Newsletter November 2014 – Public Edition

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Volume 19 - N°11 - November 2014
CAF FRENCH WING - BULLETIN MENSUEL - MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
PUBLIC EDITION
father
Atlee
article
and
"Pappy"
EDITORIAL
T
AIRSHOW
he month of November
was a quiet one for the
French Wing. Cold weather
Manthos.
photos
Manthos
The
about
are
from
made
by
European
arrived
in
thousands
immigrants
the
early
of
who
20th
t h i s w e b s i t e . Yo u w i l l l e a r n
century and fought for their
of Manthos' both typical and
adoptive
u n i q u e s t o r y. U n i q u e b e c a u s e
liberation of a continent they
every man's life ressembles
had left not-so-long ago.
and our member's busy lives
no
o t h e r.
largely account for this. Be it
it
a s i t m a y, h e r e i s a n e w i s s u e
commitment
is
Ty p i c a l
and
the
because
representative
and
country
of
the
- Bertrand Brown
sacrifices
of our monthly newsletter!
C
olonel
has
Roger
been
Robert
particularly
active. He has been visiting
the US and fulfilling one of
his
dreams:
annual
Force
attending
the
Commemorative
Air
airshow
in
Midland.
He wrote a very interesting
H
on
Photo : cclark395 (CC BY-NC 2.0)
account of his visit.
aving collaborated with
D i m i t r i o s Va s s i l o p o u l o s
his
pilots
book
in
about
Allied
air
Greek
Midland: CAF Airsho 2014
forces
d u r i n g W o r l d W a r Tw o , I w a s
recently
contacted
by
Dan
Manthos, the eldest son of
one of these pilots. Dan has
created a website dedicated
to the memory of his father
and
wanted
permission
to
use my profiles to illustrate
it. The website includes a
very
of
interesting
photographs,
them
in
c o l o u r,
collection
many
which
of
I
wanted to present in these
c o l u m n s . H o w e v e r, I t h o u g h t
it would be appropriate to
begin
by
introducing
his
"Pappy Manthos": a greek in the USAAF
1
Airsh ow - Publi c Edi ti o n
Air sh ow is th e m on th l y n e w s l et t er o f t h e C A F Fren c h
Win g . Th is "pub lic " edi t i o n i s m ea n t f o r p eo p l e w h o
a re n ot m e m b e r s of t h e a s s o c i a t i o n . C o n t en t w h i c h i s
f or m e m b e r s on ly m ay h a ve b een rem oved f ro m t h i s edi t ion .
To sub sc r ib e to th e pu b l i c edi t i o n o f A i r s h ow, g o t o o u r
we b site an d fill in th e s u b s c r i p t i o n f o r m :
Sub s c ri b e to the pu b l ic e d it ion of Air s h ow
N B: Sub sc r iption to t h e p u b l i c edi t i o n o f A i r s h ow i s
com ple te ly fre e an d ca n b e c a n c el l ed a t a n y t i m e. Yo u r
p e r son al d ata is sole ly u s ed f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f m a n a g i n g
your sub sc r iption an d w i l l rem a i n s t r i c t l y c o n f i den t i a l .
2
CAF French Wing partners
3
Photo : ebdon (CC BY- 3.0)
CAF Airsho
The annual CAF airshow in Midland
Article: Roger Robert.
Where can one see the greate s t g a t h e r i n g o f Wo r l d Wa r
II warbirds in flight? My
answer to this question is,
without hesitation, in Midland during the Commemorative Air Force annual airs h o w.
Attending this airshow was
a long-time dream which
recently
became
r e a l i t y.
This trip allowed me to
g e t t o k n o w Te x a s b e t t e r
(696 000 km²). I seized
the opportunity to visit
several museums: aviation
museums (4 more), Presidential Librar y (Lyndon
Johnson in Austin, a beautiful town), George Bush
in College Station), the
s u p e r b P a c i f i c Wa r m u s e um in Fredericksburg, The
Te x a s R a n g e r s a n d D r P e p p e r, i n Wa c o , e t c . . . !
