Martin H. Build thread #2

[-Neu-]

Martin "Bud" H. Build thread Part Two:

Italy.

Part 1.

Martin would graduate B-26 training on September 26th 1944. As luck would have it, he would be one of the last students ever trained to fly the B-26. With the War in Europe in its closing stages and Maruaders being phased out of the pacific, the need for their pilots was very low. So less than two weeks after completing his Marauder training, Bud was transferred to Marianna Florida to start conversion training on the A-26 Invader. He went from one of the oldest bombers in USAAF service to the newest. Bud again excelled at training; which is not surprising given he had been an instructor and had completed operational conversion on three different aircraft; B-24, B-17 and B-26.

However the A-26, as we will see, would come to define his service.

For this build I'm going to start with the Italeri A-26 A/B invader. I bought a PE set but I'm not sure if it will come in time for this build. I might also co-build an A-20, for reasons that will become clear.

Edited October 9, 2012 by -Neu-

[-Neu-]

To Italy, Jan-March 1945.

Much like with the B-26, Martin would excel at flying the A-26. He completed his training on January 21st 1945 and moved to Hunter Field Georgia where he was assigned to the 302nd Base Unit. This was the staging base for the 3rd Air Force, which deployed units to the Mediterranean theater. His transfer into the field also marked another important milestone; Martin was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.

Unfortunately he would have to wait a month before being sent abroad. Unlike other aircraft that were deployed en-masse in new squadrons, the A-26 was introduced via attrition of existing units in the Mediterranean theater. Thus squadrons were operating both the B-20 Havoc and A-26 simultaneously even though the latter was replacing the former. In late feburary his number came up. Martin was assigned to ferry a A-26C from New York to Leghorn Italy. It is likely that he flew a southern route that included Brazil to the Azores and then into North Africa. This was a common flight path with two dangerous sections over the Amazon and the Sahara.

He arrived at Leghorn Italy, at the end of March, before being driven to the Grosseto, about 130 Km to the south. The town was just south of Pisa and a major operational base for the 47th.

Image courtesy of Robert Hunter collection at the 47th Bomb group website

The 47th bombardment group (light) was a battle-hardened unit, having seen service throughout the Mediterranean from early 1943 right up to the end of the war. As noted above, Bud arrived as the group was transitioning from the A-20 to the A-26. The group was made up of four squadrons, with Bud being assigned to the 84th. For the past two months it had been tasked with attacking targets in the Po River valley approximately 150 kilometers North North-East across the Apennine range. Although the war was in its last months in Northern Europe, German resistance in Italy remained well organized and effective. The allied armies decided to launch a major offensive in early April to pierce Axis defenses across the entire Po Valley and push their units back into the mountain passes in Austria. Bud arrived just as the offensive got underway. He would be engaged in combat for the rest of the war.

A-26 taking off at Grosseto in front of the flight line.

Image courtesy of O'boyle collection at the 47th Bomb group website

The Build.

I feel bad for not offering more updates, but I've been working dilligently. I also wished that I built the A-26C he flew in transit across the Atlantic.... because most of those aircraft only carried their serial number and that's it (which I had.) Its a toss up if he flew this aircraft (he flew Bs once during the war and a few more times in the months afterwards.)

So basically this will be an OOB build... Really I'm doing it to prepare for some later A-26 builds. I painted the interior with Gunze interior green, handpainted the details, then gave it an oil wash to create some depth. I used the kit's decal instrument panel which was terrible, but c'est la vie.

Buttonted up.

So I'm finding that the italeri kit has some fit problems overall. The Bomb bay doors are supposed to be left open, but in this case I decided to close them to see how much work they required. Its not pretty.

As you can see its not at all a proper fit, which means a lot of puttying and sanding to get it looking "representable."

I have a few more photos that I'll post later this week.

Edited November 20, 2012 by -Neu-

[-Neu-]

So time for another update.

