Browse Items (43 total)

Five_by_Five_fuselage_sign.JPG
The call sign reads as "B8-A". The "B" is for the 379th Fighter Squadron; the "A" is for the 362nd Fighter Group; and the "8" is the plane number within the squadron. This was Colonel Laughlin's call sign in early 1945.

Five_by_Five_nose_art.JPG
The staff of the National Museum of the USAF researched the original nose art done by Captain George Rarey. They replicated it, in honor of both Colonel Laughlin and Captain Rarey, understanding the respect and love that Colonel Laughlin had for…

Five_by_Five_original_nose_art.JPG
The cowl color of P-47s fresh from the factory was black. They did not require a new color until they were to enter combat. However, Colonel Laughlin was so enamored with his nose art that he asked his crew chief to salvage the cowl off of every…

Five_by_Five_Museum_side.JPG
The P-47D that sits in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, was painted to represent the P-47 flown by Colonel Joseph Lyle Laughlin, Five by Five. The museum's curator, Jeff Duford, put forth several pilots for the…

fivebyfive.gif
Captain Rarey's renderings were very important to Colonel Laughlin and the airmen of the 362nd. Colonel Laughlin was so enamored with his nose art that he asked his crew chief to salvage them off of every plane he flew. His crew chief, Sergeant…

Laughlin_and_Chodor.JPG
This picture shows Colonel Laughlin and his crew chief, Sgt. Chodor, talking before Laughlin prepped for flight. There had to be a lot of trust between a pilot and his crew chief; not only were they responsible for the overall maintenance of the…

Laughlin_and_Eisenhower.JPG
Colonel Laughlin was able to meet with the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Forces, General Eisenhower, it seems by chance. There is no indication that this was planned, and it has not been discussed in any sort of detail that has been seen.…

Laughlin_and_Grounds_Crew.JPG
Colonel Laughlin, pictured here with grounds crew members of the 379th Fighter Squadron, knew he could rely on his men to do their jobs. He often credited the success of the group to the men who never got the glory because without their skill and…

Laughlin_and_Magoffin_shake_hands.JPG
With one leg in the cockpit of his P-47, Colonel Laughlin shakes hands with his commander, Colonel Magoffin, the two of them sharing a laugh amidst the stresses of training for war.

Laughlin_Flight_Test_December_1940.JPG
In order to make sure pilots were combat ready and effective, the Army Air Corps required Instrument Flight Tests be completed every six months. This one was completed at Wheeler Field in Hawaii, just under a year before the attacks at Pearl Harbor…
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