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Omaha World-Herald Describes the Attack at Brest Harbor and Colonel Joseph Laughlin's Role
This article describes the attack at Brest Harbor, including the destruction of a German Light Cruiser that was credited to Colonel Laughlin. No aircraft were lost in the bombing of the Cruiser and 14 additional merchant vessels.
The Omaha World-Herald announces the Return Stateside of Colonel Joseph Laughlin
This article announces the return of Colonel Laughlin stateside after V-J day. It gives a brief overview of his time in the Pacific and European Theaters of Operation.
362nd Destroys Multiple German Planes and Trains in One Day
This article describes the destructiveness of the 362nd by describing the amount of German planes and trains that they destroyed in one Saturday.
Omaha World-Herald Announces Change in Medal Rankings
In this article, the army has decided to rank the Air Medal above the Purple Heart. It also lists all of the medals in the Army from most prestigious to least prestigious.
The Omaha World-Herald Discusses Nebraskans Getting Their Army Air Corps Wings
This article describes the steps that 4 Nebraskans, including Joseph Laughlin, had to complete in order to be eligible to get their wings. It also describes the air corps program under which the new pilots were sought, as the Army Air Corps realized…
The Original Nose Art of Colonel Joseph Laughlin's P-47, Five by Five
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…
The Tail Designations on a P-47
The markings on the vertical stabilizer of a plane had two distinctions. The bottom stripe delineated what type of plane it was; the black stripe was on all P-47s in the war. The tip of the fin designated which fighter group the plane belonged to;…
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.
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
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…
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…