Bob Johnson's P-47C - nose inscription querry

[warhawk]

Hello,

 

While researching the famous P-47C (HV-P, BuNo. 41-6235) flown by Lt. Robert 'Bob' Johnson of 61st FS / 56th FG, i noticed a discrepancy between the artwork and the only photo (known to me) depicting the nose:

Where's the "Half Pint" inscription in the photo?

The area looks a bit different, so it might be over-painted (?)

 

source: American Air Museum in britain

 

source: Reddit

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by warhawk

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Two possibilities ... One could it be this photo was taken before the inscription was added. The other is there is a lighter area where the inscription should be, censor removed it while processing photo ? My choice would be the photo was taken before inscription was added. 
 

Dennis

[72modeler]

She was transferred to the 36th FG and lost on 13 August, 1944. If you go to the 8th AF Little Friends website and click on the 56th FG, 61st FS  you can look at the registry of aircraft flown and also look at all the photos in the Group Gallery, where you can see  some very interesting photos of 'Half Pint' taken after Johnson  managed to return  after being shot to pieces by an Fw-190. The Jug could sure take it as well as dish it out! No photos of the LH side that showed the name below the nose art, unfortunately. I can look in my 56th FG book to see if there are any better photos. His P-47C would make a very fine tribute model for a great fighter pilot.

Mike

 

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/56th-fighter-group/

 

@warhawk

I pulled my copy of Zempke's Wolfpack, by Nigel Julian and Peter Randall, and found three photos showing the damage to Johnson's P-47C-2RE, but none that showed the nose art or titling. His P-47 was listed by its serial  codes, and was said to be named 'Half Pint,' in the description of the incident. It was also stated that his P-47 was repaired and transferred to the 36th FG, 9th AF, and was lost on 23 August, 1944, with its pilot, Lt. Herbert H. Reiner, being KIA. Doesn't help you any with confirmation if the name was ever applied to the Jug, but it appears that his Thunderbolt went by that name, whether or not it was ever painted on the cowling or not. (Is this a great hobby or what?)

Mike

Edited April 20, 2020 by 72modeler
added text

[warhawk]

Thank You both for the input,

@72modeler, thanks for the link, just the resource I needed for my decal making project!

 

On 4/14/2020 at 8:39 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Two possibilities ... One could be this photo was taken before the inscription was added. The other is there is a lighter area where the inscription should be, censor removed it while processing photo ?

 

I got in touch with the author of the above mentioned web-page, here's his opinion:

 

Quote

The photo of Bob Johnson by the nose of Half Pint is, to my knowledge, the only known one showing that area. As you say, artists and decal manufacturers seem have taken it upon themselves to add the name, without any photographic evidence to confirm it.

Certainly, Johnson himself refers to it by that name, but I have a very strong suspicion that it was just the name of the cartoon character depicted, and as such, he could not really refer to his P-47 in any other way, other than by its HV-P code.

As for censorship, there would really have been no reason at all to remove the nickname. If a censor were to have done anything, he would have been more interested in removing the serial number or aircraft code letters. I have no doubt that the cartoon character would have been from a syndicated US newspaper and therefore hardly on the secret list.

In my opinion, I believe that the name Half Pint was never actually applied, and it was just known by that name because of the character depicted.

 

This does make my job easier, as I do not need to make the letters. I can just make a mask for the white part of the nose-art, and print other colors on a transparent sheet.

 

Regards,

Aleksandar

[G.R.Morrison]

The only problem with "the name of the cartoon character depicted" theory is that the character is 'Pappy Yokum' from Al Capp's then-famous "Lil Abner."  Pappy's not depicted wearing his everyday clothes, but rather his "Sunday, go to meetin'" (church) clothes.  Pappy was Abner's father.  This newspaper comic strip, set in 'Dogpatch,' was the source of many 56th Fighter Group names / artwork.  They even had a "Dogpatch Flight."

Two (other) examples from the 56th:  the large, hairy, barefoot man with spiked club, was "Hairless Joe" -- featured on several of Schilling's machines.  "Lil Abner," flexing a bicep, was on Eugene O'Neill's cowling.  If the reader knows William Whisner's P-51D 44-14237, "Moonbeam McSwine," she was another Dogpatch character, vying for Lil Abner's affections, rival to his sweetheart, Daisy Mae.

It was not unknown for a named airplane to not have the name applied.  One of my father's PB4Y1s (U.S.Navy B-24) was "Mrs. Frequently" (call-letter, F), but they never painted the name on it.  Another friend in the 8th Air Force's 466th Bomb Group said that their formation-assembly ship, scraped-clean natural metal with red lightning bolts, was always referred to as "the Rum Runner," but again, no name was painted on it.

 

This is intended to provide light, not heat,

GRM

[warhawk]

11 hours ago, G.R.Morrison said:

It was not unknown for a named airplane to not have the name applied...

 

... This is intended to provide light, not heat,

 

On the contrary - just another great argument not to bother with the inscription 😀