| Caption | Ground Crewmen with Bombing Squadron 139 posing with their squadron mascot in front of the tail section of a PV-1 Ventura patrol bomber on Attu Island, Alaska, 4 Jun 1944. Note the Marsden mat surface. ww2dbase | ||||
| Photographer | Unknown | ||||
| Source | ww2dbaseUnited States Navy | ||||
| Identification Code | 80-G-237774 | ||||
| More on... |
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| Photo Size | 2,584 x 2,100 pixels | ||||
| Photos on Same Day | 4 Jun 1944 | ||||
| Photos at Same Place | Attu, Alaska | ||||
| Added By | David Stubblebine | ||||
| Licensing | Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government". Please contact us regarding any inaccuracies with the above information. Thank you. |
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| Colorized By WW2DB |
Colorized with Adobe Photoshop |
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Modern Day Location
| WW2-Era Place Name | Attu, Alaska |
| Lat/Long | 52.8257, 173.1622 |
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16 Jun 2019 09:26:00 PM
The mascot’s name was Big Mooch and was reputed to be the first dog to fly on a bombing mission over Japanese territory. This squadron was later redesignated as Patrol-Bombing Squadron 139 (VPB-139) and was the first to show that the PV-1 Ventura had the range to reach the Japanese held Kurile Islands from Attu. According to the mission markings seen in this photo, it appears this aircraft has made 6 such strikes up to this point. The circular emblem on the tail is the insignia for Fleet Air Wing Four, the “Empire Express.” Standing left-to-right are: Aviation Chief Machinist’s Mate T.J. Malek (wearing the VB-139 patch on his jacket), Aviation Chief Metalsmith 1st-class L.S. Hays, