USAAF Reenacting

cco23i · May 6, 2011

We all who do ground crew need to kick it in the a**! Build, collect and display! We need to get out to the public what the ground crews off WW2 did, hell, no one has a clue about the 67th PG and the ground crews on the "Canal" WITH the Marines and Army and what they did during the battles and such.

Scott

Sgt Brown · May 7, 2011

The group at Reading doing ground crew has been the PA/Ohio Wing of the APS. Some of us also belong to Scott's ground crew Yahoo group. Go there, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/groundcrews/ then go to "Photos" then to "APS Ground Crew" and you can see a few photos of our setup.

One of the neat things about having a real certified A&P mechanic in the crew is one B-25 owner allowed us to do actual routine maintenance on his bird while the photographers went nuts. (And his "real" ground crew loved sitting back and watching someone else get greasy!)

Tom

cco23i · May 7, 2011

EXACTLY Tom! THAT'S what sets our groups apart from the others, WE DO THE JOB!! Oh, and A&P in progress (finally).

Scott

MPicciotto · May 8, 2011

Sgt Brown said:
The group at Reading doing ground crew has been the PA/Ohio Wing of the APS. Some of us also belong to Scott's ground crew Yahoo group. Go there, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/groundcrews/ then go to "Photos" then to "APS Ground Crew" and you can see a few photos of our setup.

One of the neat things about having a real certified A&P mechanic in the crew is one B-25 owner allowed us to do actual routine maintenance on his bird while the photographers went nuts. (And his "real" ground crew loved sitting back and watching someone else get greasy!)

Tom

That was Panchito wasn't it? Which show was that at? Donnie likes to tell that story.

Matt

Gray Ghost · May 8, 2011

cco23i said:
Thanks Eric,
We do have a blast with the ground crew vets we meet. We had one little fellow who was stationed in North Africa and Sicily on B-25's, well he stayed with us for over 4 hours, harrassing and basically having a good time with us, I asked him why he stuck around so lond and he said "I feel like I was 18 again and in Sicily with my buddies". Yup, THAT'S why I do it. Keep in touch, email I can also send my number so I can help if needed. CHEERS!

Scott

Thanks Scott. I will definetly keep in touch. My e-mail is Eric.Russ@suddenlink.net if you want to e-mail me. My Dad was trained as a tail gunner for the B-24 but got his ear drum messed up while in training. A medic was cleaning out his ears and left the bulb open and accidentaly ruptured his ear drum. It knocked him out and when he woke up he was on his bunk with blood on the pillow. He ended up in maintenance working on B-24s at Blythe, CA. When they shipped him overseas, they sent him to New York to go to the Pacific. That is the Army for you. He was a Noumea, New Caledonia and was assigned to the 13th Air Force and sent to Guadalcanal to the HQ Squadron, XIII Fighter Command to work on P-40s, P-400s, P-39s, and the P-38. Another Army plan. Train you for bombers and have you work on fighters. He was sent to Transportation until a postion on the line came open and they forgot about him. He ended up driving trucks and driving the General's jeep and driving pilots out to their planes. He made the best of the situation. He still did some sheet metal work on fighters with holes in them when they came back from their missions. He was my hero. He died 4 1/2 years ago, just before my wedding. Sorry for the rambling.

Gray Ghost · May 8, 2011

cco23i said:
We all who do ground crew need to kick it in the a**! Build, collect and display! We need to get out to the public what the ground crews off WW2 did, hell, no one has a clue about the 67th PG and the ground crews on the "Canal" WITH the Marines and Army and what they did during the battles and such.

Scott

I am a big fan of the 67 PS and their P-400s. My dad bought me a Philipine Mahogany Model of the P-400, Hell's Bells of the 67th. The P-400 a P-40 with a zero on its tail. LOL. That is what the pilots who flew them would say. My dad remembered them when he was at Cactus. They were one of the first squadrons of the new 13th "Jungle" Air Force. I have a self published book by one of the Officer's from that unit when it was being called the Cactus Air Force with the Marine and Navy squadrons. Very interesting reading of how they had to put these planes together with not much tools and very little instructions and then had to be brave enough to fly these contraptions they they had put together themselves. They were some brave young men.

3PcSuit · May 8, 2011

Scott sent you the full size photo.

Hey, no collaboration with the enemy! ;-)

Got a high Res photo but B&W only, film , hope you don't mind from when I come home from Charlotte on Monday. . .

cco23i · May 8, 2011

Got it and sent reply.

Sgt Brown · May 9, 2011

MPicciotto said:
That was Panchito wasn't it? Which show was that at? Donnie likes to tell that story. Matt

Yup, Panchito at Reading. Last Reading I was able to attend was 2007, so it was either that year or '06. I believe the guys have had at least one more Panchito maintenance session since then, but I'm not sure where. (Jimmy Stuart Airport?)

Tom

lritger · May 10, 2011

Hi Matt,

We met at last year's Military Air Museum show, and I'm very glad to hear you guys are coming back again this year. Jerry's added a whole bunch of new stuff- his Storch is finished, for instance, and of course his "new" B-17G will be back from maintenance. There are also new buildings on-site, and the CWH Lancaster will be visiting as well- a treat for the few RAF re-enactors who make it here! I expect the Allied re-enactors to be outnumbered by Germans by at least 2 to 1 or better, much like last year, and I've been working on getting a few other friends to put uniform items together and come out to the show to help bolster the US side.

I've added a couple new items to my impression (most notably, a "Flight Ace" khaki officer's visor cap) and also have enough now to have a passable "operational" look.

I think you guys are going to have an OUTSTANDING time down here this year, and again, I'm really looking forward to seeing you guys here again!

Cheers,

Lynn

B-17 Pilot · May 17, 2011

Hey Matt - B-17 Pilot is here, or better known as Capt. Crosman!! Don't come on much but saw your thread. See you in Reading!!

Johnny Blackjack · May 13, 2016

Hi. I just joined this forum to find reenactors. I'm a longtime World War II history buff and sometime MILSIM player (as Waffen Heer). I'm now acquiring original and reproduction WW2 kit and launching a new hobby in reenacting USAAF roles. My kids are CAP and/or aviation enthusiasts, participating in Warbirds Over the Beach, 20-22 May 2016. Please drop me a line, if your reenactment unit could use some augmentation.
--John
Falls Church, Virginia

SIGGY · May 15, 2016

67th patches I made , if any of you guys are in need of "specific" WW2 era flying unit patches drop me a PM ,thanks !!!!!!

SIGGY · May 16, 2016

Thanks TPD166 !!!!

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