But let's get back to Midland
: the first airshow was org a n i s e d i n 1 9 6 3 . To d a y, t h e
CAF regroups over 160 flying warbirds in Wing and
Squadrons based in 24 American states as well as 4 foreign countries.
S a t u r d a y, I a r r i v e d o n t h e
parking lot at 7:00 AM. I
was by no means the first on
the spot as the main hangar
and its surroundings were
already buzzing with activi t y.
8:30 AM: the public is let
in, everything is ready for
b r e a k f a s t . N o w, a n d u n til 11:30 AM, is also the
chance to go admire the
fighters and bombers which
will fly in the afternoon.
Some of them are available
for rides.
11:40
AM:
the
American
a n d Te x a n f l a g s a r e p r e s e n t ed.
11:45 AM: the new CAF
Colonels are welcomed.
1 2 : 0 0 P M : Nati o n al h y mn . A l tho u g h I am f ai r l y a c c u s t o me d
to s u c h c e re m o n i e s fro m my
w ar i o u s vi s i ts to the St a t e s , I
am s ti l l m ove d to s e e t h e p u b l i c
s o s i l e n t an d re s p e c tf u l o f t h e s e
tr ad i ti o n s .
T he ai r s how o f f i c i al y s t a r t s a t
n o o n , an d the s tan d s a re a l re a dy
al i ve w i th ac ti vi ty. Th e fl i g h t
d e m o n s tr ati o n s w i l l b e p ra c t i c al l y n o n - s to p an d vi s i t o rs w i l l
have to e at w hi l e s tari n g a t t h e
s ky.
Of the var i o u s p re s e n ta t i o n s , t h e
f o l l ow i n g c au g ht m y a t t e n t i o n :
Ae ro b ati c s by :
• Adam Baker on the Extra
300 XL,
4
Photo : Roger Robert
effects, and mobilises 20 to
26 people.
This
being
said,
imagi n e t h e s c e n e . We h a v e
just seen several delightful
flight demonstrations, and
the public is still under the
charm when all all of a sudd e n . . . s i r e n s r i n g . We ' r e
being attacked!
• The
Falcon
Flight,
composed of 9 exp e r i m e n t a l Va n ' s RV
from Oregon.
• Fr a n k l i n’s
Flying
Circus on the Franklin Demon 1 « Dracula»,
• The
exceptional
MiG-17 flight demonstration made by
R a n d y W. B a l l , o n e o f
the most acclaimed
jet aerobatic pilots.
• The P-51 Acro
This is the famous reconstitution of the Japanese
December 7, 1941 aerial att a c k o n Pe a r l H a r b o u r. It
all started in 1972, when
six Japanese warplane replicas used for the movie
bearing the same name were
g i v e n t o t h e C A F. T h e f i r s t
appearance was at the Galveston airshow on 25 June
1972. In 2000, the show's
aircraft and pilots participated in the shooting of the
m ov i e " Pe a r l H a r b o u r " .
O n a v e r a g e , t h e To r a g r o u p
participates in 12 to 16
show with 8 to 10 aircraft
p e r s h o w. E a c h d i s p l a y i n volves over 60 pyrotechnics
Loudspeakers play President Roosevelt famous rad i o s t a t e m e n t : " Ye s t e r d a y,
December 7, 1941, a date
w h i c h w i l l l i v e i n i n f a m y. . . "
But the show must go on.
T h e To r a g r o u p h a s l a n d e d .
After a moment of silence,
all is appeased in Midland.
H o w e v e r, b o m b e r s a p p e a r
in the sky: 3 B-17, 2 B-25,
Photo : Roger Robert
One could add to this
list the Flashfire jet
truck, the world's fastest Chevy pick-up truck
(375 mph), and many
others.
To r a ! To r a ! To r a !
K a t e s , Va l s a n d Z e r o e s d i v e
o n u s f r o m t h e s k y, w a v e a f ter wave and bomb us. Explosions go off, mixed with
remarkably realistic special
effects. It seems endless. A
B - 1 7 , o f t h e Te x a s R a i d e r s ,
is hit, smoke pouring from
three of its four engines!
