No.6 1969 - 413th Fighter Group, 413th Fighter Group

VOL.2
No.6 1969
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What was the P--l-\
has this to
sa,r;:
" . . Below
10.001 lee
gish, especialll' rtig.
and external stores. \
most nil. It was. on ::e
gun platform: vel. ;::
creased, so did ::e :.'
At very high aitltu:= ,
formance was Cie::-1
Tle \ :
supercharger.
much Iike the D. :-"1
but heavier.
At one time I checite:
Hellcat. In severa, ::u-
derbolt belorv 10.tt-ir, :+
The Hellcat coulc ea;:with the flaps dot: --:
in turns. I fouli er::
-l-
out-manoeuver t]-e
.
This tlpe of dogrqt: -n
were usuall-v not arr"":i
table to mix it :::
or navy
-m::
. .'
"
For a figh:e: --:
fortable. The coc^::: r
ioked about u-a1icr; control was file
"...Ineverdic=:*:
though other pilr-,.
ceived a Distine-*s:=r:
big battle in rl-ir: ::
five confirmed r:::-:r=
Liberators,
on11'::::
Superfortress
-Lt
ghi
overXe
na
unolerhohs
"
Our aim i= -:
occasionally ani :,=::,
membership
4ng
In the final weeks of World War 2 the United States
Army Air Force amassed overwhelming air strength in
the Western Pacific for operations against the Island Empire of fapan. One of the units so depioyedwas the 507th
Fighter Group equipped with the ultimate operational
version of the Thunderbolt, the P-47N.
This group, cornprised of the 463rd, 464th and
465th
Fighter Squadrons, was based on the little island of le
Shima. In the battle of Okinawa, plateau topped Ie Shima
was a |apanese air base, the scene of desperate conflict.
There, a machine gun burst snuffed out the life of war
correspondent Ernie Pyie, whose dispatches had made
him a household name. Today, a simple marker bears the
words: "At this spot Ihe 77th Infantry Division lost a buddy, Ernie Pyle, 18 April 1945".
We extend our appreciation to Mr. Robert T. Forrest of
Madison, N. ]. for this fine photographic presentation
of the 507th Fighter Group. Mr. Forrest was a captain
and flight leader in the 463rd Fighter Squadron during
the campaign.
t80
It was a bright August day in 1945 when a fiight of heavily armed Thunderbolts made its way through Imperial
air space toward Matsuyama on Shikoku. With radio silence in effect there was little to do except maintain formation and keep a close tab on possible enemy interference. Flight leader Bob Forrest, preoccupied with mission details, suddenly blinked his eyes in the brilliant
glare which fi(led his cockpit. Instantly his attention was
drawn to the left. There, in the distance, an enormous
black eruption slowly worked its way up to his own 20,000
foot altitude. Unable to control their emotions stirred up
by this fantastic phenomenon, all four pilots in his flight
broke radio silence. their voices filled with excitement.
It never occurred to the four flyers that this could be another atom bomb. To them, there was no explanation.
When the mission to Matsuyama was completed and the
big Thunderbolts headed home some two hours later,
the great black cloud was still visible; an eerie sight to
behold. Not until the four fighters taxied in did Bob
Forrest and his young companions learn that they were
re
q'-i:r:r::
Thunderbolt.
per year,
/horeira
.
Robert T. Forres: :s l:
bolt Pilots Assoc:=::::
S10O.N[
]'1=-
i-:
the Wings Club ,: :::"
City. A ver]' atlr=:-,T:
AII ex-Thurderb--: :-:
to Robert T. For::=: 1:
N. l. 07s40.
Photo series abc',-e i::
47N some 50OO ie=: :i
borne. With h;s -;;rl,
engine the pilo: ir-: '*:
position by relri:lt :: :
nal, the pilot l-o':,: :r:
the runway.
Bottom photo: .{ ::'::'
Chuck Reed !!'as ::. against Germanv a:i
victory crosses d:s;-aq
a red Hinomaru be:::=
a witness to the Nagasaki tragedy.
t8r
What was the P-47N like to fly? Bob Forrest
has this to say:
" . Below 10,000 feet the Jug was
very sluggish, especially when fully loaded with fuel
and external stores. Manoeuverability was almost nil. It was, on the other hand a very steady
gun platform; very stable. As the altitude in-
creased, so did the handling qualities improve.
At very high altitude she was great. Her performance was directly affected by the turbosupercharger. The N model was actually very
much like the D, only more so. It was faster,
but heavier.
At one time I checked out in the Grumman F6F
Hellcat. In several dogfights against the Thunderbolt below 10,000 feet I put the Jug to shame.
