Browse Items (58 total)

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…

P47_extra_armor(1).JPG
The P-47 Thunderbolt was a heavy fighter aircraft, maxing out at 17,000 lbs. Part of this weight was owed to the extra protection given to the pilot. Armor plates were installed behind the seat and on each side of the cockpit below the window. In…

Newspaper_Dam_After.JPG
The before and after shots of the Linder Dam show the short term effect of the damage done by squadrons of the 362nd Fighter Group. The 378th and 379th squadrons took part in the bombings, with Colonel Laughlin leading the way. The pilots were…

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_in_front_of_chateau(2).JPG
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…

Newspaper_Laughlin_Distinguished_Flying_Cross.JPG
A Nebraska newspaper announces that Colonel Laughlin has received the Distinguished Flying Cross while he was stationed in England. The citation states that his proficient and aggressive manner has helped him lead his men against the enemy.

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.

Newspaper_Laughlin_March_1945(2).JPG
In this article, Colonel Laughlin describes what he sees on the ground after his 362nd Fighter Group bombed and strafed a region outside Mainz in Germany.

Laughlin_in_front_of_last_nose_art.JPG
Colonel Laughlin is all smiles as he looks out onto the field full of men and planes. He appears in his flight suit with his uniform underneath, ready to take to the skies. The checkerboard cowl color indicates this was taken towards the end of the…

Laughlin_in_front_of_original_P47.JPG
Colonel Laughlin talks and smiles as he poses in front of his first P-47. Although he had already been called Five by Five (for looking five feet tall and five feet wide) the elephant with the four leaf clover was a surprise. Captain George Rarey…
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