Hope emerges when a P-40
starts chasing a Zero, but
that will not be enough. Fin a l l y, t h e " J a p a n e s e " l e a v e
Midland covered in smoke.
5
Photo : Roger Robert
1 A-26 and a moment late r, t h e B - 2 9 . T h e y c o m e i n
closer and the bombs go off
again.
After this:
• low-altitude strafing attacks by P-51s, P-40s, …
• the
SB2C Helldiver's
splendid flight demonstration.
Photo : Roger Robert
N a t u r a l l y,
all
of
these
scenes are accompanied by
the appropriate special effects...
Flight demonstrations
B y T- 6 , S N J ( i n f o r m a t i o n ) ,
Navy warbirds (TBM, Hellcat, Bearcat,…), training
a i r c r a f t ( L - 1 7 , P T- 1 3 , P T1 9 , P T- 2 6 , S N J , T- 2 8 , . . ) ,
Credit should be given on
the organisation and the
volunteers.
Yo u n g p e o p l e a r e i n c h a r g e
of security between the active runways and the verydisciplined
public. They
are stationed every now and
then, with regular water
supplies and relief.
Boyscouts
take
care
of
cleaning up the premises.
In the museum, military cadets are in charge of accompanying visitors.
I am not forgetting all of
the other people who play
an essential role in the
success of these two days.
The airshow is practically
o v e r. A w a v e o f a p p l a u s e
greets the caravan of vehicles bringing back the
pyrotechnic teams.
Photo : Roger Robert
I must mention the "rides"
which have a great success
with the public, who gets a
chance to fly on legendary
aircraft such as the B-17,
B - 2 5 , P T- 1 9 C o r n e l l , P - 5 1
Mustang, B-29 Fifi, on
which I was thrilled to fly
in, the C-45, which I also
tested, etc ....
6
Photo : Roger Robert
While the airshow alone is
worth the visit, I strongly urge you
to visit the
museum (on
S a t u r d a y, a s
it is closed
on Sunday).
The Airpower
Heritage Museum
was a great
d i s c o v e r y
for me. I've
rarely
seen
a Wo r l d Wa r
II exposition
of this quali t y. I t c o v ers all of the
i m p o r t a n t
events of the
w a r,
spanning all theatres of operations, with
well though-out and illustrated panels, videos and
artefacts.
• 1931 Japan invades China
• 1936-1939 Reign of terr o r S p a n i s h C i v i l Wa r
• WW II begins / invasion
o f Po l a n d
• 1 9 4 0 Fa l l o f Fr a n c e , o c cupied France
• Battle of Britain ( July
1940- May 1941)
• the Flying Tigers (19411942)
• Eastern
front
( June
1941)
• T h e Wa s p s
• The African campaign
•
•
•
•
•
•
Navajo code talkers
Tu s k e g e e a i r m e n
Strategic bombing
D - D AY ( j u i n 1 9 4 4 )
Birth of the atomic age
The capitulation, etc …
Other exhibitions
A
unique
collection
of
33
real
"nose
art"
panels
salvaged
from
s c r a p p e d
combat aircraft.
T
h
e
507th Fighter
Group
which served
in the Pacific, flying the
P-47 Thunderbolts. It
was the last
group to enter the war
between July
1 and August 15, 1945.
Photo : Roger Robert
At 5:00 PM, everything is
o v e r. T h e p u b l i c l e a v e s t h e
p r e m i s e s i n g o o d o r d e r. I n
short, this was a splendid,
well-organised show which
makes one want to return.
•
•
•
•
•
( June 1940 – Februar y
1943)
American isolationism
Pe a r l H a r b o u r ( D e c e m ber 1941)
A sleeping Giant awakens
D o o l i t l e ’s
To k y o
raid
(April 1942)
The
Coral
Sea
(May
1942) and Midway ( June
1942)
The American Combat Airman Hall of Fame in which
I discovered the first officially-recognized American ace, Major Arthur
Chin, a « Chinese -American » who volunteered in
1937 to fight the Japanese.
T h e G e o r g e B u s h S r. e x hibition (58 combat mis7
Photo : Roger Robert
Photo : Roger Robert
sions in the Pacific, flying
the Avenger).
