44-13561 Short-Fuse Sallee, Shanty Irishman

UPL 29747 UPL 29747 Assigned to Dick Turner in early July this photo was probably taken shortly after 26 Aug 1944 at Gael.

Steve Blake, "The Pioneer Mustang Group", 2008, pg 212

Richard Turner, "Big Friend, Little Friend", 1969.

Turner appears to have received credit for destroying 11 aircraft in the air (and 6.5 on the ground plus two V-1s) by 26 Aug 1944.  The nose-art shows less wear than in later photos where 19.5 swastikas are shown. 

Off

Object Number - UPL 29747 - Assigned to Dick Turner in early July this photo was probably taken shortly after 26 Aug 1944 at Gael.

Flown by squadron commander Major Dick Turner as AJ-T, Short-Fuse Sallee. The 354th group moved from Crirqueville, France to Gael mid August and then to Orconte mid September.  Turner was assigned this aircraft in early July and had 14 victory markings and a V-1 symbol applied.  It displayed an additional 5.5 victory markings when Turner flew his last combat mission of his first tour on 5 Sep 1944.  In October, the aircraft was reassigned to Frank McIntire who replaced the nose art with the name Shanty Irishman and kept the aircraft letter.  The aircraft was lost in action by Dick Boes on 29 October 1944.

Connections

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Units served with

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 354th Fighter Group 496th Fighter Training Group 356th Fighter Squadron 555th Fighter Training Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16167626 / O-710035
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 354th Fighter Group 356th Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14051807 / O-790753 / AO36366
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 354th Fighter Group 356th Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-730674
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot/squadron commander

Places

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Gael Point-Clos
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Orconte, Champagne-Ardennes

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Nicknames: Chicago's Own
  • Unit: 354th Fighter Group

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Failed to Return (FTR)

29 October 1944

Revisions

Date
Contributorjfbecker
Changes
Sources

Changed noseband color from: black to: black/blue per William Hess, "354th Fighter Group", 2002.  In correspondence with Steve Blake, author of "The Pioneer Mustang Group", 2008, Steve wrote "Anyway, I was quite possibly wrong about the 356th squadron's noses being black ...".  On his Facebook site for the 354th FG, Jack Cook posted "all the 356th FS a/c both P-51s and P-47s were black with white stars. This had been stated repeatedly by Sgt Will Louie, of the 356th who was one of the two painters."  Will Louie's 1990s recall is questionable based on a painting he did of a late war 356th P-51 depicting a black nose when the squadron's P-51s all had red noses in 1945.  The noseband had traditionally been portrayed by artists as blue with white stars starting with the cover of Dick Turner's 1969 book "Big Friends, Little Friends" if not before. Dick originated the noseband design (Hess).

Date
Contributorjfbecker
Changes
Sources

Black nose band from Steve Blake's "The Pioneer Mustang Group", 2008.  

Richard Boes - MACR 10255.

"The Pioneer Mustang Group", pg 186 (July photo of aircraft from rear with 14 victories, Jack Cook), pg 230 photo (Cook) of aircraft at Gael with 20 large, chaotic victory markings, pg 219 photo (Antosiak) shows Turner's latest scoreboard with ringed swastikas and remnants of two old swastikas on bomb art, pg 236 (Oct photo of AJ-T Shanty Irishman, Hess)

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

Brought together information from a duplicate record to include information provided by Fugari from the JCook Photo Collection & Archives.

Additional information from:

  • P-51 Mustang Aces, William Hess & Thomas Ivie (1992)
  • The Pioneer Mustang Group Steve Blake (2008)
Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

MACR 10255 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

44-13561: Gallery (6 items)