78th Fighter Group
78th Fighter Group
82nd Fighter Squadron Pilot
Mugs
Recently, I was fortunate enough to obtain this pewter mug from the internet auction at eBay. It came from an estate sale in the State of Washington. It was cast by "James Yates of London" and inscribed as " Lt. Allen G. Dunken, 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group ". No dates are noted. Forty-four(44) hand scribed pilot signatures were identified on the cup. Ten(10 ) of which were recognized 78th "Aces" under the WW II 8th Air Force guidelines.
Lt. Allen G. Dunken's pewter mug. ( picture source: the Webmaster )
The following scribed signatures were identified:
W.L. Boone, Jack J. Oberhansly, H. J. Dayhuff, Jim Wilkinson, Eugene P. Roberts, Karl R. Wagner, Paul H. Lehman, G. M. Turley, Wilson G. Young, Wilson G. Young, Bill "Bull of Woods" Neel, Kelly Wright, Roger Wright(R.C.A.F.), Jack Hockery, Jerry Brasher, Paull Saffold, Chuck Clark, Willie Hegman, G. J. Lundigan, Harvey L. Eakes, Marty Martinez, B.M. Watkins, Chas. Dewitt, Paul Keller, A. J. Kosinski, Col. Jim Stone, Roger V. Hearn, Mike Waller, D. D. Hagarty, Dick Hewitt, Estel Ulerich, Doug Munson, Ralph Himes, Bob Baker, Phil Hazlett, Billy May, W. S. Swanson, R. E. Early, V. Y. Jones, H. S. Askelson, "Face" (Len Marshall), Don Bodenhamer, J. T. Lamb, R.L. Wolfe, Firm Vorheis
Highlighted names were recognized as "Aces" per the 8th Air Force Standard prior to the end of WW II. Five(5) confirmed victories in both the air and on the ground were included under this guideline. The U.S. Air Force later revised the standard to only include aerial victories.
This cup was displayed at the October, 2000 reunion of the 78th Fighter Group Association in Phoenix. A number of veterans recognized the mug and reported that several pilots had procured similar mugs while at Duxford and had them signed by their squadron mates.
Jerry Brasher ( 82nd Fighter Squadron ), retained his "signed" pewter mug over the years and has provided the following narrative.
Lt. Jerry E. Brasher, 82nd Squadron, shown with his assigned P-47, MX-F, " Nice Kitty ". Jerry was credited with 1 aerial and 5 ground victories during his tour of duty. ( Picture source: "Aces and Wingmen II ", William Hess, 1999, Aviation Usk, ISBN 0-9623080-2-1 )
by Jerry E. Brasher ( posted with permission )
"While stationed at Duxford, flying with the 78th Fighter Group, I bought a pewter mug in the city of Cambridge. I purchased it second hand, for I considered it somewhat of an antique. It had obviously seen a lot of use and required quite a bit of polishing to put it back into service. I took it to the officers club and left it in the keeping of the bartender. Any time I visited the bar for a beer, it was served in my personal mug."
"I then bought a metal scribe and over a period of time, I got as many autographs on it as I could. I got a fairly good record of the men who served with me. One of our Aces, Lt. Grant M. Turley from Arizona never signed it. He was a Mormon and never visited the bar. He was on a hot streak for a short time and scored six victories, then one day he didn't return from a mission, and no one knew what happened to him. "
Lt. Grant M. Turley, 82nd Squadron, flew 47 missions before being KIA on March 6, 1944. He was credited with 6 air victories. Additional information on Grant M. Turley can be found in the " 12 O'clock High " section of this web site. (Picture source: " Fighter Aces of the USA", Toliver & Constable, 1997, Schiffler Publishing, ISBN 0-7643-0348-1 )
"The following is a list of the men who signed my mug:"
Allen Dunken, 1st Lt., Dallas, TX; Robert E.Wise, Capt., Arcadia, IND; James J. Stone, Col., Staten Island, NY; Carl P. Hurst, Capt.,"Duke", Bronx, NY; Manuel Martinez, 1st Lt., Mt Kisko, KY; George J. Lundigan, Capt., Leominster, MA; William A. Guilford, Capt., Newcastle, WY.; James B. Stallings, 1st Lt., Moultrie, ALA.; Anthony Kosinski, 2nd Lt.,"Tony", Chicago, ILL.; Ronald Evans, 2nd Lt.,"Snuffy", Detroit, MI.; Harry B. Slater 1st Lt., Elanger, KY.; John T. Lamb, 1st Lt., Euclid, OK.; Ronald L. Wolf, Capt., Ceresco, NEB.; Donald H. Swankowski, 1st Lt., Toledo, OH.; Karl R. Wagner, 1st Lt., Lowell, OK.; Hamilton, 2nd Lt., Long Beach, CA.; "Squire"?; Roger Hearn, 1st Lt., Willards, MD.; Warren W. Wesson, 1st Lt., Brooklyn, NY.; Olin