the Half & Half, the only B 26 whose tail had performed more missions than her nose

the B-26 “Marty Marauder” crashed onto the base and right into the “Goatee Hell”, wrecking both planes.

Master Sergeant George Feehan was not about to lose 2 planes in one crash so the crews spent the next 3 weeks welding the good halves of each plane to each other.

 The new plane featured the nose of the “Goatee Hell” (veteran of 51 missions) and the tail of the “Marty Marauder” (veteran 57 missions);

http://flyingdebris.blogspot.com/2007/05/70-missions-over-europe.html

After 134 missions the plane was retired and at that same time the Weary Willie with 160 missions was retired also, but again, the mechanics swapped tail sections, and the Half & Half was out flying missions

Master Sergeant Curtis Foster of Greensboro North Carolina was the supervisor of the nose during repairs, and is in the photo above.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougsheley/4486157306/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougsheley/4485508115/in/photostream/

-;

Tweet