Midway PBY-5A call sign
Christopher Crofoot
Just would like to confirm Ensign Jack Reids PBY-5 "8-V-55". I'm
pretty sure that it was Strawberry.... but was it strawberry-8? or
some other digit? Making a decal sheet for the 1/144th Academy kit.
TIY
Chris C.
REMOVE THE OBVIOUS FROM MY EMAIL ADDY TO REPLY
Chris Bucholtz
<< Just would like to confirm Ensign Jack Reids PBY-5 "8-V-55". I'm
pretty sure that it was Strawberry.... but was it strawberry-8? or
some other digit? Making a decal sheet for the 1/144th Academy kit. >>
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. The callsign "Strawberry" was invented for the
movie "Midway." This came to me directly from the late Howard Ady, who spotted
the Japanese fleet first on June 4 and from whose PBY was sent the frustrating
message "MAIN BODY SIGHTED" without any position or heading (the same thing
Reid did on June 3). Howard said that "Strawberry" callsign was absolutely
fictitious. Also, no one he knew in any patrol squadron ate carrots all the
time. Howard passed away about three years ago.
8-V-55 is also a mystery. Those codes read squadron-type-aircraft; if the plane
was from a patrol unit it would be 8-P-55. If that was the only discrepancy, it
would indicate the 55th plane from VP-8. Not only was there no VP-8 at Midway,
but no patrol squadron had 55 aircraft on strength (except for training units).
Reid was in VP-44; perhaps you mean 44-P-8?
--Chris Bucholtz
--Chris Bucholtz
Robert Morgan
fleet? I've wanted to build amodel of his PBY for awhile, now. It was a
PBY-5A, right?
Thank you for any help.
Sincerely,
Robert Morgan
"Chris Bucholtz" <buch...@aol.com> wrote in message
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Christopher Crofoot
sensibly the call numbers should be 44-P-8.... but I got the 8-V-55
info from page 161 of Prangs' Miracle at Midway. I didn't know that
the Strawberry bit was strictly from the movies, I guess that's why I
couldn't find any confirmation about the call sign then! Thanks for
the info... This is why the 'net is so bitchin
As for Ady, Prang's consistent in his error (If that's what it is) by
stating that Ady was flying 4V58....if Ady was part of VP-58 then the
hull number was probably 58-P-4... (just checked and Ady was in
VP-23)... so the plane would have been 23-P-? As for what the
aircraft type was... the official document s list Ady's four PBY-5's
arriving at 1530 HRs May 14, 1942.... don't know if they were just
being generic or if the craft really were straight -5's.....
Chris C.
Chris Bucholtz
"the official document s list Ady's four PBY-5's
arriving at 1530 HRs May 14, 1942.... don't know if they were just
being generic or if the craft really were straight -5's...."
Yep, they were PBY-5 non-amphibians. The Catalinas at Midway June 4 were:
VP-24 six PBY-5A
VP-44 eight PBY-5A
VP-51 three PBY-5A
VP-23 14 PBY-5
This is from "A Glorious Page in Our History," by Barrett Tillman, Mark Horan,
Robert Cressman, et al. A GREAT book for the subject.
And now, Chris, I will seek out Ady's and Reid's aircraft numbers from the
experts on the Battle of Midway Roundtable, which includes Barrett Tillman,
Mark Horan, Robert Cressman, et al. And a bunch of veterans of the battle. And
a couple of interested modelers. Expect results faster than... Well, probably a
heckuva lot faster than a PBY! :)
--Chris Bucholtz
JP5844
Midway" (a history of CV-5 Yorktown), but can't remember all the info
pertaining to PBYs in the two books.
I do recall that when Monogram released their first PBY it came with markings
for one of the aircraft at Midway and of course it was not an amphibian.(I'll
have to check my stash to see which markings it has)
Jonathan Primm
JP5...@aol.com
Chris Bucholtz
--Chris Bucholtz