Us Official Photographs

P-47 Thunderbolt near Brescia Italy

Flak cut the main oil line of the 12th A.F. Republic P-47 Thunderbolt flown by 1st Lt. Edwin L. King of New Lebanon, Ohio, while he was strafing enemy gun positions near Brescia, Italy, in the Po Valley, and engine oil completely blacked out the canopy, and covered the pilot and his parachute. With his feet in a puddle of oil, Lt. King flew his plane back to the base and landed it just as the engine froze. It was the Thunderbolt's 110th mission. ED WAS A FLIGHT LEADER IN THE 347TH (ABOUT 03:00) HE ALSO BAILED OUT AT NIGHT OVER STRAIT OF BONIFACIO (SIC) ON 9 AUG 44, WHEN HIS P-47 CAUGHT FIRE WHILE HE WAS COVERING THE INVASION FLEET FOR SOUTHERN FRANCE - IT WAS IN THE STRAITS BETWEEN CORSICA & SARDINIA AT THE TIME. LUCKY - HE LANDED ON SARDINIA - INSTEAD OF THE WATER. THE GROUP HAD SEVERAL P-47s RETURN WITH SIMILAR OIL BATHS - OF COURSE OTHERS WERE FORCED OUT BY FIRE OR OIL STARVATION AND ENGINE SEIZURE ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS FOR THE PILOT IN THESE INSTANCES (OTHER THAN FIRE) WAS THE EFFECT ON VISION. SOON THE GOGGLES WERE COVERED BY OIL - THEN IT GOT DOWN TO WIPING THE EYES WITH AN OIL COVERED GLOVE (SHADES OFF WET) MOST LANDINGS WERE MADE WITH PILOT FLYING CLOSE FORMATION DOWN TO THE FLARE OUT - WITH LEAD THEN GOING AROUND