Tinian, South Pacific Marines w/ Thompson

[OCM]

My Dad was a B-29 Pilot, stationed on Tinian in the Pacific Ocean, Mariana Islands. My brother went there on a dive trip and picked up some local produced books while there. This was probably 8 years ago.

I just noticed today a picture of some Marines routing out Japanese stragglers from a bunker on Tinian.

One guy up front has a Thompson with a vertical grip attached on a horizontal forend .

JUST IN CASE you WWII guys have not seen it, here it is. If you have, here it is again

Speaking of the B-29, my Dad said his ( and him) crew had to check out on the Thompson they carried on board, but never used it or thought much about it.

He did bring back his 1911 tho.

 

OCM

 

[Adg105200]

Never seen that one yet. Thanks for sharing.

 

Andrew

[Petroleum 1]

Very unique photo thats for posting. Btw i took a ride on FiFi some years back and what a thrill it was. The B29 is a massive airplane and very advanced for its time.

[Mike Hammer]

Sandy, your dad must have been a hell of a guy, piloting a Superfortress, they didn't let just anybody drive those machines. He helped put the "finishing touches" on the war, otherwise it would have dragged on to a land invasion of Japan resulting in the death of countless fine Americans.

 

I pulled this book from my personal library, a great insight into what it was like to be a crew member of a B-29. I hope your dad told you as much as he could about those days. Did he ever mention if he ran into this fellow pilot on Tinian?

 

Mike Hammer

[OCM]

Hi Mike,

got that book too.

Dad didn't talk much about the time with the 29 or the war. Got some good photos tho, one of him here flying the 29. Some from Tinian.

He said they weren't allowed to go over in the area where the Enola Gay was parked, they knew something was going on.

I donated all his war records to the B-29 Museum in Pratt, Kansas where he trained and flew from.

Going off subject, sorry.

 

OCM

[full auto 45]

I was in Tortilla Flats Saturday morning (12/2/17) and just finished breakfast, hanging around in the gift shop (it sucked). I heard what I thought was some Harleys coming up the road, but realized the engine sounds were too smooth and not changing speeds. I trotted outside just in time to see a big beautiful silver B-29 going right overhead. I didn't get a photo or the tail number. It was only about 500 feet or so. It banked left around the mountain and then made a hard turn to the right turn to show the full underbelly, and off it went, low and slow back towards Flagstaff. It's funny, even when I said to the other few people outside to check out the B-29, They looked but didn't even care. Sad.

[OCM]

It is sad- Probably FIFI but there is another 29 flying now, I think it's Gus.

one of my books states they would send like 700 29s off to Japan, towards the end of the war- Imagine that sound.

" Fire from the sky, the likes the world has never seen before "

Truman's last threat before the Enola Gay took off.

 

I was a bit excited when I found out Dad had a Thompson on board his B-29. He seemed to care less, just another piece of killing equipment in case they ditched. I don't know if it was a standard thing on all 29s, assume so as they had to check out on it. He did say when they got in the air they had to " clear the 50s " and it sounded like all hell was breaking loose.

He did lose his hearing later on in life, but pictures show him flying along with a Chesterfield, smiling and no ear protection. Tinian to Japan and back was like 14-15 hours. Ouch !

Dad brought back the steering wheel hub on his 29, that I still have, the engine ID plate, a Colt 1911, 5 empty 50 cal shells in a link. Wonder how many Thompsons were brought home too............Not here.

[Petroleum 1]

OCM...Doc is the other flying superfort.

 

 

http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/restoration-doc-flies-again-180960367/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[OCM]

Yep, Doc, couldn't remember. Thanks. Not Gus.

My Dad's 29 was Peace on Earth , one of two named that. Had a naked girl sitting on the World. There is actually a film of him in the 29 on Siapan or Tinian taxing out. It's an old program about nose art. Can't see him in there tho, just black inside in the shot.

[Bridgeport28A1]

This photo is also in The Thompson Submachine Gun book by Tom Laemlein on page 7.

[Kilroy]

OCM, do you have a photo of the loot? Id love to see it

[OCM]

Sister in Law has the hub & I think the 50s. I have the engine ID plate. The 1911 was stolen in Omaha along with his Woodsman back in the 60s. First pistol I'd ever shot. ( Damn)

I was going to send the wheel hub to Pratt, Kansas but they said they had quite a few .

In one of the photos of the old man flying the 29, he's sitting there in the pilots seat and the HUB is missing on the wheel. Haaaaaaaaaaaaa. Might of been a common thing to take as the Pratt Museum had a bunch.

[Big Al]

Here's another Thompson with a rear grip rigged to the horizontal foregrip for the records, in this instance an M1928A1. The man is a Marine dog handler named Russel Friedrich, of Andover, CT, and the dog's name was Rolo. The only other information I was able to find on them was that both were killed in action 1943.

Edited December 23, 2017 by Big Al

[1952HRA]

Here's another Thompson with a rear grip rigged to the horizontal foregrip for the records, in this instance an M1928A1. The man is a Marine dog handler named Russel Friedrich, of Andover, CT, and the dog's name was Rolo. The only other information I was able to find on them was that both were killed in action 1943.

