Colonel Joseph Laughlin Grinning in Front of his Original P-47
Colonel Laughlin takes time to commemorate his first plane with the nose art painted by Captain George Rarey
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 had painted it on the cowl of his plane while he was gone from the base. This was his reaction upon his return. The elephant, a caricature of Dumbo, holds a four leaf clover instead of a feather in a nod to Colonel Laughlin's Irish heritage. The black color on the cowl indicates this was before the men had entered combat.
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
1943
The Original Nose Art of Colonel Joseph Laughlin's P-47, Five by Five
Captain George Rarey's original nose art on Colonel Laughlin's first P-47
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 plane he flew. His crew chief, Sergeant Chodor, did just that. His cowl color would change to yellow when the 379th Fighter Squadron became active combat, and at the end of the war would be checkerboard yellow, blue, and red.
Republic Aviation Company
Captain George Rarey
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division
United States Air Force
1940s
The Nose Art on the P-47D in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH, Painted as Five by Five
Museum officials sought to make a perfect rendering of Colonel Joseph Laughlin's original nose art
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 Captain Rarey and his original artwork.
Republic Aviation Corporation
National Museum of the United States Air Force - Restoration Unit
National Museum of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
1940s