Picture of the day. (48 Viewers)

[syscom3]

Wake Island, taken by a Consolidated PBY patrol plane on 25 May 1941. The view is west along the northern side of Wake and shows the Pan American Airways base.

In less than seven months, this island will be front page news.

 

[syscom3]

Parachute troops jump from a Whitley bomber during a demonstration for the King near Windsor, 25 May 1941.

 

[Viking1066]

N3N and N2S aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi 1941-1942 WW2B

 

[Viking1066]

President Franklin D Roosevelt and his wife visit the Consolidated plant September 1942 BLOO

 

[Viking1066]

North American SNJ-4 Texan advanced trainers lined up at the NAS at Corpus Christi July 1942 WW2B

 

[syscom3]

A Swordfish torpedo-bomber of the Fleet Air Arm in flight on May 26, 1941.

 

[syscom3]

A Fairey Fulmar hits the crash barrier while landing on HMS Formidable at 13:40 on 26 May 1941.

 

[syscom3]

A German Junkers Ju 52 transport takes off from Eleusis Airport outside Athens, 26 May 1941, bound
for Crete. Below it is a line of French Vichy Air Force's Dewoitine D 520s fighters.

 

[Warspite63]

A German Junkers Ju 52 transport takes off from Eleusis Airport outside Athens, 26 May 1941, bound
for Crete. Below it is a line of French Vichy Air Force's Dewoitine D 520s fighters.

View attachment 880613

That's an interesting image. The D520s were deploying to Syria I believe

 

[c1951]

To keep the LB-30/B-24 theme going, 84 years ago (yesterday) the first B-24 to come of the Willowrun Assembly line B-24E-1-FO Liberator 42-7770 runs up an engine at the end of the line. Ypsilanti MI, about 5 miles from my house. This is actually the only section of the plant still standing, now used as the restoration shop for the Yankee Air Museum.

View attachment 879133
source 15 | May | 2026 | This Day in Aviation

The Royal Air Force had LB-30s,some machine-great picture

 

[c1951]

An early Consolidated B-24 Liberator that arrives in the UK on 16 May 1941. This plane is slotted to
be used for crew training in RAF No. 120 Squadron Coastal Command.

View attachment 879039

Four were especially converted for Coastal Command by Scottish Aviation,all redundant metal was replaced by plywood including bomb doors and a gun pack installed.

 

[Frog]

That's an interesting image. The D520s were deploying to Syria I believe

GC III/6 was sent to reinforce the forces in Syria :

- Algiers - Tunis mai 24, 1941 ;
- Tunis - Catania - Brindisi may 25, 1941 ;
- Brindisi - Eleusis - Athens may 26 1941 ;
- Athens - Rhodes - Rayack may 28, 1941.

 

[Bretoal2]

GC III/6 was sent to reinforce the forces in Syria :

- Algiers - Tunis mai 24, 1941 ;
- Tunis - Catania - Brindisi may 25, 1941 ;
- Brindisi - Eleusis - Athens may 26 1941 ;
- Athens - Rhodes - Rayack may 28, 1941.

True. The III/6 came to Syria in order to reinforce french Armée de l'Air (d'armistice).

I have the pic below, said to be shot at Eleusis (Elefsina), which is Athen's military airport.

I recall (maybe...) that there was also a movie shot on the same occasion.

 

[Frog]

True. The III/6 came to Syria in order to reinforce french Armée de l'Air (d'armistice).

I have the pic below, said to be shot at Eleusis (Elefsina), which is Athen's military airport.

I recall (maybe...) that there was also a movie shot on the same occasion.

You have the whole story there :

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.bibert.fr/Joseph_Bibert_fichiers/Depart_Levant.htm&ved=2ahUKEwio49_Ez9eUAxVYTKQEHRH2ApwQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0N4MFvgwH6CgJaFLEmH_UG

 

[CATCH 22]

Yesterday I added some information to a post about B-25 decals and sexy nose art girls.
I'll repeat the details: There was a B-25J-1, s/n 43-27769, called "Miss Fancy Pants", tail number 19, belonging to the 445th BS, 321st BG in the MTO. There are a few photos showing the fancy (sexy) nose art and they survived - check here.
Here is a photo of the a/c with a GI , standing in front of it.

I was not satisfied with the 2 photos of the nose art only and without any idea who did it, was any particular pin-up model copied etc. I couldn't sleep! But I had luck and with some help (ChatGPT - AI can do good job as well, just has to be guided properly), I think the mystery of the "Miss Fancy Pants" nose art is finally solved.

After comparing dozens of posters, wartime lingerie ads and telephone-themed pin-ups, I found the original source of the brunette with the phone. She comes directly from a George Petty illustration made for a Bestform lingerie advertisement published in LIFE magazine on August 14, 1944.

The squadron artist copied Petty's girl amazingly faithfully — the face, the hair band, the smile, the perky tits, the ribcage structure, the telephone and even the characteristic Y-shaped phone cable flourish are all there. He then "customized" her for the aircraft by removing most of the clothing and adding the transparent sexy "fancy pants," probably inspired by another lingerie ad, burlesque costume or simply from imagination.

See another George Petty pin-up girl with all these details + transparent clothing:

What is fascinating is that this was not copied from a famous Vargas or Petty poster at all, but from a commercial underwear advertisement that happened to circulate among servicemen during the war.
The local artist deserves enormous credit too. He was not just tracing a pin-up — he adapted the artwork beautifully to the curved B-25 nose section and created one of the most memorable Mediterranean Theater nose arts in the process.
Check the comparison between original add and nose art below:

Cheers!

 

[Warspite63]

You have the whole story there :

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.bibert.fr/Joseph_Bibert_fichiers/Depart_Levant.htm&ved=2ahUKEwio49_Ez9eUAxVYTKQEHRH2ApwQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0N4MFvgwH6CgJaFLEmH_UG

Merci beaucoup, mon ami!

 

[Viking1066]

Rear Gunner waits on SB2U-2 of VS-42 on flight deck of USS RANGER during August 1942 NAVY

 

[Viking1066]

The directive that specified the use of the Neutrality Patrol star as AER-E-255-HY.QW-19. F'39-1, technical Note 6-40 DAIL

 

[Viking1066]

The observer leans out of his cockpit as a Kingfisher comes alongside for recovery INHG

 

[Viking1066]

Training aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi 1940. Foreground Vultee SNV-1 Valiant Background Beech SNB-1 Kansan and two North American Texans, one Navy SNJ and one Army AT-6 WW2B