Aviation History - January 2016

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january 2016 AH 5

LOGBOOK: RAF MUSEUM, HENDON

SEND LETTERS TO

Aviation History Editor, World History Group

19300 Promenade Drive, Leesburg, VA 20176-

OR EMAIL TO [email protected]

JET ENCOUNTER

Your article in the November

issue on the Arado Ar-

[“Nazi Blitz Bomber”] cap-

tured my attention. I was a

pilot in the 428th Squadron,

474th Fighter Group, flying

P-38 Lightnings. The 474th’s

three squadrons were

tasked with protecting the

Ludendorff Bridge at Rema-

gen from the Luftwaffe.

This decision was based on

the unique design of the

P-38, which it was hoped

would aid the trigger-happy

anti- aircraft gunners in not

shooting down friendlies

while they patrolled the area.

We provided close coverage

from dawn to dark in well-

timed relays. Our squadron

flew 23 missions during the

nine-day task, and I partici-

pated in nine of them. They

were welcome milk runs com-

pared to our normal mission.

Only once did our squad-

ron encounter “bandits”

at tempting to destroy the

bridge. On March 14, 1945,

our pilots took on six enemy

aircraft, identified as Me-262s,

in a diving attack. Four of

the enemy were reported

damaged prior to their

escaping due to superior

speed. Did we improperly

identify Ar-234s as Me-262s?

Or did the Luftwaffe utilize

both at Remagen?

F.G. “Bud” Holecheck

Chester, Md.

In addition to using Ar-234s,

the Luftwaffe did indeed

repeatedly attack the Luden-

dorff Bridge with Me-262s,

though German records

indicate that due to bad

weather no 262s flew on

March 14. Eleven Ar-234s

attacked the pontoon

bridges south of the Luden -

dorff span that day, however,

and two of four losses were

attributed to P-38s.

BLUE MAX PILOT

What a delight to read Don

Hollway’s article in your

July issue on the filming of

The Blue Max. I have had

the great honor to fly with

Derek Piggott. When he was

visiting a mutual friend in

the States a number of years

back, we of course could not

pass up the chance to spend

some time in my Christen

Eagle biplane. Shortly after

takeoff, I turned control over

to Derek, and he gently felt

the airplane out for 20 or 30

seconds. Then, in that won-

derful, understated, quintes-

sentially British manner of

his, he said, “I believe I’ve

got it.” He then proceeded

to treat me to the smooth-

est, most expertly flown

half-hour of aerobatics it has

been my pleasure to experi-

ence. All in an airplane he

had never flown before!

Later, he regaled us with

tales of filming The Blue

Max, which Hollway has re-

peated faithfully. One thing

that becomes immediately

apparent is that Piggott

possesses a director’s eye,

and knows how to plan a se-

quence for optimal filming.

Couple that with unmatched

piloting skill, and you get a

timeless classic in the can.

Ashley Messenger

Cincinnati, Ohio

TROOP CARRIERS

Re your vignette “D-Day

C-47 to Fly Again” [“Brief-

ing,” November], as the

proud son of glider pilot

YOUNG AVIATORS

Dick Libbey, who made suc-

cessful landings on D-Day,

in Hol land and crossing the

Rhine, and who became

436th TCG staff glider offi-

cer, I feel I must remind you

that TCG stands for Troop

Carrier Group, not Tactical

Carrier Group.

Grey Libbey

Virginia Beach, Va.

AFTERMATH

OF WAR

I enjoyed the article by my

buddy Bob Wieman [“Avia-

tors,” November]. We could

write a book about our days

at Atsugi Air Base in Japan.

With old-timers leaving, we

second lieutenants were

forced to “crew” our A-26s

with oil and gas. Tunnels

under the field there held

“Baka” bombs, small rocket-

propelled suicide planes.

Other tunnels held props and

instruments. My main reason

for writing, however, is to

put Langley Air Force Base

in Hampton, Va., not Norfolk.

Donald D. Watt

Fort Mill, S.C.

Thanks for the correction

(to a caption on P. 53 in the

Osh kosh photo portfolio). As

a Virginia-based pub lisher,

we should know better!

Regarding your buddy Bob,

see his letter at top.

Y

our November “Letter From Aviation History”

rang a bell with me. The picture of the 10 young

men in front of the Piper Cub made me go to

my scrapbook and dig out a similar picture

[above]—10 young men standing in front of a Piper

Cub at Huntington, Va., in 1943 as part of our

introduction to flying in the U.S. Army Air Forces

WWII pilot training program. I’m standing at far

right. Of those 10 young guys I’m the only one alive

today. Interesting note: Not one of them died flying.

Robert L. Wieman

St. Paul, Minn.

WRONG LOGBOOK PAGE

Author Nick O’Dell (“After the Dams,” November) wrote to

point out that we ran the wrong logbook page in our No-

vember “Aero Artifact” department, showing bomb aimer

Clifford Crafer’s February 1945 missions rather than the

March 14 first Grand Slam mission described. The correct

entry is shown above.