Pilot encounter by Puke

[eddiek]

What always amazes me about these vets we talk to is how they tone it down.  "We were just doing our job, nothing special" is a common comment heard.
So far, I've managed to talk to 3 Jug pilots and 2 B-24 pilots.  Each had harrowing tales that they related to me just like a guy talking about the weather......."pretty wild for a while there" then they go right on with the conversation..

[Dago]

Let see, I post about running into a P38 pilot reunion, and all the conversations I had with them, including P38 in combat, and tactics used, nobody says squat.

I post about a B17 pilot I know well, about how his B17 was blown apart on his 21st mission, he and two others survive, get captured etc, nobody responds.

Now, Puke meets one P38 driver and its a big deal?

Heck yeah it is, each one of those guys have great stories to tell.

Every Saturday morning I have breakfast with the B17 driver, plus a P47 driver who was shot down in the Med, picked up by a British seaplane, and others, and I enjoy their company and stories very much.

BTW, the P38 guys told me that no, the P38 didnt stand a chance turning with LW aircraft, and they used the HO as their main attack tactic, they had superior HO guns, with the way P38 guns had no devergance problem.

Have fun Puke, my experience is that most of these guys love to have someone interested in what they did, and they love to tell their stories.

Dago

[marauder]

My grandfather never spoke at any conventions but he was
a World War II (and Korean War) vet. During the war he was
a paratrooper and worked with explosives (enemy bridges+
grampas explosives = BOOM!). Even though he had a bad
leg because of being wounded during the war and emphysema
he would come all the way across the country once a year to visit my mother and I. He always brought me a new WWII era Fighter
plane or battleship model to build and best of all, lotsa stories
of his experiences during the war.  Grandpa has since
passed away:(  and so; like what was said in another post
above if you get the chance to talk to a vet about their exper-
iences do so because some vets pass away everyday. And like
Gramps these guys were brave and risked their lives for us
(and kicked some Axis bellybutton too!) so they deserve a chance to
relate their experiences to us.               RIP Grampa, miss ya.

[Central]

Originally posted by Dago
Let see, I post about running into a P38 pilot reunion, and all the conversations I had with them, including P38 in combat, and tactics used, nobody says squat.
Dago

give link, how far back?

[Dago]

give link, how far back

Here is one about the B17 pilot:

I cant pull up the P38 one, it was about 2 yrs ago and search only allows me to look back 1 yr.

dago

[Puke]

Akak, oh man...Chula Juana?  If I find out you've ever shot me down in Aces High, I'll  have to revoke your invite.  heh heh.  Seriously, the guy was sincere about me tagging along but it seems like it's a very close-knit group of guys.  He said a bunch of them get together on Wednesdays and once had Duke Cunningham speak and they all playfully jeered him "off stage" when he went on too long.  I'm guessing it's a fun group but he did mention a few rules they have, nothing serious, but I do remember one was that no cel phones are allowed.  I think that's to make sure nobody is distracted and they all concentrate on their commeraderie.  I have his card here...uhm...somewhere... awww, crud, I can't see it..  it's around.  I can always e-mail him and make sure it's okay if I bring a friend or two.  Avid, that goes for you too if you can make the trip.  However, no rude people!  That would at least keep me away from being the sole outsider.  

I do remember thinking if I should ask if he got any kills or not, but it seemed like a childish question or not appropriate for that time.

[poopster]

Cool stuff Mr.Puke. Guy in a motorhome came in to have it worked on. Walked onboard to get the vehicle info and there on the couch was a P47 baseball cap.

Great talk, felt privaliged to have spoke to him. Won't forget it.

[texace]

The only person I can really talk to about stuff like this is my grandfather, who flew F4U's in WWII and Korea with VMF-323. I never really asked him about stuff like this...never had time...but does have interesting stuff to say about it.

I do know a few things he did do. If you ever go to the Marine Corps Museum in Maryland (?), look for the exibit on the gyrodine. This was supposed to be a one man helicoper used for troop delivery. In the video they have playing there...well...that's my grandfather, testing and flying the craft. I also have a picture in ym room of I think the only three gyrodines in flight. I think it's a one of a kind.

I know there's a picture out there of a VMF-323 Corsair on fire on a carrier deck. The Corsair, No. 13, apparently had the external tank rupture after a hard touchdown. My grandfather knew this guy. In that picture, if you look in the background, you'll see a group of three Corsairs. He's flying the middle Corsair in that picture.

He's got some good stories to tell. I'll ask him about it and relate them. One good one I remember was where he and his squadmates shot up a Korean clothesline. If you ever see the picture of VMF-323 together (Rip can point it out), he can name off every guy and tell you about them. He even has that very picture in a large binder.