T h e w o rk o f d e Pe t e r
Hurd, artiste and war correspondent for Life Magazine.
T h e V i e t n a m Wa r M e m o r i al: a static presentation fo
the fighters and helicopters that operated in Vietnam (F-105, Phantom,
F-100, Bell Huey and Cobra, …).
Photo : Roger Robert
All in all, the airshow and
the museum are worthy of
the CAF's reputation, and
I can only urge you to attend and visit.
I'll conclude with a homage to Lloyd Nolen who can
be proud of his achievements.
Photo : Roger Robert
Long live the Commemorative Air Force, and of
course the French Wing! ■
8
"Pappy"
Manthos
Parcours d'un pilote grec dans
l'USAAF
Article et photos: Dan Manthos, traduction: Bertrand Brown.
My father Atlee was a first generation
American, a new-world amalgam of immigrants from different old-world cultures. His father came to these shores
in 1905 from the beautiful mountain
village of Kalavryta, nested in a valley in the north of the Peloponnesus in
Greece. Mike Manthos chose to cast his
fate to the clean open spaces of Central
Texas and the embrace of the daughter
of Swiss and German immigrants, Laura Klein, who was raised in the German
farming community of Fredericksburg
among other German speaking immigrants. Atlee was born on August 4,
1912, in San Antonio.
Sadly, Mike and Laura divorced only a
few years after their son was born. Mike
moved to Houston where he started another family. Atlee lived for several years
with his Uncle Carl in Fredericksburg
where he spoke German before he spoke
English. When he was nine he went to
live with his mother and her new husband John Halbardier in San Antonio.
Atlee was mechanically inclined from an
early age and by the time he was eighteen he owned a model T Ford "Flivver".
He had a thirst for speed, and in the days
before bumper stickers he painted his
own messages on the rear fenders. One
reads "Pass me, Hell ain't half full".
Once the Great Depression came to Texas things were difficult for everyone and
work was scarce. Atlee graduated from
San Antonio High School in 1930 and
entered the University of Texas in Austin
in the fall of 1931. He had no financial
assistance from anyone and had to work
long hours for depression era wages to
pay for school and living expenses. He
struggled and left the university at the
end of the academic year in the spring
of 1932.
In 1933 he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "Tree Army", a federally funded depression-era job program
that offered full time employment for
young men building roads and planting
9
Mary's University in San Antonio where
he began to study Geology. He took
light loads at St Mary's, picked up an
Analytic Geometry class from San Antonio Junior College and got nothing but
A's and B's. He also joined the Reserve
Officer Training Corps.
After spring semester 1936 he transferred
back to the University of Texas where he
continued to study Geology, earning his
way with drafting and surveying jobs. He
graduated with honours in 1938.
After college he found a position as a petroleum geologist where he spent his working days looking for oil. There are geological formations in Texas that bear his name.
Before the war, Atlee Manthos worked as
a geologist in Texas.
trees in national parks and forests and
other public lands. He worked for thirty
dollars a month at CCC Camp F-17-N
in the Lincoln National Forest near Carrizozo in the mountains of south-central
New Mexico, and later at a camp in the
Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming.
In the fall of 1934 Atlee left with the
money he had saved and entered St
Once the US entered the Second World
War Atlee heard the call to arms in general and the call to the Army Air Corps in
particular. As a college graduate he was accepted as an officer and pilot and began
training as a cadet at Hicks Field in Fort
Worth in August of 1941. As the oldest
member of his class was called "Pappy" after Al Capp's Li'l Abner cartoon character
"Pappy" Yokum. He was Pappy to everyone who knew him the rest of his life.
He completed his training at Randolph
Field and Kelly Field in San Antonio,
and in March of 1942 was commis-
sioned as second lieutenant and assigned
to Waco Army Air Field as flight instructor with his two best friends, Alva Murphy and Daniel "Stretch" McKinnon.
For the next two years he trained new
pilots in both basic and advanced flight
techniques as well as aerial gunnery.
They were great years. He had an exciting and glamorous job, fast friends, a
girl, and his relationships with his mother and father and their families were better than ever.
