78th Fighter
Group
78th Fighter
Group 
As in other theaters of WW II, pilots and ground crews in the ETO learned by experience the quirks and charcteristics of the aircraft they were assigned. Some of these characteristics were life threatening. In addition, unusual operational situations would arise confronting the air crew either on the ground or during a mission , whether it be in the busy skies over England or in the angry skies over Europe. It was sometimes a form of great comfort and relief at the end of the day for the airmen to draw and share humor from these experiences and situations. A number of veterans from this period of history, re-calling their own personal experiences used their artistic talents to record these events either as comics, cartoons or caricatures.
The art selections presented here are from the talented pen of Bob Stevens. Commissioned in 1943, Bob Steven's career with the USAF spanned 25 years. He was a fighter pilot, flying both prop and jet aircraft. His last assignment was command of the first ATLAS missile squadron . Retiring as a Lt. Colonel, Bob then spent full time as a cartoonist, drawing from his many personal experiences in the Air Force. His work over the past 25 years has become a recognized entertainment benchmark for "Air Force " magazine.
A collection of the first 50 comic strips created by WWII fighter pilot, Bob Stevens( titled: "There I was....." 25 Years ) can be found in ebook form(volume 1 of 6) and can be downloaded and viewed or printed from your computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader from the "Planestuff" web site. Testimonials to Bob Stevens are included by Jimmy Doolittle and Chuck Yeager.
Click here or on the book cover for access to the "Planestuff" web site
Section I - The planes we flew . . .
_P-47 Thunderbolt ( Alias "The Jug")
The size and weight of the P-47 Thunderbolt was intimidating to most new pilots. However, once the handling characteristics were mastered, most pilots appreciated the performance and ruggedness of the big aircraft.
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On many occaisions, Thunderbolts were litterally "shot to pieces" and then proceeded to limp home with their pilots safe to fight another day.
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Left: A 78th Fighter Group P-47 showing damage from a 20 mm shell exploding in it's port wing flap. (Source Credit: "Eagles of Duxford", Garry L. Fry via Robert Eby, 1991, Phalanx Publishing, Ltd., ISBN 0-9625860-2-1). Right: Lt. Herb Boyle, 84th Squadron, inspects battle damage which took away most of his vertical stabilizer. P-47D, WZ-J, s/n 42-26624, Old Smoothie", brought Boyle back from a August, 1944 mission to Duxford where he crash landed. (Source Credit: Kathy McWilliams collection )
A 78th Fighter Group P-47D returned to Duxford showing extensive battle damage to the starboard wing and horizontal stabilizer. (Source Credit: unknown )
When the 8th Fighter Command began it's ground offensive in Europe on " targets of opportunity " , most pilots appreciated the durability of the P-47. It was well-suited for the fighter-bomber role being capable of carrying a large amount of ordinance and fuel.
8th Air Force Squadron armorers load a P-47 with .50 cal. ammunition and mount a 500 lb. bomb in prearation for a fighetr bomber mission. (Source Credit - Unknown)
The Thunderbolt by far had the most room in the cockpit compared to the other main line fighters. Compressibility in a dive at high speed caused the controls to freeze.
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( Webmaster's Note: All of Bob Steven's art shown on these pages is reproduced from the free comics offered on the "Planestuff" web site . Copyright © by Barbara Stevens )
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"Humor of the Times. . .through the eyes and art of Bob Stevens "
This page was last revised on 7 / 27 / 04
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