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401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron


JDK
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Here's a Patched/Painted A-2 jacket From the 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron 8th AAF
It belonged to Ball Turret Gunner who flew on a well known B-17. The ball turret is one position on a plane that had to be the most terrifying place to be! The 401st was famous for painting the backs of their jackets. The photo of the same artwork below can also be found on the 401st Bomb Group Website along with numerous other painted jackets.
Enjoy........
J.D.

Front of A-2

post-24355-0-26334200-1398889631.jpg

Patch/Namestrip

post-24355-0-53409400-1398889635.jpg

Spec Label

post-24355-0-98535400-1398889636.jpg

Painting

post-24355-0-09096400-1398889649.jpg

Closeup #1

post-24355-0-43671100-1398889659.jpg

Closeup #2

post-24355-0-22194700-1398889671.jpg

Wartime photo of crew member showing the same painting/artwork

post-24355-0-46716500-1398889675.jpg

Crew Photo

post-24355-0-44602400-1398889821.jpg

Later,
J.D.

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  • 5 years later...

Thought I would bump this one with some more info and photos. This month has been crazy busy, so I haven't had much time to share more items from my collection. I hope to start up again in January. Happy Holidays!

 

JD

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Here a list of his 40 missions flown:

 

S/Sgt John H. Wickline flew 40 missions, from 11/02/1944, mission #164, to 03/15/1945, mission #229. He served as a Ball Turret Gunner. He survived until the end of the war.

 

 

 

11/02/1944 Merseburg (#164) 42-107151 Cover Girl John E. Fondren Crew #1

2 11/04/1944 Hamburg (#165) 43-38236 John E. Fondren Crew #1

3 11/05/1944 Frankfurt (#166) 42-102659 Hard Seventeen John E. Fondren Crew #1

4 11/06/1944 Harburg (#167) 43-38677 John E. Fondren Crew #1

5 11/16/1944 Eschweiler (#170) 43-38646 John E. Fondren Crew #1

6 11/25/1944 Merseburg (#172) 43-38738 Becomin' Back John E. Fondren Crew #1

7 11/26/1944 Misburg (#173) 43-38646 John E. Fondren Crew #1

8 11/29/1944 Misburg (#174) 42-107151 Cover Girl John E. Fondren Crew #1

9 12/04/1944 Kassel (#176) 42-102659 Hard Seventeen John E. Fondren Crew #1

10 12/11/1944 Frankfurt (#179) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

11 12/12/1944 Merseburg (#180) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

12 12/15/1944 Kassel (#181) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

13 12/24/1944 Koblenz (#183) 44-6508 Maiden USA John E. Fondren Crew #1

14 12/27/1944 Gerolstein (#184) 44-6464 Prop Wash John E. Fondren Crew #1

15 12/28/1944 Rheinbach (#185) 43-38646 John E. Fondren Crew #1

16 12/29/1944 Bingen (#186) 43-38738 Becomin' Back John E. Fondren Crew #1

17 12/30/1944 Kaiserslautern (#187) 42-97322 Mister Completely John E. Fondren Crew #1

18 01/05/1945 Koblenz (#191) 43-38125 Mary Makers John E. Fondren Crew #1

19 01/06/1945 Kempernich (#192) 42-97395 Chute The Works John E. Fondren Crew #1

20 01/07/1945 Bitburg (#193) 43-38565 Miss Gee Eyewanna Go Home John E. Fondren Crew #1

21 01/13/1945 Maximilliansau (#195) 43-38646 John E. Fondren Crew #1

22 01/28/1945 Cologne (#200) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

23 01/29/1945 Bad Kreusnach (#201) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

24 02/01/1945 Ludwigshaven (#202) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

25 02/06/1945 Giessen (#204) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

26 02/09/1945 Lutzkendorf (#205) 43-38565 Miss Gee Eyewanna Go Home John E. Fondren Crew #1

27 02/10/1945 Dulmen (#206) 43-38565 Miss Gee Eyewanna Go Home John E. Fondren Crew #1

28 02/14/1945 Dresden (#207) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

29 02/15/1945 Dresden (#208) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

30 02/16/1945 Gelsenkirchen (#209) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #1

31 02/23/1945 Ottingen (#213) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #2

32 02/25/1945 Munich (#215) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #3

33 02/28/1945 Soest (#218) 43-37602 Lady Vivian John E. Fondren Crew #4

34 03/01/1945 Heilbron (#219) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #5

35 03/02/1945 Chemnitz (#220) 42-107151 Cover Girl John E. Fondren Crew #5

36 03/04/1945 Schwabmunchen (#222) 42-97780 Blue Bomb Express John E. Fondren Crew #6

37 03/11/1945 Bremen (#226) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #6

38 03/12/1945 Swinemunde (#227) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #6

39 03/14/1945 Lohne (#228) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #6

40 03/15/1945 Zossen (Berlin) (#229) 42-97478 Shade Ruff II John E. Fondren Crew #7

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Dedicated to all those guys out there that flew in the turret! What courage it must have taken!

 

JD

 

I can't imagine what they saw during combat!

 

An excellent A2. Love that patch!!

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Steve

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Their B-17:

 

tumblr_lig0o8g9Ye1qh953eo2_400_zps93774d

 

Great jacket! I don't think I've ever seen a B-17 with so much 'nose art' like that.....reminds me of some B-17s like the Memphis Belle where at each station, on the outside they would have painted nicknames, or girlfriends/wives etc......but these are pretty large and unique. Thanks for sharing!

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Thanks Brian. I always thought that as well. The Nose Art (If you want to call it that) is very crude considering the talented painters that were in this bomb group. The 401st BG had some fantastic artwork on their jackets and is therefore one of the more collected groups when it comes to painted jackets!

 

Here's a link to a ton of photos of painted A-2 jackets from the 401st. If you love painted jackets, you will love checking this out!!

 

http://www.401bg.org/Main/Gallery/NARA/A2.aspx

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AAF_Collection

Great jacket JD, and your research really brings it all together. I'm still working on the research side of a couple of my Eighth Air Force uniforms which I'll post in the New Year.

 

Best wishes,

 

Matt.

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Thanks Glenn.

The overall jacket is not quite as mint as my photos make it out to be. I took the photos with flash which kind of hides the scuffs and scrapes on the arms of the jacket. Overall it is in very nice shape though. More than likely painted at the end of his combat tour as many seemed to be.

 

JD

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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 year later...

The original Shade Ruff crew piloted by 1st Lt. R. O. Stine was lost on the April 11th, 1944 mission to Stettin. That day the Stine crew was flying another 614th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) B-17 - the "Gloria J." My uncle was Shade Ruff's original bombardier. Only he and the tail gunner survived the Gloria J.'s mid-air explosion (flak hit) over Hannover.

 

Note "Betty Baby" on the chin turret. That was my late aunt's name.

 

Regards,

 

Shade Ruff

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The original Shade Ruff crew piloted by 1st Lt. R. O. Stine was lost on the April 11th, 1944 mission to Stettin. That day the Stine crew was flying another 614th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) B-17 - the "Gloria J." My uncle was Shade Ruff's original bombardier. Only he and the tail gunner survived the Gloria J.'s mid-air explosion (flak hit) over Hannover.

 

Note "Betty Baby" on the chin turret. That was my late aunt's name.

 

Regards,

 

Shade Ruff

 

I forgot to add that the plane depicted is actually "Shade Ruff #2" (as clearly seen in the image with the different names/nicknames). The original "Shade Ruff" was lost on an earlier mission (March 1944 if I remember correctly) while being flown by another 614th BS(H) crew.

 

Regards,

 

Shade Ruff

 

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