USAAF Station 486) about 55 miles west of London. They were joined by aircraft from the 436th Group at Membury; the 439th Group at Upottery; the 435th Group at Welford Park; the 441st Group at Merryfield; and the 440th Group at Exeter—they were on their way to Normandy, with That’s All, Brother leading the way.

Following D-Day, That’s All, Brother remained operational and participated in other missions such as Operation DRAGOON (August 15, 1944), Operation MARKET GARDEN (September 17–25, 1944), the relief of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944), and Operation VARSITY (March 24 – May 2, 1945).

On August 4, 1945, That’s All, Brother returned to the United States, where it was subsequently decommissioned, sold to the civilian market, and its historical significance lost.

With its operational history unknown, That’s All Brother passed between owners over the next 70 years before being discovered in an Oshkosh, Wisconsin boneyard where it was scheduled to be modernized.

This is where the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) stepped in to save the day, raising the funds necessary to purchase That’s All, Brother in its original configuration in 2015, saving it from conversion.

As with any WWII aircraft restoration, there was much work to be done. Evaluation of the airframe revealed extensive corrosion which needed to be repaired. The goal was to retain as much of the original airframe material as possible; it’s estimated that 85% of the aircraft remains original. The corrosion work required more than 1,600 hours of labor to complete.

In 2017 the wings were rebuilt, it was rewired, the interior and other areas were repainted to the exact color scheme it carried in WWII, and the two original Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C Twin Wasp radial engines were overhauled, mounted, and started for the first time. Providing 1,200 horsepower each, they give That’s All, Brother a maximum speed of 224 miles per hour at 10,000 feet; a range of 1,600 miles; a ferry range of 3,600 miles; and a service ceiling of 26,400 feet.

2018 saw continued restoration and installation of historical components to the cabin. Its exterior was painted to the exact scheme as on its D-Day mission, including the immediately recognizable hand-painted black and white invasion stripes. With restoration complete, That’s All, Brother took to the air again in January 2018, completing a short test flight at Wittman Regional Airport in Wisconsin.

In 2019, CAF flew That’s All, Brother back along the WWII aircraft ferry route to Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, and finally landing at Duxford, England. On June 5, 2019, she crossed the English Channel and dropped re-enactor paratroopers over Normandy. The next day, June 6, 2019, she participated in a D-Day memorial formation flight with 12 other C-47/DC-3 aircraft over the Normandy American Cemetery, before continuing on to Berlin for a Berlin Airlift commemoration and then returning to Paris for the Paris Air Show.

As part of the CAF’s D-Day Living History Flight Experience tour each year, That’s All, Brother provides visitors with an opportunity to see, touch, and fly in a uniquely historical aircraft.

The author was fortunate to have taken that opportunity during their September 2023 visit to Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight at Centennial Airport, Colorado.

While most of the others on the plane spent their time looking out the windows, I spent it soaking in the atmosphere, holding on the jump line, examining all the little details of the cabin, and visiting the cockpit (several times!). I also imagined myself in full gear, in the dark, scared, sitting on those small metal seats, and slowly working my way across the English Channel to an unknown fate.

It was phenomenal.

CAF returned That’s All, Brother to England this spring where they arrived May 24 to participate in this year’s 80th Anniversary of D-Day celebrations. After attending numerous events, including D-day memorial flyovers and airshows, they departed on the return westward Atlantic crossing on June 21. We're happy to report that That’s All, Brother and her crew arrived safely back at home station in San Marcos, Texas, on June 27!

For more information on That’s All, Brother, including history, videos, tour schedule, store, and how to contribute, please visit https://thatsallbrother.org/. Be sure to follow her tour updates on Facebook ... and if you can go for a flight, it will be memorable!

Story Credit: George White

Victory in Europe (V-E) Day Anniversary Remembered

78 years ago on May 7, 1945, Allied forces of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union forced the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The following day, May 8, citizens around the world celebrated the news of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. The German High Command surrendered unconditionally all land, sea, and air forces at Reims, France. General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said, "The mission of this Allied force was fulfilled at 0241 local time, May 7, 1945." American GI’s in Europe and their families at home experienced both jubilation and relief.

In the air, the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 8th Air Force conducted its last combat mission on April 25, 1945. Nearly 600 bombers and 500 fighters attacked airfields and rail targets in Southeast Germany and in Czechoslovakia. Two weeks before peace came, six B-17 bombers were lost, four damaged beyond repair and 180 damaged. Twenty B-24 bombers were also damaged. Nine airmen were wounded and 42 were declared missing.

One of the lesser known “bombing” missions also took place in the closing days of the European war when American and British bombers dropped food rations and supplies to the Dutch people of the Netherlands. The Netherlands was stricken with a famine that, paired with a lack of heating fuel, led to an estimated 20,000 civilian deaths. With only half of the country liberated, many also suffered from continued occupation by German forces. The Allies negotiated with German forces in the Netherlands for the relief missions, which went off without significant problems; from April 29 through VE-Day, 5,500 sorties dropped 10,000 tons of food on the starving and grateful Dutch.

One who benefited from the “bombing missions” was a malnourished teenager who later adopted the stage name of Audrey Hepburn. She went on to become the star of several movies of the 1950s and '60s and was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for humanitarian work in her later years.

On May 8, 1945, the war in the Pacific was far from over. From April through June 1945 the Battle for Okinawa raged. U.S. Navy, Marine and Army combat units endured the bloodiest battle of the Pacific war. Kamikaze suicide pilots damaged 400 Allied, mostly U.S., vessels.

