Browse Items (102 total)

Colonel Joseph Laughlin on Joining the Army Air Corps.mp4
Colonel Laughlin tells the story of "chance" and "luck" getting him into the Army Air Corps.

Letter_about_Nazi_Pistol.jpg
The XIX Tactical Air Command (TAC) were very effective in their missions to bomb and disrupt the German lines, especially the P-47s in the 362nd Fighter Group. Upon the surrender of German troops at the Beaugency Bridge in France, officers handed…

362nd_tents_before_chateau(2).JPG
Lodgings were not always glamorous for the 362nd Fighter Group. However, after Colonel Joseph Laughlin managed to "acquire" a chateau outside Reims, the pilots of the group were upgraded from these tents.

This blog was a way for the administrator to document her journey and process through this project. The topics vary from her grandfather, the late Colonel Joseph Laughlin, to what she learned not to do in her search for information. She hopes it…

Laughlin_Post_WWII.JPG
This photograph was taken just after Colonel Laughlin's marriage to Audrey Jean McElroy in late 1945, after his return from the war. It is one of the few times he is seen out of uniform.

P47_Weather_Gauge.JPG
The pitot tube was used as a weather gauge, sending information like air speed and altitude to the console of the pilot. Pilots had to adapt to this plane quickly, but even experienced pilots had trouble in flying it. The pitot tube was located on…

P47_take_off.JPG
This photo shows P-47s in the 362nd fighter group preparing to take-off. They are waiting for the signal from the grounds crewman to hit the throttle. They are not attempting to do a dual take-off at this airfield in Reims, France.

P47_Razorback.JPG
The original versions of the P-47 that were sent to the 362nd Fighter Group had the Razorback canopy. Pilots of the 362nd credit Colonel Laughlin with the change to the Bubble Top canopy, a positive change for visibility and accessibility. This…

P47_propellor_Museum.JPG
The propeller on the engine of a P-47. The engine, a Pratt and Whitney R-2800, helped to determine the size of the plane. The engine was covered with metal plates known as a cowling. During combat, the cowling cover was color-associated with the…

P47_pilot_grave.JPG
This P-47 was destroyed when its' squadron bombed a gunpowder storage depot. According to the museum information plaque, the grave for the pilot was dug by a refugee French couple, who used some of the leftover .50 caliber ammunition to outline the…
Output Formats

atom, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2