Earl Wassom's "Bottlebutts Buggy"



Earl Wassom's B-24 was named "Bottlebutts Buggy" (Earl's nickname) The artist who designed the nose art was Charles Saxon, who was a pilot in the same squadron.(Above Right) Saxon was a well-known cartoonist with New Yorker Magazine both before and after the war. The rendition of the Wassom B-24 shows the artwork on the nose. Unfortunately, due to lack of time it was never actually painted on the aircraft.


Morning Flight


All of the B-24 images were created by Bill Curtis and are available as photo prints. These have been done over a 10-12 year period of time and I have over 35 prints of 466th Bomb Group Airplanes plus a number of other bomb groups. I can do a special order for a B-24 if I have the information on the plane, and the crew. I can research aircraft markings for all bomb groups and bomber squadrons and can include a crew photo when available. Contact me directly at bcurtis419@juno.com. Artwork can usually be done in several days and prints within a week of approval. Print price varies by size.


Afternoon Return


"No Feathered Injun" B-24H #42-4886

The aircraft was shot down while on loan to the 392nd Bomb Group in September, 1944. It had been modified  and was being used to transport and drop supplies for troops in "Operation Market Garden" over Holland. 


August 15th, 1944  Broken Silence

"True Love" Lost

On August 15th 1944, the 787th BS were returning from what he'd been fairly minimal resistance from a Mission to the Airfield at Vechta, Germany. As they were returning, they had a fairly thick cloud cover to fly over. While still over Germany, someone broke radio silence. Unknowingly they were right over a German airstrip housing the new Jet assisted fighters. Within three minutes the attack came and 4 of 7 B-24's were shot down after one pass. 


PALE ALE B-24H  #42-50336

The control cables snapped over Belgium while flying a mission to Nurnburg, The aircraft was flown by Robert G. Gordon. The crew were forced to bail out. 3 KIA - February 20, 1945


Consolidated Mess B-24J #44-40463 



SNARK B-24 41-293837

One of the original 466th B-24's flown by the "Malcom Dike Crew from March 23- July 24, 1944. On August 8, 1944 the aircraft was flown by the Kinsey crew and crash-landed at an airstrip on the coast of Kent. It was badly damaged and was never flown again. 



FIVE O'CLOCK HIGH

BIFF BAM  B-24H # 42-95283

"Biff-Bam" was one of three aircraft that survived an attack of German Jet Fighters on August 15th, 1944 as they returned from the Mission to the Airfield in Vechta Germany. The group returned over cloud cover but radio silence was broken. Within three minutes German Jet-Assisted Fighters attacked the group and after one pass 4 of seven B-24's were shot down. "Biff Bam" was flown by Squadron Commander Maj. John Jacobowitz.



Over Munich

BELLE

DUFFY"S TAVERN