Okinawa provided a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields close to Japan that were to participate in the expected coming invasion of Japan. The use of atomic weapons precluded the invasion and brought the war in the Pacific to a rapid end when the emperor announced Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945.

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Get Your 2024 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow Tickets and See the Blue Angels First Colorado Springs Appearance!

Head on over to https://www.pprairshow.org/tickets/ today to get your airshow tickets!

Attendance is limited daily and once sold out there is no admittance; tickets will not sold the day of the event, don’t procrastinate!

Tickets are sold progressively, and Saturday is getting close to being sold out!

General Admission: Saturday $49, Sunday $47

Military: Saturday $44, Sunday $42

Children (ages 4-12): Saturday $39, Sunday $37

Preferred Seating: Saturday: SOLD OUT

Preferred Seating: Sunday :   SOLD OUT

Canteen Experience: Saturday & Sunday: SOLD OUT

Preferred Seating:

• Prime Seating
• Private Restrooms
• Official Collectible program per order

We're expecting record airshow attendance beyond the 25K+ visitors that filled the 2022 event, especially with the first ever Colorado Springs appearance of the United States Navy BLUE ANGELS Flight Demonstration Squadron!

Remaining 2024 PPRA Preferred Seating tickets are limited; secure yours at https://www.pprairshow.org/tickets/ !

Your Best Shot!

This edition's Best Shot comes from the editor and shows Museum pilot Alan Wojciak strapping in for a demonstration flight following the June 15 historical presentation on the 56th Fighter Group. It was shot with a Nikon D90, 200mm zoom, ISO 200, F/25, 1/100 sec, shutter priority, processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Send us your best shot! Here are the rules:

1. Photo entry must include name, age and city of the photographer; when the photo was taken; and what event it was taken at. For example: Kanan Jarrus, 33, Manitou Springs, May 2023 Battle of the Philippine Sea presentation. If you'd like to include any other information about your photo, please do!

2. Photo must be of a National Museum of World War II Aviation airplane, display or event

3. There's no age limit to entrants; if you're old enough to take a photo, you're old enough to enter!

4. Photo must be a good quality digital .jpeg or .png file; the higher the resolution the better

5. Photo can be horizontal or vertical format, color or monochrome, untouched or processed; get creative!

6. If photos utilize a model, an appropriate model release form must be provided

7. One entry per person, per month. Send us your best shot!

8. Deadline for entry is 12:00 p.m. MST on the 20th of each month

9. The Museum Newsletter Team (that's our smiling mugs down below) will choose the winner. Between the four of us we have something like 175 years of experience in the writing, photography and publication business; we know a good photo when we see it!

10. The winning photographer will be requested to fill out a Museum Photo Release Form and return it. There is no monetary compensation or other prize, but we think you'll be pretty proud to have your photo shown to over 4K+ newsletter subscribers!

Email your photos (and any questions) to us at museumnewsletterphotos@gmail.com. Don't forget, the entry deadline is the 20th of each month! 

Special Presentation:

The 39th Fighter Squadron in New Guinea – The Cobras in the Clouds

Saturday, July 13, 2024

Museum opens at 8:00 a.m.

Presentation at 9:00 a.m.

P-38 Lightning Flight Demonstration Following Presentation (Weather Permitting)

The U.S. Army Air Force’s (USAAF) 39th Fighter Squadron established itself as one of the top air-to-air combat units early in the war against Japan.

After December 7, 1941, the U.S. was on the defensive everywhere in the Southwest Pacific, where the allies were desperate to hold the line against Japanese efforts to occupy New Guinea and threaten Australia. The USAAF and Royal Australian Air Force squadrons were outnumbered and outgunned.

The 39th was initially equipped with Bell P-39 Airacobras that lacked high altitude performance; their pilots were hard- pressed to defend the main New Guinea base at Port Moresby from Japanese attacks. That changed in the fall of 1942 when the 39th was re-equipped with the P-38 Lightning, the USAAF’s best high-altitude fighter at the time. The 39th then dominated air-to-air action until late 1943 when it transitioned to the P-47 Thunderbolt and its mission changed.

At one point in May 1943, the 39th had six aces among its pilots. Famous flyers like Dick Bong, America’s leading ace of all time, and Tommy McGuire with 38 victories, also flew for a time with the 39th. Both were awarded the Medal of Honor.

On Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., museum curator and historian Gene

Pfeffer will tell the story of the 39^th Fighter Squadron and its special place in air power history. Weather permitting, the presentation will be followed by a flying demonstration of the museum’s own restored P-38F, White 33, which flew with the 39th during combat in late 1942 and was credited with at least two aerial victories.

Standard admission prices are in effect. The purchase of advance on-line tickets is encouraged.

Advance ticket prices are:

Adult - $17

Child (4-12) - $13

Senior and Military - $15

WWII Veterans – Always FREE!

Children 3 and Under – Always FREE!

Museum Members - Included in membership; please call 719-637-7559 or stop by the front desk to make your reservations.

And of course, parking is always FREE!

Story Credit: Colonel Gene Pfeffer (USAF-retired), Museum curator and historian

Do you really love an article? Did a photograph really wow you? Have a question about a story? Want to see more of a certain topic? Did something spark a memory that you'd like to share with us?

We'd love to hear your what you have to say about the newsletter; let us know by dropping the editor a message at newsletter@worldwariiaviation.org!