A German POW Among the 362nd Fighter Group
The pilots of the 362nd stayed in these tents outside Reims before moving into the chateau, with a little help from a German POW
According to the caption on this photo, a German POW is directed to dig a latrine for the 362nd Fighter Group near their tents. Note the soldier on the far left, his guard. You can just make out a smirk on the face of the seated airman. The caption also states that these were the pilots' tents before they moved into the chateau.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
September - November 1944
Men From the 362nd Fighter Group Play Volleyball
The men of the 362nd Fighter Group had to find ways to unwind in their downtime
Pilots and grounds crew were encouraged to take their minds off of the war by their commander, Colonel Joseph Laughlin. He did not want his pilots to get battle fatigue or his grounds crew to suffer exhaustion so he made sure they had something else to do, whether that was a little R & R back in England or a little game of volleyball near the base.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
September - November 1944
Pilots from the 377th Fighter Squadron Pose Atop a Captured Flak Gun
Two pilots have some fun on a captured flak gun outside Rennes in France
377th Fighter Squadron pilots Lt. Robert J. "Red" Campbell and Lt. Roy D. Christian hang onto a previously camouflaged 88 mm flak gun. These larger flak guns were used to target high-altitude planes, like the P-47. Sadly, Lt. Christian was KIA a few months after this photo was taken.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
August - September 1944
A B-26 Marauder
This medium bomber was the most accurate bomber in the Ninth Air Force, but it still required escort from P-47 Thunderbolts
The Martin B-26 Marauder was flown in every Theater of Operations during the war. Although very accurate in bombing, they were vulnerable to enemy aircraft, requiring bomber escorts from P-47s and P-51s. Also, Colonel Joseph Laughlin managed to pester General Otto Weyland to the point that he offered up a B-26 for the 362nd Fighter Group's use; if they could get it running. The grounds crew did and the 362nd F.G. became the envy of every fighter group in the Ninth Air Force as they used the Marauder to get supplies and R & R for the men.
Glenn L. Martin Company
National Museum of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
Early 1940s
Colonel Joseph Laughlin's Call Sign on the Fuselage of His P-47, Five by Five
Every pilot had a call sign painted on their plane, another form of identification in the air or on the ground
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.
Republic Aviation Corporation
National Museum of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
1940s
General Otto Weyland and Colonel Joseph Laughlin Stand in Front of a Luftwaffe Plane
Colonel Laughlin, as Commander of the 362nd Fighter Group, reported directly to the Commander of the XIX Tactical Air Command (TAC), General Otto Weyland, under the auspices of the Ninth Air Force
Colonel Laughlin and General Weyland stand in front of a surrendered German Luftwaffe airplane, a Focke-Wulf (FW) 190 at the Frankfort Rhein Main Air Base in Germany. The plane had been flown in by the German Luftwaffe Commander to be surrendered to the 362nd Fighter Group in response to their overwhelming destruction of German planes on the ground and in the air in the month of April. General Weyland made the trip to share in the successes of his XIX TAC, 362nd Fighter Group.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
April 1945
Colonel Joseph Laughlin Shakes Hands with Colonel Morton Magoffin
Colonel Laughlin and Colonel Magoffin remained good friends from their time at Wheeler Field in Hawaii
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.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
1943
Colonel Joseph Laughlin and Officers of the 362nd Fighter Group in Front of the Chateau Outside Reims
Colonel Laughlin acquired a chateau outside of Reims in France to house the pilots of the 362nd Fighter Group
From left, 1st Lt. Joe Lane, Colonel Laughlin, 1st Lt. John Hill, and an unknown pilot stand in front the the chateau outside of Reims. Colonel Laughlin managed to "acquire" it, and it was large enough to house all of the pilots of the 362nd Fighter Group. These were the most comfortable accommodations the men would see during the war, and they never wanted to leave. The officers appear to have just come from the airstrip, as all of them are wearing their flight suits, with the two officers in front, both from the 377th Fighter Squadron, also wearing their leather jackets.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
October 1944
Letters Between Pilots' Mothers With Newspaper Article
Patriotism was alive and well throughout the U.S., and the families of military personnel supported each other, even if they were a few states away
This article, from a newspaper in Ohio, tells the story of a local pilot getting shot down in the Battle of Bastogne, but insisting on getting back to base as he was expecting to hear news that he was a father. This airman, 1st Lt. Duane E. Oyster, was a pilot in the 362nd Fighter Group, and although there is only a passing reference to Colonel Joseph Laughlin in the article, Lt. Oysters' mother felt compelled to pass on the article to Colonel Laughlin's family. The final letter was written in reply to Ruba Oyster's original letter nearly 30 years later by Colonel Laughlin's mother, Gertrude. It shows that the bonds shared by the pilots were also shared by their families, even decades after the war.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
1945-1975
Press Release Concerning Colonel Joseph Laughlin and the Bombing of Bremen Airport
A press release that touts the accomplishments of Colonel Laughlin and the 362nd Fighter Group
This press release, also found in a partial article from a Nebraska newspaper also in this collection, describes the recent successes of Colonel Laughlin in France. It includes the details behind a Ninth Air Force record-setting flight that was Colonel Laughlin's idea as payback to the Nazis for all that they had done so far. It goes into detail about Colonel Laughlin's life before the war, his friendship with the current 362nd Group Commander, Colonel Morton Magoffin, and how he is viewed by the men in the group. It is also the only time his first wife, Kathleen, is mentioned in any format.
Ninth Air Force Public Relations Office, Army Air Corps
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
1944