Then everything changed. On 16 May
1944 his father Mike Manthos died. Less
than a month later he married Mary Alice Judd. Two weeks after his wedding
day Pappy left his wife and his family to
go to war.
In June of 1944 the three friends boarded a ship for England and the "Mighty"
Eighth Air Force to train for duty flying bomber escort and ground support missions. Atlee was assigned to the
496th Fighter Training Group in Goxhill and it's likely Murphy and McKinnon joined him there where they trained
in early models of the P-51 Mustang.
In August the pilots were transferred
to their respective combat units. They
Having received his pilot's wings, "Pappy" was assigned as a flight instructor in Waco. He is seen here in a BT-13.
10
travelled by train from Goxhill to Cambridge along with Captain Fred Brown,
then went their separate ways. One of
the collection's photograph is most
poignant in this respect: Murphy, McKinnon and Manthos, the three great
friends, are seen together for the last
time. They would never meet again as a
group.
Daniel McKinnon was killed in action
on 10 January 1945 over Vianden Luxembourg on the German border during the Battle of the Bulge. Alva Murphy, an ace with eight victories, was shot
down by anti-aircraft fire while strafing
an airfield near Rhuland Germany on 2
March 1945, just two months before the
German High Command surrendered
and the war in Europe came to an end.
While McKinnon went to the 405th
Fighter Group, Murphy and Manthos
went to the legendary 357th Fighter
Group at Leiston, on the coast about
100 miles northeast of London. The
357th consisted of three squadrons of
24 aircraft each, and according to his
notes Pappy served in all three. We have
no record of where he was from August
until October, so he may have gone to
the 362nd Fighter Squadron along with
Murphy. By October 1944 however,
he was attached to the 363rd Fighter
Squadron where he flew 24 combat missions between 9 Oct and 18 Dec in the
North American Aircraft P-51D Mustang he named for his new wife.
At the end of December 1944 Pappy left
the 363rd FS for Eighth Air Force Fight-
Second Lieutenants Alva C Murphy, Atlee G. Manthos and Daniel A. McKinnon, August 1942.
er Command Headquarters at High Wycomb where he remained until the end
of January 1945. It was about this time
that Alva Murphy was transferred to the
364th FS as operations officer. Pappy's
whereabouts are unknown until he returned to flying missions for the 364th
on 19 March, only two weeks after Murphy was killed in action. I can't help but
wonder if the death of his great friend is
what motivated him to return to combat
duty as Murphy's replacement.
In any case, once he came to the 364th
Pappy was assigned a new P-51D which
he named Mary Alice II - Mad Pappy.
He flew thirteen missions in Mary Alice
II between 19 March and 8 May. There
Last moments of peacetime before heading for war: "Pappy" in Houston in 1944.
is a record of damage claimed against a
Messerschmidt Me-262, the acclaimed
German jet-powered fighter, on Pappy's first mission with the 364th on 19
March 1945.
On 8 May 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally and the war in
Europe came to an end.
Two million American servicemen
headed for home by any means available and as soon as possible. Pappy
accepted reassignment to the 78th
Fighter Group at Duxford as Operations Officer and remained in England until the end of 1945.
His return to Texas in 1946 was not
a particularly happy one. Within a
year he was divorced, and the rewards
of civilian life could not match the
lure of the skies and the new generation of jet fighters. The price of his
return to active duty was the loss of
wartime rank, but he decided it was
an arrangement he could live with
and in July 1947 he left Mary Alice
and petroleum geology to wear first
lieutenant's bars in the new US Air
Force, where he would spend the next
16 years of his life.
Lt Col Atlee G Manthos, USAF, retired April 1963 as Command Pilot
with 4300 flight hours. In May 1980
Pappy died of cardiac arrest and was
buried in Fort Collins Colorado. ■
11
A P -5 1C Must an g of the 555th Fighter Squ ad ron i n w hi ch Pap py Manthos f le w and trai ne d on t h e Mu s ta ng be f o re be in g a ssigned to a c omba t u nit. Ar tw ork © Gaë tan Mar i e .