The Hellcat could easily out-turn the fug. Even
with the flaps down, the big fighter would skid
in turns. I found even the old Helldiver could
out-manoeuver the 47 at low altitude.
This type of dogfight was not uncommon. They
were usually not arranged. It was almost irresistable to mix it up with another fighter, army
or navy ."
"
For a fighter, the Thunderbolt was comfortable. The cockpit was big and roomy. We
joked about walking around in it. Temperature
control was fine . ."
" . . I never did meet any fapanese aircraft although other pilots in our group did. We received a Distinguished Unit Citation for one
big battle in which one of our boys received
five confirmed victories. Mostly we escorted
Liberators, only once did we escort the big
Superfortress
.
."
Robert T. Forrest is President of the Thunderbolt Pilots Association.
"
Our aim is just to meet with old friends
occasionally and renew our spirits. The only
membership requirement is logged time in the
Thunderbolt
. ." Membership dues are
$10.00
per year, $100.00 for life. Headquarters is in
the Wings Club of Hotel Biltmore in New York
City. A very attractive Newsletter is published.
AII ex-Thunderbolt pilots are invited to write
to Robert T. Forrest, 16 Overhill Drive, Madison,
N. l. 07s40.
Photo series above: Fuliy loaded it took the P47N some 5000 feet of runway to become airborne. With his visibility limited by the big
engine the pilot would taxi his machine into
position by relying on the ground crew. On signal, the pilot would proceed at full speed down
the runway.
Bottom photo: A tough man from the E. T. O.,
Chuck Reed was one of the few flyers to serve
against Germany and lapan both. To the four
victory crosses displayed on his plane he added
a red Hinomaru before the war was over.
t8r
Purpose anc :,-,\
against the s:-::-
view. In spii: -:
thetic appeaAbove left: Texan Larry Lee, wearing his .45 in
typical western fashion, was, like Chuck Reed,
irnported from the E. T. O. Naturally, his initials
were branded on the wheel covers of his Thunderbolt.
it just doesn't pay . . .
Thunderbolt of the 464th Squadron shows what
generally happens when sudden braking is rePhoto above right: Some days
quired. This squadron carried a diagonal blue
stripe on the all yellow tail section.
Left: Never take yourself too seriously. Here is the
heraldic symbol of the 463rd Fighter Squadron
on the Thunderbolt flown by Major Eugene W.
B1rne.
t82
r83
-
Purpose and power are etched by light and shadow, Two flights of Thunderbolts stand stark
against the shimmering Pacific. The distinctive wing plan of the 'N' model is very clear in this
view. In spite of its bulkiness the big Thunderbolt does not lack grace and has considerable es-
thetic appeal.
t83
Active to the very end, captain Forrest taxies his "shell Pusher" out to the runway
for a napalm mission to Miyazaki only two days before war's conclusion. An interesting sidelight to his career: in all probability he was the last American to leturn
from an opeiational flight in World War 2. Returning from a sortie over Korea and
knowing it would aII be over shortly, he released the remainder of his flight and
spent considerable time buzzing the ruins of Hiroshima. When his Thunderbolt finally landed, the war had ended.
MARKINGS OF THI IBOLTS OF THE +6irC
SQUADRON.
Fuselage:
Wings:
Tail unit:
*.'#'
.:
Spinners:
,&'
"E
Emblem:
I1
,Mtr,
t
l,
*ecl
t
5 original fa::
on top qual::-
1. Weapon -:-.:-2. Weapon i--.:=3. MG151 l[r :-4. Fuselage c=:-=
5. Drop tank:::..
EAGLE AVIAT
184
CAPTAIN ROBERT T. FORREST AND
HIS
CREW CHIEF RAY EHLE.
r.L
ROCKAWA
MARKINGS OF THE THUNDER'
BOLTS OF THE 463rd FIGHTER
SQUADRON.
Fuselage: Aircraft number
in
black under cowling
and fuselage sides.
Wings:
Yellow band outlined in thin black
borders.
Tail
unil:
Entire seclion in a
yellow color. Blue
triangle on each
side of the fin and
left norizontal tail
plane, toP onlY.
Spinners: Oflenyellow.
Emblem: Nol carried on all
aircraft. See Page
182.
Pratt and whitney. If the
enormous engine makes man
s*rll indeed. The fug was christened "shell Pusher" in memory of Bob Forrest's
"eirr
an artillery officer, who was killed in the crash of a spotter plane'
brother,
crew chief sgt. Ray Ehle tends to the
fug was famous for any feature,
2800 horsepower
it was power! The
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Atlrese r s e
taehnidal drawingsrr 6
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All data is accurate.
All items snt postpaid