Fighting in Italy 1: April 1945

First off, most of these photos came from 47th Bomb group's website. If you're interested in the history of this group, please go to their website at: http://www.47thbombgroup.org

Martin flew his first combat mission on April 6th 1945. The morning of his first true combat mission he flew a two-hour familiarization flight to prepare for his upcoming operations. This was common for new pilots to the squadron. It would provide them a sense of the area, which could be invaluable during an emergency or at the reduced visibility at night. That evening Bud and his crew went to the briefing tent and received their orders. They sat on wooden benches with the rest of the squadron, who along with the rest of the 47th group, were tasked to strike a number of bridges over the Po River.

Image courtesy of the 47th Bomb group website

Image courtesy of the 47th Bomb group website

From the tent they were taken out to their plane. For most of his time he flew a glass nosed A-26C, with an bombardier in the nose and a rear gunner. In addition to their pre-flight checklist, the crew would don a heavy load of accruements. Over top of their uniform, the crew wore a lamb wool flight suit, wool cap, heavy gloves and boots, as the air temperature at operational altitudes (around 10,000 feet) could reach below -30 Celsius. Although the altitude was not high enough to cause hypoxia, the A-26 carried oxygen tanks to help the crew stay alert. On many missions the crew would wear a heavy chest protector and a flak helmets to protect against flying shrapnel from anti aircraft shells. Finally, each crewmember also carried their Army issue Colt .45 sidearm in a shoulder holster in case they were shot down, surely if nothing else, this reminder of last resort option must have provided more added weight than a sense of security.

However, on this night they would wait for several hours before their appointed departure time. At 10:40pm Bud taxied their A-26 into position and gunned the throttles. They climbed hard to clear the looming Apennines range. The squadrons tended to fly through the same mountain pass, which opened near the town of Pistoia. Although it was dark they had navigational landmarks. The army usually burned oil drums signaling the pass’s entrance. The crew of three flew an hour north towards their target a railroad bridge, and returned an hour and a half after that. A searchlight beam situated near the runway referred to by crews as the “candle” guided them to the aerodrome.

Image courtesy of the 47th Bomb group website

After a mission, the unit’s intelligence officer would debrief the crews on what they witnessed. Then they were treated to donuts, whiskey and coffee, before being shuttled back to their accommodations in town.

Image courtesy of Robert Hunter collection at the 47th Bomb group website

Life at Grosetto was likely felt a world away from the war, particularly for some of the older crew who endured sleeping in tents earlier in the war. The 84th’s crews lived in a single large villa that sat a block away from a beach. Crews were usually assigned to a single room, where they slept in sleeping bags on folding cots protected mosquito nets.

Image courtesy of Robert Hunter collection at the 47th Bomb group website

The food was excellent in comparison to the Army’s usual fare. Cooks were able to barter with local vendors, obtaining fresh vegetables and meats in addition to powdered eggs and spam. While most of the day was spent sleeping, crews often spent their down time playing cards, swimming or participating in other activities, however Martin would not have long to enjoy these amenities. He would log an unusually high number of flights during this period compared to his squadron-mates.

Edited November 21, 2012 by -Neu-

[-Neu-]

The Build.

So this has been a pain. In the end I actually regret not building the plane he ferried from the United States to Italy. The problem really has been getting the right decals to match the scheme I have. The tail numerals were wrong.

this is the aircraft assembled... mostly

This kit required quite a bit of putty to get together properly. Particularly at the wing roots. Given I had just built the Hasegawa B-26.. which was released two years later, its kinda shocking.

For example the canopy had major gaps... which could not be filled in by my normal method of white glue. So I used mori mori putty, mixed in the gunze interior yellow color, then filled the gap. We'll see how it works when I remove the tape.

I also did some testing by putting on the wheels and found out that I didn't put enough weight in the nose.... its tail dragging. Thankfully there is a gap in the landing gear bays that I can add some weight to balance it out. That's the precise weight I need.