E. Gilbert, Lt. Col .,"Gilly", Collinsvil, ILL.; Richard Barron, 1st Lt., "The Barron", Mandan, ND.; John H. Hockery, Capt.,"Jack", Independence, MO.; James W. Wilkinson, Capt., Leary, GA.; Donald M. Marshal, 2nd Lt., Bath, ME.; Merle R. Capp, 1st Lt., Arlington,VA.; R. B. Hathway, 1st Lt.,Thomaston, CONN.; Fredrick R. Gray, Col., Abilene, TX.; John K. Kolb, 1st Lt., "Donald Duck", Jamaica, NY.; Jake Oberhansly, Lt. Col ., "Iron Ass", Spanish Forks, UT.; Paul Keller, 1st Lt., Pittsburg, PA.; Richard Hewitt, Maj.,"Dick", Lewiston, NY.; Myron Woller, Capt., "Mike", Newark, NJ.; Joseph Scheibler,1st Lt., Jackson Heights, NY.; Benjamin M. Watkins, Capt., Tampa, FL; Harold Beck, 1st Lt., Berwick, PA.; Daniel D. Hagarty, 1st Lt., Grosvner, ARK.; Donald Wilson, 1st Lt., Portland, ORE.; Ronald Orr, 2nd Lt., "Ross", Ferndale, MI.; William Young, Capt., Pittsburg, PA.
( highlighted names - "Aces" per the 8th Air Force guideline prior to the end of WW II )
"The pewter mug is presently in our curio cabinet. Of the six men who joined the 82nd Fighter Squadron when I did, Grant Turley and Y. V. Jones were killed in combat. Richard Hewitt and Paul Keller signed my pewter mug. Turley, a Mormon, did not visit the officers' bar so I never got his signature on my mug. Of the other officers that joined the 78th when I did, but assigned to other squadrons, Carl Hurst, John Kolb, and Paul Keller signed my mug. One man who went all the way through flight school with me and Thunderbolt training, arrived at the 78th the same time I did. He was a disappointment, however. Shortly after being assigned to the 78th, he refused to cross the channel. He was sent back to the states and discharged. We then heard he got a job with an aircraft factory as a test pilot! We were not too proud of him. There was a total of 16 pilots who joined the 78th as replacements at this time. Most of the other signatures on the mug therefore are the original squadron members or later replacements".
"Col. James Stone was a quiet low profile leader in sharp contrast to Col. Francis Gabreski of the 56th Fighter Group. Gabreski was an innovative, leader and a superb fighter pilot. During his tenure he recorded 28 kills flying the P-47 while leading the 56th. While leading his Group, The Luftwaffe began bouncing them just before they reached Europe, forcing them to drop their auxiliary fuel tanks, thus reducing their range. That meant they could not stay with the bombers as long as planned. To counter the threat, he had some P-47s modified to reduce their weight and assigned them to fly high cover and engage the Luftwaffe before they could attack the main group. The plan worked and the early attacks ceased. Col. Fred Gray was a fine pilot and an inspiring leader. Col. Olin Gilbert was a very good pilot but a quiet leader ".
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78th Fighter Group Commanders: Col. James Stone( 7/31/43 - 5/22/44 ); Col. Fred Gray( 5/22/44 - 2/1/45 ); Lt. Col. Olin Gilbert( 2/1/45 - 2/20/45 ) (Picture Source:"Duxford Diary", 1975 Reprint, East Anglian Aviation Society)
Col. Francis Gabreski, 56th Fighter Group. ( Picture source: unknown )
"Capt. Jim Wilkinson was a man that really interested me. He was an American that joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before America entered the war. He had some experience in the Spitfire. When America entered the war he transferred to the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to our Group. During his tour with us, he married an English actress. Some time after I left the group, he was killed in an aircraft accident. Still later it was rumored that he was a German agent. I had a great respect for him and I believe it not at all".
Captain Jim Wilkinson, 82nd Fighter Squadron, shown in the cockpit of P-47, "Pin Up Girl", with his ground crew; Ismal Boase, crew chief (right) and Eugene Carter, assistant crew chief (left). Additional information on James Wilkinson can be found in the "12 O'clock High " section of this web site. ( Picture source: "Aces and Wingmen II, William Hess, 1999, Aviation Usk, ISBN 0-9623080-2-1 )
" All of these men were, with but one exception, all great pilots and good friends. A very diverse group that represented many States."
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