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Colonel Joseph Laughlin Grinning in Front of his Original P-47
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…
Colonel Joseph Laughlin Grinning in Front of his Last P-47
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…
Colonel Joseph Laughlin Shakes Hands with Colonel Morton Magoffin
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.
Colonel Joseph Laughlin and his Ground Crew
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…
Colonel Joseph Laughlin Speaks with Sergeant Raymond J. Chodor
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…
The P-47 with Bubble Top Canopy in the National Museum of the United States Air Force, redone as Colonel Joseph Laughlin's Five by Five
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…
Colonel Joseph Laughlin's Call Sign on the Fuselage of His P-47, Five by Five
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.
A B-26 Marauder
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…
A B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator flew in every Theater of Operation during the war. They were excellent bombers but were unable to protect themselves from enemy fighters. Thunderbolt P-47s flew escort missions for bombers like this one until their…
"Ready in Pairs" - Bombs Ready for Action on P-47 Thunderbolts of the 362nd Fighter Group
A pilot from the 362nd Fighter Group poses for a picture with his foot on a bomb. With the caption "Ready in Pairs" on the back, it is also noted that the air strip used to be in No Man's Land during World War I.