Russel_Freidrich_and_Rolo_op_800x970.jpg

Very cool picture, another interesting fact about this picture is Rolo was the first USMC dog to see combat and when the picture was taken was attached to the 2nd marine raider battalion, he was also the first dog Killed In Action, both Rolo and Russel where killed during the bougainville campaign in 1943 Edited December 23, 2017 by 1952HRA

[Big Al]

Thank you for the additional info, 1952HRA.

was a bit excited when I found out Dad had a Thompson on board his B-29. He seemed to care less, just another piece of killing equipment in case they ditched. I don't know if it was a standard thing on all 29s, assume so as they had to check out on it.

I believe all US bombers carried a Thompson in case they were forced down. There is a picture in TUTB of a B17 crewman demonstrating the Thompson to some natives on the beach of a Pacific island.

[OCM]

Paul Tibbets carried cyanide tablets in his pocket, for each crew member, in case the Enola Gay went down... Nobody I guess was told this, prior to the take-off. Japanese capture wasn't pretty they say. I'm sure none of us were in war.

[Petroleum 1]

 

Paul Tibbets carried cyanide tablets in his pocket, for each crew member, in case the Enola Gay went down... Nobody I guess was told this, prior to the take-off. Japanese capture wasn't pretty they say. I'm sure none of us were in war.

Wow...little Known fact and completely understandable

[Black River Militaria CII]

Local physician, Seymour Leven, was a tail gunner on a B29 on the raids over Japan at the end of the war. Has some interesting things to say about the "computer" run fifties and their interlocking redundant capability. He's still alive, 94 years old, and has a fierce will to live. All his wartime friends are gone.

[OCM]

I've seen not long ago, a guy demonstrating the B-29 50s set up on a remote stand, this was just a year or so ago, might of been on the restoration of " Doc" . Pretty advanced system. As I recall the main gunner in the top blister could control the entire system or pass it off to another station. I think it said the computer could follow the guys eyes and automatically correct for windage, speed and stuff. Dad said the tail gunner had the worst position, all stuck back there by himself, however flying a B-29 in the war, everybody had a bad position.

Most of these guys are gone, sadly how it is. Till the day he died, he's never owned a Japanese or German built car. Different time now.

[huggytree]

Toyotas are made in the USA

 

Dodge and GM are made in Mexico and Canada

 

He must have struggled on what car to buy. Or just kept his 1976 Chevy running forever.

[Adg105200]

Toyotas are made in the USA

Dodge and GM are made in Mexico and Canada

He must have struggled on what car to buy. Or just kept his 1976 Chevy running forever.

Actually (not to go too far off topic) all cars in the US with the exception of some actual imported cars, all vehicles have to be 51% US made.

 

Andrew

[OCM]

I wasn't even born till after the war, my first car when I was 14 was a 1957 BMW Isetta. Made in Munich. Love Germany.

[Slimpikins]

My dad was a two tour B-29 commander on Tinian too. He was one of the original 80 hand picked pilots in the Army Air Force to establish the unit flying early B-29's from Walker Field over to India, then China and ultimately Tinian (12 survived of the original group). He was a "Hellbird", I still have his A-2 flight jacket (which I ruined wearing in the rain for years on an old Harley back in college). But I also have another original, saved in a book between pages and in perfect condition "Hellbirds" flight jacket patch hand made in India when they were stationed there.

 

I know nothing of Thompson's as supplied equipment on B-29's, but Atomic crews were issued a "mag light" type flashlight with double barrel .38 cal rounds mounted for fire in the flashlight head. I know as I have seen it myself and no one seems to know about this flashlight gun.

 

I met Paul Tibbets and Robert Morgan (Memphis Belle pilot) once at an air show where my unit was doing recruiting the week after 911. I spoke to Tibbets about things which occurred on Tinian, but unfortunately, he was not very clear on past details. Morgan on the other hand was super clear on details from the war. We had fun chatting for a couple of hours. in fact his wife, who I thought was his daughter, reprimanded him on some things which I asked about as I had seen on the series "Wings" and he denied. That had to do with him firing a Thompson out of the window of his B-17 from his pilots position. In the series they said he fired a .45 Auto pistol out the window at an approaching fighter, he told me, ......"BS, I brought a Thompson into the cockpit and fired right back at that ME 109 shooting at us"

 

It's all good stuff.... but our dads are gone or going. I was with my dad when he died from brain cancer. He thought I was his co-pilot over a drop on Japan and I lived that mission with him as he lambasted me for not giving him enough details on the bomb drop. But after the bombs were away, he just laughed and yelled what tough guy he was and "take that you bastards, take that" Of course referring to the Japs below. Then he turned to me and said "its your plane take us home, I am tired". It was strange, very strange; living a WW2 bomb drop on Japan in what seemed like real time.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Slimpikins

[OCM]

As mentioned, I donated a lot of stuff to the B-29 museum in Pratt Kansas. I haven't contacted them in awhile, I should, and ask about the Thompsons in B-29s. Dad's 29 came out of Omaha, same with the Enola Gay, no connection, just same place. He had massive training in VHB, mainly the 17, then put in for the 29 Commander.

I have a 8X10 photo of him, with his crew and his 29 all autographed by the crew. This was a common thing they did at Pratt. You can see it on their web page .

Still have his massive flight log that I wanted to keep, Tinian, Siapan etc. Hoping the " kids " will want it some day, unfortunately they don't seem interested in that time.

Can't blame them, need to move on.

Edited December 26, 2017 by OCM