Author Topic: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945  (Read 554 times)

Offline oboe

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B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« on: February 24, 2022, 04:45:34 PM »
Well, here she is in practically final form.   You guys convinced me to finish her.  149 missions over the Reich for the 388th BG between March '45 and May '45.   Amazing.   










https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-97210-jamaica-ginger/
« Last Edit: February 24, 2022, 05:07:01 PM by oboe »

Offline Vraciu

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2022, 04:49:03 PM »
Pretty darned nice. 
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Offline oboe

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2022, 04:54:10 PM »
I've got a few tweaks left - conflict between panel line grime and panel edge glare.  Can't be both grimey AND shine like a knife edge.   I think she flew for almost a year before the black trim stripes were added.

Some reference material:
 



Hope somebody will get some use out of her.

Just saw this one, and the image made my heart skip a beat I think.  This photo was taken from "Lady Godiva", another 388th Fort.  Holy crap!  Look at the hole in the outboard wing:

« Last Edit: February 24, 2022, 05:10:28 PM by oboe »

Offline Devil 505

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2022, 05:04:10 PM »
I like it.


I've got a few tweaks left - conflict between panel line grime and panel edge glare.  Can't be both grimey AND shine like a knife edge.

If you're trying to make oil grime that's glossy, use white for it on both P and S maps. Metal should be low power but high specularity so you'll get some contrast in the right lighting - at least that's what I did for the metal on my Jg 300 190A-8 with the bare metal under-wing section.
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Offline lyric1

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2022, 07:24:40 PM »
 :aok

Offline oboe

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2022, 07:07:24 PM »
Doing some research on the name of this aircraft, I always thought it referred to a girl.  But it turns out there is something else, more notorious, behind the term:

From Wikipedia:

Since the 1860s, Jamaica Ginger had been widely sold at drug stores and roadside stands.  In small doses, mixed with water, it was used as a remedy for headaches, upper respiratory infections, menstrual disorders, and intestinal gas.  Despite its strong ginger flavour, it was popular as an alcoholic beverage in dry counties in the United States, where it was a convenient and legal method of obtaining alcohol. It was often mixed with a soft drink to improve the taste.

When Prohibition was enacted in 1920, sale of alcohol became illegal nationwide, prompting consumers to search for substitutes.  Patent medicines with a high alcohol percentage, such as Jamaica ginger, became obvious choices, as they were legal and available over the counter without prescriptions. By 1921, the United States government made the original formulation of Jamaica ginger prescription-only.  Only a fluid extract version defined in the United States Pharmacopeia, with a high content of bitter-tasting ginger oleoresin, remained available in stores.  Because of the taste, it was classified as nonpotable, and was therefore legal to sell despite the alcohol content.

Organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy
When the price of castor oil increased in the latter portion of the 1920s, Harry Gross, president of Hub Products Corporation, sought an alternative additive for his Jamaica ginger formula. He discarded ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol as being too volatile, eventually selecting a mixture containing triorthocresyl phosphate (TOCP), a plasticizer used in lacquers and paint finishing. Gross was advised by the manufacturer of the mixture, Celluloid Corporation, that it was non-toxic.   TOCP was originally thought to be non-toxic; however, it was later determined to be a neurotoxin that causes axonal damage to the nerve cells in the nervous system of human beings, especially those located in the spinal cord. The resulting type of paralysis is now referred to as organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy, or OPIDN.

In 1930, large numbers of Jamaica Ginger ("Jake") users began to find they were unable to use their hands and feet.  Some victims could walk, but they had no control over the muscles which would normally have enabled them to point their toes upward. Therefore, they would raise their feet high with the toes flopping downward, which would touch the pavement first followed by their heels. The toe first, heel second pattern made a distinctive "tap-click, tap-click" sound as they walked. This very peculiar gait became known as the "jake walk" and the jake dance and those afflicted were said to have jake leg, jake foot, or jake paralysis. Additionally, the calves of the legs would soften and hang down and the muscles between the thumbs and fingers would atrophy.

Within a few months, the TOCP-adulterated Jake was identified as the cause of the paralysis, and the contaminated Jake was recovered. But by that time, it was too late for many victims. Some did recover full, or partial, use of their limbs. But for most, the loss was permanent. The total number of victims was never accurately determined, but is frequently quoted as between 30,000 and 50,000. Many victims were immigrants to the United States, and most were poor, with little political or social influence. The victims received very little assistance.   Harry Gross and his part-owner of Boston-Hub Products, Max Reisman, were ultimately fined $1,000 each and given a two-year suspended jail sentence.

Several blues songs on the subject were recorded in the early 1930s, such as "Jake Walk Papa" by Asa Martin, and "Jake Liquor Blues" by Ishman Bracey.


Offline Greebo

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2022, 01:30:22 AM »
Really nice skin Oboe and an interesting, if kind of grim, story behind the name.

Offline lyric1

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Re: B-17G 388th BG 563rd BS "Jamaica Ginger", RAF Knettishall, 1945
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2022, 02:40:47 AM »
Really nice skin Oboe and an interesting, if kind of grim, story behind the name.

Yes it is.

Couple of Facebook images from a family member of one of the crew.