T h e fi r st o f Pap py ' s P-51D Mu stang wa s this P - 5 1 D- 5 - NA ( s / n 4 4 - 1 3 5 7 3 ) of the 3 6 3 rd F S , 3 5 7 t h FG ,
w h i ch Pap py n ick n amed "Mar y Al ic e". It ha d p re v i os uly b e e n f low n by RNZ A F F / L Jack C le lan d w i t h t h e
na m e "Isabe l III". Ar twork © Ga ëtan Ma rie.
Upon his return to the 357th FG in 1945, Pappy received this P-51D-15-NA which he named "Mary Alice II / Mad
Pappy". The individual code letter is unknown and could have been other than "F".Artwork © Gaëtan Marie.
12
P OSTSCRI P T
In 2 011 m y brother Jeff a nd I were contac te d by a Gre e k e n gi n e e r nam e d Dimitr ious Va ssilopoulos, who w as w o rki n g o n a
l a b o r of love . His interest in a via tion a nd hi s to r y had l e d hi m
t o wri t e a book a bout Greek pilots w ho f l e w f o re i gn f i ghte r
ai rc raf t duri ng WWI I a nd w a s looking f o r i n f o r m ati o n ab o u t
Pa p py. We we re ha ppy to oblige, a nd that l e d to s o m e thi n g
of an ody s s e y of resea rch d ur ing w hich we b o th l e ar n e d a l o t
m o re about t h e o ld ba sta rd tha n we ever kn e w b e f o re , i n c l u d i n g s om e t h i ngs he ma y not ha ve known ab o u t hi m s e l f. T he
s h o r t bi ograph y a bove is a result of tha t e f f o r t.
T h e book was recently published a nd c o n tai n s the w ar ti m e
s tor ie s of t e n Greek pilots who fle w fore i gn f i g hte r s al l ove r
t h e world. It ' s wr itten in Greek but the vo l u m e i s f i l l e d w i th
4 6 st unni ng colour pla tes by French a vi ati o n ar ti s t Gaë tan
Marie . Four of these a ircr a ft profiles d e p i c t Mu s tan g s f l ow n
by Pappy during his time w ith the 357th Fi ghte r Gro u p.
Greeks in Foreign C o ck p it s
Dim it ri os Vas i lopoulos, K. Pa loulia n, G. Chal ki ad o p o u l o s
Ama zo n li nk
13
Battle colours: Spitfire Mk IX aces
Profiles: Bertrand Brown (aka Gaëtan Marie)
www.bravobravoaviation.com
Can we evoque Spitfire Mk IX aces without starting with Pierre Clostermann? In May 1944, he flew MH526 with No
602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron. It was a Mk IXc, which the French ace adorned with a Croix de Lorraine. As all 602
Squadron aircraft, it also carried Glosgow's lion. Clostermann does not appear to have achieved any aerial victories with
this aircraft. MH526 ended its career by joining the Italian AF as MM4037 on 26 June 1947.
Poland's equivalent of Clostermann would probably be Stanisław Skalski (DSO, DFC). He was the first Allied ace of the war, having
reached 'acedom' on 16 September 1939. He joined the RAF after rejoining France and became the first Polish ace of the war with 18
11/12th aerial victories, although some sources indicate 22 (and 11/12th). In 1942, he commanded a special fighter unit in North African, composed of Polish veterans: "Skalski's Circus". During that period, he flew this vividly-coloured Spitfire Mk IX. Returning to
Poland in 1947, he was wrongfully accused of espionage and was sentenced to life in prison. He was eventually released in 1956 and
returned to the Polish Air Force.
With 34 aerial victories, James "Johnnie" Johnson is the first British ace of the Western front. Most of his kills were achieved against
fighters, and he is also credited with 7 shared victories, 10 damaged and one destroyed on the ground. He flew over 700 combat missions between 19490 and the end of the war. Johnnie Johnson flew this early-production Mk IX while he commanded No 144 (Canadian) Wing. After the war, he stayed with the RAf and flew in Korea. After he retired in 1966, he remained very active until his death
in 2001.
14
15