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MIASIS DRAGON AND SWEETIEFACE

Discussion in 'Information Requests' started by MIASIS DRAGON, Jun 11, 2009.

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  1. MIASIS DRAGON

    MIASIS DRAGON recruit

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    My father flew the B-17 " MIASIS DRAGON" out of Dophum Green in England. his name was William E. McCabe "Bill" he was the pilot. from what i know he made 5-6 missions before the war ended.
    my sister is doing geneology she had found a photo labeled "the crew of the "Sweetieface" " indicating another plane possible flown by our father. I have been unable to find the plane on line (assuming it was a B-17.) there was a p-51 with that name i found. Note: Dad was 20 years old! The photo is in a souvenir photo folder from The Tavern, Hotel De Soto, Savannah, GA. The date of Feb 7, 1945 was written on the front by Dad.
    any info on either of these planes would be appreciated.

    thank you
    Patrick McCabe
    Retired USAF Capt.
     
  2. texson66

    texson66 Ace

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  3. SMaroney

    SMaroney recruit

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    No. Our father's plane was Miasis Dragon. According to the story of Jack Hillary, Myasis Dragon went down in August 1944. Our father went to Dophem Green after August 1944: a 2nd B17 must have been named Miasis Dragon.
     
  4. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Can you post any of the photos?

    I think you mispelled the base - Deopham Green

    SITE PAGE - Deopham Green Airfield

    RAF Deopham Green - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Not trying to blow you off, but talk to these guys, they might can be knowledgeable 452nd BG - Deopham Green

    Miassis Dragon is listed here: 452nd Bomb Group Plane Names but not Sweetieface

    Be sure to look at this link
     
  5. MIASIS DRAGON

    MIASIS DRAGON recruit

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    Hi sis, could not log in here last night?
    yea i could not recall correct spelling appearently from memory
    one 452nd website i was in lists Miassis Dragon ( that is incorrect it is Miasis Dragon) there is a photo and it appears to be the same Nose art. (very blurred, farther away and different angle, than the pictures i have) but plane looks different from what i recall. . i have tried to contact the person listed there and emails are not going thru. don't have copy the picture of dad's plane with me here at work and don't return home for 5 days. if i remember correctly the Miasis Dragon was assigned to the 728th Squadron. i have copies of the patch....again at home:( it is orange background with an elephant carrying bombs will try to post photos at a later time.
    picture mentioned ( crew of "sweetieface" ) was taken with 8 members of the crew sitting in a corner booth around a very small circular table drinking Schlitz beer.
    from the names on the back of the photo it is the same crew as dad had on the "Miasis Dragon".

    Patrick McCabe
    Retired USAF Capt.
     
  6. texson66

    texson66 Ace

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  7. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    In some groups it was the policy that when you got a new crew your broke them up and they flew their first mission as part of an experienced crew. Then they got put back together again. My uncle who was a B-24 navigator mentioned that as an intro to his story about almost being MIA due to a smoking "accident".
     
  8. MJRiley

    MJRiley recruit

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    A good friend of my father was William Blake. He was the bombardier on the Miasis Dragon. I have his flight jacket with the 'Dragon' on the back and the 728th patch on the front. He also gave us his 'escape scarves' and several issues of Stars and Stripes newspapers. I've been wondering what I should do with the flight jacket. I'd like to find a leather restorer to clean it up.

    I've found a few pictures of the B-17 Miasis Dragon on the internet over the years. If somebody has a copy of the crew picture, can they post it here?

    PS: I have also posted a picture of the B-24 Miasis Dragon here

    Thanks!
    Mike Riley - mjriley*cox.net
    Omaha, NE
     

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  9. formerjughead

    formerjughead The Cooler King

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    Nevermind
     
  10. Harold Norris kin

    Harold Norris kin recruit

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    Dear Capt. McCabe: I am the daughter of the widow of S/Sgt. Harold W. Norris who was on the top turret on 4/4/44 when the plane was shot down over Bucharest Romania. He was trained at Mountain Home Air Force Base as a navigator, he was not flying with his normal crew that day as Billy Walters and S/Sgt. Curr wrote witness reports from 2 other ships that saw the Miasis Dragon hit at the waist by German Fighters (80 to 100 of them showed up). The plane had just unloaded over the top of a Refinery and marshalling yard, about 50 feet above the stack and was pulling up when hit. There was a wind that was blowing the bombs to the North and West, so they took the ship just above the target and unloaded a good bit of explosive. The ship pulled up, dipped, then went into a spin, then tail-over-nose to the ground. The bodies were found in and out of the ship after dark that night, a guard was posted until an official US recovery team could collect them. All were buried in Romania, later removed to other areas. Since he died so long ago, he was an only child, the parents divorced after his death, he has required much of my time to even find his grave: Ardennes US Cemetery in Belgium, that was a year's worth of work. I have 3 notebooks full of data, but sadly few pictures. I was wondering if a crew picture was ever provided to you? If so, could you please tell me of the source/post. I would like to see it as well. I am trying to connect with all of the crew families, have located 5 of the 10 (I guess if I count Norris, that is 6 of the 10). Thank You in Advance for any time and effort this request may cause you, Harold W. Norris kin
     
  11. Quisp

    Quisp New Member

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  12. CAC

    CAC Ace of Spades

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    Im Sparticus!
     
  13. BradJ

    BradJ New Member

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    My Father was Laurence L Johnson from Nebraska, and he was an Engineer/Gunner on the Miasis Dragon. McCabe was the pilot. Attached are some crew photos, a photo of the plane that a fellow crew member sent him several years ago, and a written account of his memories (MS Word format).
     

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  14. Otto

    Otto Spambot Nemesis Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Very nice Brad! Thank you so much for posting this.
     
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  15. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Good stuff Brad. It's nice that the people are identified in the photos.
     
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  16. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    the quintessential picture of aircrew, relaxed?? much thanks for posting....I enjoy very much just examining every detail of pics like these...bottles, glasses, many smiles...a lot of them look ''confident ''..buddies at the 'Tavern', soon to be brothers in war.........great pics...I had to salute
     
  17. Wendell Reeves

    Wendell Reeves New Member

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    My uncle, James J. Cubley, was crew chief at Deopham Green in the 728th Squadron and assigned to the B-17's Dog Breath and Miasis Dragon. One of the photos I have attached is him sitting in the cockpit of Miasis Dragon as well as one of him working on one of his aircraft. In the picture of the ground crew members standing on the wing of an unknown B-17, my Uncle James is at the right end of the picture. From the early 1950's he was a civil service member and served as a jet engine instructor for the air force at Amarillo AFB and at Hamilton Field in Novato, CA where he retired in the mid-70's. He remained in Novato for the rest of his life and passed away there in July 2010. He married an English girl during the war whom he met at a pub in Feltwell, England. My Aunt Joyce Howlett Cubley is still surviving in Novato and living in the same house they bought in 1957 when Uncle James was transferred to Hamilton Field. She will be 94 years old in February.
     

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  18. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Great photos and a welcome addition to this thread. Thanks for the posting and the family explanation.
     
  19. BradJ

    BradJ New Member

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    Thank You Wendell!! It's great to know who serviced Dad's airplane and to see another rare photo of it!
    Here is a link to the American Air Museum site that has some history, including the plane was sold for scrap in 1945.
    43-37802 | American Air Museum in Britain
     

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