Gay or Macabre, Always American– Name Painted On Marauder’s Nose
Gay Or Macabre, Always American–
Name Painted On Marauder’s Nose
- By LEE McCARDELL
[Sunpapers War Correspondent]
A United States Medium Bomber Base. Somewhere in England.
June 2 (By Cable)—
What’s in a name painted on a Martin Marauder’s nose? Anything from a wife to a wisecrack. Sometimes it’s the pilot’s idea. Sometimes it’s the crew chiefs choice. Sometimes it’s been picked out of a hat.
It may be a plain. block-letter inscription. It may be embellished with a comic figure or a pinup-girl picture’ of billboard proportions. Sometimes gay, sometimes macabre, It’s always American.
Come up into the flying control tower and watch the Marauders of the Ninth Air Force “Silver Streak” group, based at this field, take off on a combat mission.
Colonel with Virginia Drawl
The identification number of each ship and the name of its pilot are chalked on a big blackboard in one corner of the glassed-in control room. But notice the names
on the noses of the bombers that go tearing past you, two a minute. down a long concrete runway at 130 miles an hour.
There goes “Mary Sue.” That is a colonel’s ship, named for two small daughters back in San Antonio. Texas. Tall, lean Col. Richard F. C. Vance, born in London, England, once lived in Fredericksburg and talks with the soft Southern drawl of Virginia.
Ace Of Spades On Its Nose
There goes the “Cleveland Calliope.” with the ace of spades painted on her nose for luck. That
Is the ship of Lieut. Col. Robert Witty,’of Cleveland, the group’s air executive.
There goes “Susanne.” named for the wife of its pilot, Major Bill E. Hale, of Ashland, Ky, a Silver Streak squadron commander.
And “Georgia’s On My Mind,’piloted by Lieut, J. P. Deford, of Columbus, Ga.
South Carolinian’s “Coon Dawg”
And “Coon Dawg,” piloted by Lieut. Walter M. Bailey, of Summerville, S. C.. and named by his crew chief, Sgt. George McCracken, another South Carolinian from Greenville
Major Jewell C. Maxwell, of Whitehaven. Tenn., another Silver Streak squadron commander, takes off in “Maxwell House—Good to the Last Drop.”
“Chicago Cyclone” is piloted by Lieut. William E. Hartnett, naturally from Chicago, as are two members of his crew.
Lt. John B. Hegg Jr., of Detroit, rides the “Ill Wind.”
“My Colleen” was the entire crew’s choice as the name for a Marauder flown by Lieut. Richard J. Hynes, of Gaithersburg, Md.,one of 15 West Pointers attached to the Silver Streak group.
“The Hearse” was picked by Lieut. William N. Young. of 3711 Hillside road, Baltimore, for a Marauder which another pilot takes
off the field today because Lieutenant Young is home on leave.
“Lotta people don’t think much of that for a name,” says Young’s crew chief, Sgt. Joseph Guay, of Boston, “but I don’t mind it and the lieutenant likes it.”
Marylander’s “Smilin’ Joy”
Lt. Thomas Lewnes, of 164 Main street. Annapolis, is copilot of a Marauder named “Picadilly Willy” and decorated with a picture of a stork delivering a bomb.
“Willy” was named for its pilot, Lt. Wilbur (Willy) R. Kolberg, of Pasadena, Cal. The ground crew chief, Sgt. Chet Nason, of Waterville. Maine, thought that one up. “Smilin’ Joy,” piloted by another Marylander, Lt. Sterling J. Robertson, of Westminster, is named for his wife, Joyce.
“You Cawn’t Miss It,” the phrase familiar to every American who asks directions of an Englishman, is the name painted on the nose of a Marauder piloted by Lt. James
R. Asbbury, of Center, Texas. Sgt. David E. Davis, of 3108 Brighton street, Baltimore, is Ashbury’s assistant crew chief.
Sgt. Walter J. Tomalonis, of 346 North Payson street, Baltimore, goes to battle as radio gunner aboard a Marauder named “Johhny-Come-Lately” for its pilot, Lt. John J. Nemeth, of East
Chicago, Ind.
Richardson On “Rum Buggy”
Private Earl R. Horton, of 2635 Greenmount avenue, Baltimore, belongs to a ground crew that got Capt. Thomas G. Murphy’s “Kokomo Kid” ready for the takeoff. Another Marylander, Private John S. Richardson, of Abington, works on the “Rum Buggy,” piloted by Lt. Alfred L. Freiburger, of St. Petersburg, Fla.
“Coral Princess” is named for the baby daughter of its Pilot, Lt, Webster S. Allyn, of Swarthmore, Pa. “My daughter’s real name is Annette,”, Allyn will tell you, “but she’s never been called anything but the Coral Princess.”
“Merry Jerry” was named by Lt. Edward P. Foote, another West Pointer, of 2709 P street, Washington, D. C., for his wife.
Christened By Virginians
“The Virginia” was christened by Lts. Gabriel R. Dumaine, of Fairfax. Va., and Glenn H. Farmer,
of Jonesville, Va., who used to fly It.
“No Nothin'” is the name born Out of disgust and desperation by its ground-crew chief, Sgt. Richard R. Goodwin, of Norwalk, Conn., for a Marauder which hung around the field for weeks without flying a single combat mission—a situation which no longer prevails.
“Fourth Term” is piloted by another squadron commander, Major Cletus Wray, Beneath the pilot’s window appears the legend, “Major C. C. Wray and Son.” The major had that painted when he was informed the stork was hovering over his home at Tiptonville, Tenn. The stork made a mistake, landing with a daughter instead of a son, but the major has never changed his sign.
Hash-Marks And Doughnuts
“Bunny’s Honey,” named for the wife of its pilot, Capt. Emmanuel (The Chief) Schifani, of Albuquerque, N. M., is one of the most curiously decorated Marauders taking off. Besides having bomb hash-marks stenciled on its fuselage for each combat mission it has flown, “Bunny’s Honey” wears a stenciled doughnut for each training mission, and a stick of candy
for each “candy run.” A candy run is a scrubbed combat mission, called off at the last moment after the crews have been issued the candy bars and packs of chewing gum they get before each take-off.
“Rosie O’Brady.” which clears the runway with Lt. William D. Brady, of Overbrook, Pa., at her controls, wears a huge green-and-yellow shamrock on her nose.
Females of one sort or another are painted on the fuselages of “Valkyrie,” piloted by Lt. Dale B. Witherbee, of Seattle; “Hard To Get,” piloted by Major Delwin D. Bentley, of Casper, Wyo.; “Queen of Hearts,” piloted by Lt. John R. Stokes, Jr., of Santa Barbara, Cal, and “Miss Pill.” piloted by Lt. Henry C. Woodrum, of Reading, Cal.
And A Whole Lot More
Off they go, all these and a dozen others, including “Ecstasy,” “The Mocus,” “Buzzard,” “Mary Joe,” “Mussy and the Kids,” “Six Hits and a Miss,” “Eaver Beaver,” “Marie,” “Sad Sack,” “Lethal Lady,” “Shady Lady,” “Sweety Baby,” “Puddin Head,” “Maffry’s Mottled Marauder,” “Merry Mae,” “Mary Joe,” “Empire State Express,” “Nick’s Chick,” “Tom’s Tantalizer,” “Invictus,” “Sexy Sal.” “Shopworn Angel,” “Terra Haute Tornado,” and “Solly Mill.”
The Silver Streak group has flown 65 missions over Nazi Europe within the last three months. The Germans must be pretty used to the ships and their names by now. But there is probably still considerable curiosity on the far side of the Channel as to what all those names and decorations mean.
