History of the 348th Fighter Group

Thanks for the advice on Image Shack and Photobucket. I will look at them and see if I can use them to post the higher resolution photos.

 

You might also want to check out jaircraft forums. They are big into photos and photo interpretation. I've seen some fantastic cooperative photo interp threads on the navy side. Here's a link:
For American planes:
http://www.j-aircraft.org/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=1ldgl1mmtfcf1qot355nqe7525;www;board=6
is probably the correct subforum. If you have pictures of Japanese planes there are three subforums general, army, and navy. Some very knowledgeable and helpful people there as well. Some of the things they have discussed even a poor picture of part of a plane might be of immense help.

 

This is nice work. Its pretty easy to forget that the "Jug" fought in the Pacific as well as Europe (though not to denigrate European pilots since the Jugs reputation was more or less built on the early efforts of those 8th Air Force pilots), although not in as an nearly as much numbers.

Kearby's Thunderbolts are one of my favorite units to read about out of the 5th Air Force.

 

Group personnel in photo taken on Ie Shima

 

Another group photo on Ie Shima

 

Group photo on Ie Shima

 

More Ie Shima photos

 

Philippines photo

 

Photo on Ie Shima

 

My father, Lt. Wayne Smith in front of P-51 Rushin' Princess, probably taken on Ie Shima

 

View of Ie Shima runway

 

Landing - probably at Osaka

 

Unloading at Osaka

 

Osaka from Air

 

Local Japanese in Osaka. The building behind the farmer with horse and cart is 342nd's barracks.

 

Well dressed, wealthy locals

 

Jimmy Weeks & Wayne Smith at Itami

 

Jimmy Weeks and Bob Whillow at Itami

 

Lt Art Eastman souvineer hunting on Ie Shima and in cockpit of his plane. Eastman completed 25 missions in the European theater as a bomber navigator and then transitioned to P-51 fighters. He was tragically killed in October 1945 when engaged in a mock dogfight. His P-51 developed engine problems and crashed into the ocean. His body was never recovered. He was scheduled to leave for the United States the day after he crashed.