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Dogs on WW2 bombers?


dunmore1774
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dunmore1774

Just caught part of the movie Airforce made in 1943.  In a battle scene, there's a dog on a bomber, hanging out with waistgunners as they shoot.  I'm guessing this is a Hollywood thing.  Or has anyone heard of a dog on a plane during the war?   Just doesn't seem like a good idea to bring one along for the ride

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Interesting WWII Dog Story

 

Picked up this Capt. Kenneth W. Spinning KIA “Purple Heart” Medal grouping from the Show of Shows this year. Interesting story on this one is that his pit-bull “mix” dog (named Skippy) actually flew on (7) Combat Missions (with custom-made oxygen mask). I couldn’t believe that until I started researching this one.

 

This Grouping included his engraved Navy GC dated 1941. He was in the Navy from 1938-1941. A week after Pear Harbor, he joined for Cadet Training in the Air Corp and later flew as a Pilot in a B-17 Bomber! That in itself, caught my interest (was in Navy & the Air Corps).  He was attached to the 2nd Bomb Group, 49th Bomb Squadron. He flew 48 Combat Missions (over Africa, Italy, etc.).

 

His dog “Skippy” was brought overseas when he joined that Bomb Group (an agreement between him and his wife Peg). The dog was a sort of a Mascot with the Bomber Group. Made headlines in various newspapers at that time. Skippy flew on the first (7) missions with a “make-do” oxygen mask arrangement and stayed in the Radio Room belted in on a chair on board the B-17 - during their (2) hour Missions. From what I understand, he would try to get rid of that uncomfortable mask in flight (shaking his head) and it would fall off. So, they stopped taking him up on the Missions. On Captain Spinning’s 48th or 49th Mission, one of the engines got hit with flak and then another engine failed. He lost altitude and the rest of the Group could no longer help him. Eventually he fell in the Mediterranean and all the Crew drowned. Attempts were made to help them, but those failed. The large B-17F went down in less than 5 minutes.

 

Needless to say, the Dog waited for his Owner’s return, which never happened. On further Missions that continued, he would smell the feet of other Crew Members returning from their Bomber Missions in hopes of reuniting with his best-friend owner, Kenneth. A Co-Pilot friend who flew with Captain Spinning, eventually brought the dog with him back to the States to re-unite Skippy with Kenneth’s wife (Peg). The story became popular in some of the newspapers at that time. I believe I read that Skippy had a cancer tumor and died in the mid 1950’s.

 

The Air Medal and the Purple Heart are both officially engraved. I picked up this “fine” grouping from Frank S. (also, had Kurt S. with me looking at this one). Both great guys who know their stuff!

 

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dunmore1774

well there you have it!  Couldn't ask for better proof or a better story than that! 

 

Fantastic group! Thanks for sharing

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phantomfixer

Jeffrey Ethell's photographic coffee table books had several pics of dogs and cats inflight...one stands out of a cat sunning itself on a B-25 instrument glare shield..in flight

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On 3/12/2023 at 10:25 AM, p51mission said:

Needless to say, the Dog waited for his Owner’s return, which never happened.

 

While it’s always sad when a plane goes down like this, there’s just an extra punch to the heart when a dog is left behind dutifully waiting. 

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