camonick Posted July 26, 2008 Share #1 Posted July 26, 2008 Hi- I'm new to the site and am researching my grandpa's service in the Army at the end of WWII. He was in Japan with the Occupation forces from Sept.'45- Oct. '46. I have some photos from his scrapbook. There is a small handfull of pics of planes. I think he spent a lot of time at the 4th Replacement Depot in Zama although his papers said he drove trucks for the 11th Depot. He is one of the GI's in most of the pics. I just found out one of the pics has a famous? pilot/ace named Robert M DeHaven who just passed last week at age 86. Here they are! Enjoy Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plant#4 Posted July 26, 2008 Share #2 Posted July 26, 2008 I really like photos and scrap books that are still in famlies hands. Great pics! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk914 Posted July 26, 2008 Share #3 Posted July 26, 2008 Welcome to the forum... Outstanding stuff! Bob DeHaven is something of a 'favorite' of mine among 49th FG pilots. That shot of his P-38 is super groovy... I don't recall ever seeing a photo showing his personal artwork, final score (14), and that artwork on the port cowl. (Possibly a stylized version of the 7th FS emblem?) But then, my memory is going, so who knows... Unfortunately, my enthusiasm is curbed a bit... hadn't heard that he had passed away until now... The other P-38, 'Lap Dog' is unfamiliar to me... The B-25 is from the 499th BS, 345th BG(M). The 345th were known as the 'Air Apaches'. The P-51 appears to be anonymous... Thanks for sharing these... any more? Also, please feel free to share anything else you may have concerning your Grandfather... Fade to Black... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Signor Posted September 8, 2008 Share #4 Posted September 8, 2008 Hi- I'm new to the site and am researching my grandpa's service in the Army at the end of WWII. He was in Japan with the Occupation forces from Sept.'45- Oct. '46. I have some photos from his scrapbook. There is a small handfull of pics of planes. I think he spent a lot of time at the 4th Replacement Depot in Zama although his papers said he drove trucks for the 11th Depot. He is one of the GI's in most of the pics. I just found out one of the pics has a famous? pilot/ace named Robert M DeHaven who just passed last week at age 86. Here they are! Enjoy Nick the P-38 is his aircraft and note the 49th Fighter sqdn emblem painted on engine cowling,he was with the 14th Fighter Group,cool photos!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk914 Posted September 8, 2008 Share #5 Posted September 8, 2008 Ah, so that's the 49th FS emblem... It's interesting that the 49th Fighter Squadron emblem would be on a 49th Fighter Group P-38. As mentioned by Johhny Signor, the 49th FS was part of the 14th Fighter Group. But the 14th FG served in the MTO and not the PTO... and Robert M. DeHaven most definitely flew in the PTO with the 49th FG, not in the MTO with the 14th FG. More often than not, any personal artwork carried on the nose of a P-38 was chosen by the pilot, as is the case with DeHaven's ship, while personal artwork on the engine nacelles was often chosen by the crew chief or another member of the ground crew. So a possible explanation could be that someone in the ground crew may have come to the 49th FG after having served with the 49th FS, 14th FG, and chose the 49th emblem as his personal artwork. An interesting mystery here... Fade to Black... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camonick Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share #6 Posted September 10, 2008 Hi guys, I'm no expert, but the "Screamin Demons" are the 7th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group---Not the 49th FS, 14th FG. Bob DeHaven was definately one of the 7th's pilots (for his whole career). The emblem of the "demon" is a creature from Aborigine legend in Australia called the Bunyip. The "logo" was approved 13 May, 1944. I have done a lot of research of these pics and have been in contact with an actual member of the 7th FS during the war. If and when he has time, he is supposed to give me a list of all the pilots and their planes. Planes of the 7th FS were numbered 11-39. The 8th FS and 9th FS were also part of the 49th FG. I have magnified the pic of #14 "LapDog" and I can tell the P-38 behind her is #30. I can barely see some writing on the nose but is too blury to make out. The 7th Fighter Squadron's web site is www.7fs.cityslide.com Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camonick Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted September 10, 2008 Here is the link http://www.7fs.cityslide.com/page/page/175283.htm I should note that the P-38's of the 7th FS were the planes # 11-39 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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