So next I put on the primer coat. Again I used a dark blue green enamel from Model master.

So here we are. I've actually got the alclad coat down and some of the decals... but I'll have photos of that in the final post.

[ALF18]

I love the story of his wartime life - good work bringing it to life for us. I also like the photos showing the maps and accomodations. Having personally experienced a wartime deployment in 1990/1991 to Bahrain, I can attest that it is surreal to compare daily life where you are sleeping to the harsh reality of the in-contact troops and aerial war. Sometimes it was like stepping out of a nightmare into the sunlight on a vacation day - except that the crazy shifts we were working allowed little time to enjoy the surroundings.

Seeing photos of the villa, mixed with military equipment and briefings in black and white really brings that aspect home.

Don't be too discouraged by the kit. Looks kinda cr*ppy to me (kit quality - not your efforts at making it presentable).

One question: any idea why their Southern transit route would have been Brazil to the Azores, then into the Med? It looks kind of odd on the map to me.

ALF

[-Neu-]

I love the story of his wartime life - good work bringing it to life for us. I also like the photos showing the maps and accomodations. Having personally experienced a wartime deployment in 1990/1991 to Bahrain, I can attest that it is surreal to compare daily life where you are sleeping to the harsh reality of the in-contact troops and aerial war. Sometimes it was like stepping out of a nightmare into the sunlight on a vacation day - except that the crazy shifts we were working allowed little time to enjoy the surroundings.

Seeing photos of the villa, mixed with military equipment and briefings in black and white really brings that aspect home.

Don't be too discouraged by the kit. Looks kinda cr*ppy to me (kit quality - not your efforts at making it presentable).

One question: any idea why their Southern transit route would have been Brazil to the Azores, then into the Med? It looks kind of odd on the map to me.

ALF

Thanks for the reply Alf... I was beginning to wonder if it was posted at all... and then you share your experiences, which is awesome. It was really fascinating to hear the history of 47th from people who served over there. Their time in Grosetto was a paradise compared to the fight in North Africa, which was in sand filled tents against a much more potent opponent.

The 47th was completely involved in nighttime interdiction by 1945, so I'm sure there would have been a very significant dissociation for these pilots. I'll post more about the actual operations as a friend sent me the squadron's history for the month of April. Also, this was his shortest combat stint. There is quite a bit more to come... in many ways what Bud did in Italy would set the stage for the next stage of his service.

To answer your question.I know the southern route was a common one for pilots during the war headed to the Mediterranean theater. It made sense prior to July 1944, as there was no safe way to shuttle aircraft between GB and Africa. After 1944 it probably made more sense to go via Greenland, but I'm not sure.

Edited November 23, 2012 by -Neu-

[-Neu-]

Fighting in Italy 2: April-May 1945

The 47th continued attacking bridges for the next few nights, until the 8th of April when the 84th was tasked to locate and destroy command posts and arms dumps. Over the month the 47th bomb group would send Invaders to strike targets of opportunity almost each night. The invaders and their dedicated crews were invaluable to the offensive’s success. Western Allies relied heavily on airpower to assist ground units’ advance. A year earlier, German units moving out in the open faced extremely heavy losses by tactical bombers striking during the day. Their solution was to move men and material under the cover of darkness. However the A-20 and A-26 had removed this last refuge. With Axis units unable to move during the day or evening, allied units could easily out maneuver and eliminate them with a minimum of casualties.

An A-26 with the 47th Image courtesy of the 47th Bomb group website

It was during one such search and destroy mission that 1st Lieutenant Martin was to receive the Air Medal. As his certificate read:

Headquarters XXII Tactical Air Command Citation Air Medal:

Martin L. H Jr. First Lieutenant, 84th Bombardment Squadron, 47th Bombardment Group (L). For meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight as pilot of an A-26 type aircraft attacking troop and supply concentrations at Vignola, Italy on the night of 17/18 April, 1945. Lt H demonstrated exceptional flying skill by his precisely executed bomb run that enabled his bombardier to train all the bombs in the target area. This accurate attack, which started a fire and caused a number of large explosions, undoubtedly inflicted heavy casualties and destruction on the enemy. The courage and steadfast devotion to duty displayed by Lt H reflect the great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States. Entered Military service from Beverly, Massachussetts.