So says I...

[AKWeav]

Gunther Rall was still alive as of June 5th 1999.
http://www.jg54greenhearts.com/rallsign.htm
Haven't been able to find anything later.

[rabbit]

Rall is still alive. as of last year for sure.

a friend of my  went to europe  to interview him. i have the unedited interview in quick time format.  but, i  cannot post it due to the fact that  it is for his film project.

i have the rough copy of the 461st BG documentery as well it should be released soon.  here is Rudi's website stop in and say hiya to him  http://www.461st.org/ an old Mac AW bud of mine as well as a kick bellybutton yak pilot.
this is one of the most complete squadron sites that i have ever seen on the web enjoy.

[rabbit]

Rall is still alive. as of last year for sure.

a friend of my  went to europe  to interview him. i have the unedited interview in quick time format.  but, i  cannot post it due to the fact that  it is for his film project.

i have the rough copy of the 461st BG documentery as well it should be released soon.  here is Rudi's web site stop in and say hiya to him  http://www.461st.org/ an old Mac AW bud of mine as well as a kick bellybutton yak pilot.
this is one of the most complete squadron sites that i have ever seen on the web enjoy and tellum Rabbit sent ya  enjoy.

[Shiva]

I met Gunther Rall at the 'Gathering of Eagles' event the San Diego CAF win put on in 1999, along with the other pilots they were able to bring to the event. Mr. Rall is very personable, and I wish that I'd been able to sit near him at the dinner, so I could ask him more questions about his experience.

One amusing bit of history that I got from that event is something I want to eventually turn into a diorama. One of the pilots at the event was assigned to KG50 back when they were transitioning to the Me-262; I can't remember his name off the top of my head at the moment, but he lives in National City now (or did back in 1999). He was describing some of the problems with the 262, one of which was that it didn't have a steerable nosewheel; the nosewheel castered. As a result, if you tried to turn the plane too sharply while taxiing, the nosewheel could turn 90° to the airframe, at which point it would stay there despite anything the pilot could do with the engines and brakes, because you couldn't get the plane to roll forward to caster the wheel back. At some point I want to build a diorama of a Me-262A-2a at the junction between a taxiway and the runway, with the pilot standing with one hand against the nose of the plane kicking the nosewheel to get it to turn back around enough for him to be able to get his plane rolling again.

I would love to be able to meet Mr. Rall again. I think it would also be interesting to get him, as well as any members of the P-38 Association who are interested, and sit them down to play AH and get their feedback -- and see how much RL experience helps. IIRC, some years ago when a flight sim arcade in the Seattle area invited a number of members of the Tuskegee Airmen to fly in Warbirds, they demoted the rest of us to new levels of dweebery.

[WhiteHawk]

My grandfather was a b24 liberator top turret gunner.  He
wouldnt talk about the war at all.  When I asked him if he
ever shot anybody down he would totally ignore the the
question and change the subject.  When he died, my grandma
let me go thru his war stuff.  Full flight suit, (the leathers)
oxygen mask goggles, leather/wool hat.  .50's on a belt. (only
about 20).  But some very interesting stuff.
  He had about 5 medals.  Didnt really look too closely, but
1 was for ploesti raid and 1 was for combat kill.  (not sure if
it was first kill or not).  I was too young to realize what a
goldmine i had in my hands.  My dads brother did realize and
he took them at first chance.  But I did (at a later date) run
across some other stuff in another trunk.  
I have in my possesion:

  An exploded 20mm cannon shell,
  A piece of melted metal.  (I assume flak)
  And 2 german decorations of some kind.  very cool.
  Maybe somebody knows what they are..
  They are both the same..
  A silver eagle on top..claws grasping a white ivory circle
with a black swastika.  Looks like a collar clip or something.
Maybe german flyboy clip since they were with his US flyboy
 clip.  Very small things.  Maybe size of a quarter.
Very interesting.. I wish he was still alive, but I guess to
go from 1942 until 1945 as a gunner in a b24, he was lucky
to come out of the war alive at all.

[MJHerman]

My one and only brush with a great WW2 pilot is meeting Johnnie Johnson in 1992 (or 1993, can't remember).  He was kind enough to sign a print I had of his Spit downing a 190.

A wonderful gentleman, but not quite as talkative as I would have expected.

Now meeting Gunther Rall, that would be a wonderful opportunity.  If he had 275 kills, was it Heinz Bar who had just over 300? (I always confuse the two).

[rabbit]

Rall had 275 kills most of them on the eastern front.

this might interest some of you folks http://www.leisuregalleries.com/index.html