A-2 Nose Art of the 401st BG!

Dear BlueNoser,

I know this is an old tread but I hope this message reaches you. Together with an artwork artist we are making a A2 copy of the flightjacket of one of the waistgunners jackets. For this we are using a 100% true copy of an rough wear A2 jacket. We have some questions in regards to the original Diabolical Angel jackets and maybe you can answer them due to your research in past.
Question 1: You have a pictures of another version of a A2 Diabolical Angels Jacket (other artwork on the back). To which crewmember did this jacket belong?
Question 2: who did the original artwork? One of the historians of the 401st BG told me that it was probably done by a groundcrew member and the co-pilot.
Question 3: In regards to the waistgunners Diabolical Angels A2 version, do you know what artwork / patches where on the front.

I hope you can answer one or more questions. It would be a great help to us.

I hope to hear from you. Thanks!

Maurice, The Netherlands

B-17 Diabolical Angel at Deenethrope!

Found this one in my collection of 401st Nose Art , given to me by one of crew from this B-17!

Thanks Ron…I spent a long time and many phone calls locating the entire crew and was hoping like heck to find one of those waist gunners who had the original jackets.
I admit I have love form of art work & expression. Now I am trying to find out the crew members who flew a B-24 called “Tar Heel Baby” with the 707th SQ 446th BG.
Saw a photograph of it flying on D-Day over Portsmouth harbour on a British website for the groups local museum in England. So far all my efforts have not turned up any leads…I am afraid most the men who flew on the B-24 have passed on. The Liberator did return to the states after the war and sadly was scrapped ar wars end! Will post many more nose art A-2’s here from my collection of photographs I have been taking for the last 25 years or so in the UK & here in the states at Eighth AF events and airshows ! Did you see those A-2 connected with the 100BG ??? On Eastman’s no less!
Glad you and all here enjoyed the photographs…its been such fun collecting them and meeting great like minded folks around the US & UK who share similar interest!

“Keep The Show On The Road ” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BlueNoser352!

Re Angel

Great Shots Tom – that Diabolical Angel has great looking Pins !!!

I agree that it is really good Artwork !

Thanks Ron

Pilot of The Mary Alice comparing our A-2’s !

Very honored to meet Dan Knight at his home in Florida several years ago, to see his real A-2 “Mary Alice”. Here we compare jackets, of course today we all can enjoy seeing his real jacket at Duxford in the glass case at The American Musuem hangar ! A real pleasure to meet Mr Knight and he was impressed by my jacket..my artist did a great job! Took this photo years ago standing in front of the control tower at Deenethrope. I believe many of you now say this tower is gone! More history from the 401st !

BlueNoser352!

A-2 “Mary Alice Nose Art Jacket!

Here is Dan Knights real A-2 before he sent it to Duxford & the one my artist did based on the photographs I took when I visited Dan in his home! Knight flew the “Mary Alice” with the 401stBG!

BlueNoser352!

100thBG Nose Art jacket !

This one is from a B-17 F 364th SQ of the 100th BG…..Its a wonderful Eastman A-2 from a private collection….great art work !

BlueNoser352!

Nose Art Jacket from 100th BG Thorpe Abotts!

Ron…here are some photos of 100BG nose art jacket, its a Eastman from a private collector. Its a new jacket with the nose art from a real 100th B-17.
Enjoy!
BlueNoser!

A-2 Jacket “Dialbolical Angel”

More images of this vintage A-2 Nose Art Jacket from Diabolical Angel !

A-2 Nose Art jacket from Diabolical Angel

This A-2 jacket was worn by one of the crew memebers of the 612 SQ 401st BG B-17 Diabolical Angel. While it has no large figure on the back, this is the real McCoy.

Thanks
BlueNoser352!

Comparison photo of A-2 Diabolical Angel !!!!

Here is a better side by side comparison photograph of both men in the crew of The Diabolical Angel. Stunning art work and painting of these classic Eighth Air Force jackets. Considering the material and supplies they had to work with on each station, its remarkable to see the craft of this artist who worked on these jacket ! I spent about 3 months tracking down the men in this crew and enjoyed their helping me in trying to locate one if not both of these jackets. Will post another photograph of a different crew member who gave his jacket to his son and it survived the war!

BlueNoser352!

B-17 Crewmen from Diabolical Angel !

Each of the two waist gunners had this version of the A-2 in the crew, sadly I was found neither jacket made it into this century. I believe in talking to the man in this photo, he gave his jacket to his younger brother and he wore it out ! It hurts to even think about this lost historical treasure from Deenethrope !

BlueNoser352!

Let’s see if this work……!!!! Diabolical Angel Part II!

Lets see if this scan works on the original nose art of 612 SQ – 401st BG B-17 “Diabolical Angel”…and a modern day tribute found on an A-2 to this Flying Fortress!

BlueNoser352!

Nose Art B-17 Diabolical Angel 612 SQ – 40st BG (H)

More on my research into the design found on this B-17 from the 401st at Deenethrope, Station 128 Eighth Army Air Forces. Here is a photo of the nose art found on “Diabolical Angel” and a version of this found on a modern day A-2 in tribute to the crew !

TC !

My A-2 “Mary Alice ” 401stBG Jacket!

I think the was taken around 1992, this is my A-2 Jacket I had done in tribute to Dan Knight the original pilot of the “Mary Alice”. Great concept by Dan Knight and many of you have seen him looking at his battle damaged B-17 in Roger Freeman’s fine book “B-17 at War” while wearing his A-2.

Thanks!
BlueNoser352

Top of the day to you Last Lighting, great question and from all the guys in the Eighth I have spoken to over the years . Most times the senior officer in command, the pilot got to name his aircraft in general. Also have really never read about any hard or fast rules when it came to putting personal drawings , nose art on your uniform. Which was GI ( Government issue ). Of course today this is not allowed to any great extent. Most guys painted their own or had anyone in the bomb or fighter group who had artistic ability paint it for them for a few bucks ! I know in the 352 FG, pilots did repaint their planes. For example…Major Preddys famed “CRIPES A’ MIGHTY 3RD was assigned to another pilot in the group after he completed his first tour with the group and went home to the states for a few weeks. This P-51 in which he scored his 6 kills on Aug 6th 1944 , was repainted and renamed and shot down while attacking a Luftwaffe airfield. I am sure this happened in other groups..for both bombers and fighters! Great question ! Of course Chuck Yeager..another P51 ace in a day member !

Thanks !
BlueNoser352!

nice thread bluenoser 🙂 just out of interest if a bomber crew had to change their aircraft halfway through their tour and the new aircraft already had nose art would they get new jackets? would they keep the old ones or would they change the name of the aircraft?

401st BG pilot Dan Knight’s “Mary Alice”

Of course many of you know this jacket that belonged to 401st BG pilot Dan Knight ,who flew “The Mary Alice” and named the plane after his mother. I have a jacket just like this in my collection and visited Dan at his home to look at his original jacket. Nice to see he has placed the A-2 there at Duxford for all to enjoy. One of his gunners downed an Me-410…can’t get any better than this real McCoy!!!!

Enjoy!
BlueNoser352

A-2 a real one I took at Duxford in Oct of 2003!

I always love to see the real McCoys come out at any Duxford airshow, this is one I saw at Duxford in 2003 and have talked to this fine gentleman on several occassions about the history of this A-2 from a B-24 Second Air Division group of the Eighth Air Force! Yep..that’s yours truly in the green rain gear on a rain soaked day at Duxford…but heck who cares when one is at such a great place like this! That is one most impressive A-2 from the Mighty Eighth!

Thanks!
BlueNoser352!