-Robert S. Israel, Jr. Brigadier General, USA Commanding.

Some missions were undertaken by a completely new technology; ground radar guidance. The 47th bomb wing in collaboration with Army ground units had developed an advanced tactic for targeting units at night using the SCR-584 radar. The system was originally designed by the MIT Labs in Boston as gun-laying radar for determining the accuracy of artillery shells. However it was an extremely versatile system, which served a number of different roles. During the Po River Campaign, the US Army situated a radar set on a mountain near Bologna. With the valley spread out below, its crew could precisely aim the radar beam at targets over thirty kilometers away. A-26Cs were equipped with a radar receiver, used it to direct their bombing.

Image courtesy of the 47th Bomb group website

A typical combat mission involving the SRC-584 radar would have Invader pilots tasked as being under total radar guidance. They were directed to an initial point, and then would fly at a specific course, airspeed and altitude to a drop point. While flying that course, the radar receiver would give them a loud tone sound while they flew the course until it stopped, at which time the bombers would drop their bombs. These missions’ success was completely dependent on the targeting of the radar beam; the bomber crew usually did not have a visual on their target.

As the offensive built up momentum, the need for airpower became increasingly acute. On the evening of April 21st round the clock operations started that would last the next five days. Crews flew a much higher operational tempo; Martin even flew a two and a half hour daylight sortie over the valley. For its troubles the 47th would receive a unit citation. By the end of the month, German and Fascist resistance in northern Italy had all but collapsed. They suffered over 35,000 casualties with just as many more captured during the campaign. Secret negotiations for a surrender started in late April and was enacted on May 2nd, but by this point all German units had been ejected from northern Italy, except some of the mountain passes into Austria. Combat operations for the 47th had already ended two days earlier, as there were no targets to strike and a definite risk of friendly fire existed. The official end of the war came on May 4th. By this point 1st Lt H. had racked up 17 combat missions, all but one at night.

Night planning for a mission. Image courtesy of the 47th Bomb group website

Martin only flew three times in the month of May, one of which was as a passenger in a B-25 Mitchell. This was partly because the 47th’s personnel and aircraft were being cut down substantially as older aircrews were returned back to the United States. Martin however would remain with the squadron for the time being. He flew approximately a dozen more flights over the next month and a half, usually around an hour or two in length. Ultimately the entire squadron was redeployed back to the United States in mid June in preparation for the invasion of the Japanese home islands. The squadron embarked on a liberty ship in mid-July and arrived in New York City a week and a half later. He was immediately put back on flight training at Columbia Army Air Base South Carolina. Fortunately the war would end before Martin was redeployed. Subsequently he was asked to be discharged from service, and was sent to Westover field Massachusetts for demobilization in September. He would be placed in inactive reserve with the rank of 1st Lieutenant, and returned to his job for Bell Telephone and Telegraph in Manchester Massachusetts.

Martin's final flight before returning to civilian life as a pilot of a RB-25, the reconnaissance version of the venerable Mitchell medium bomber. It portended things to come.

[-Neu-]

The build:

Well I finally finished this beast a few weeks ago but lost the cord to my camera. Not much to say, I learned alot from it that I'll apply on future aircraft. Thankfully it will be my last nmf aircraft for awhile. The Decal scheme I got from an Osprey book, and I found the right decals from different sets I have. It had a few touchups afterwards (I missed finishing the wheels,) but its done.

Next, step; Korea.

Edited December 20, 2012 by -Neu-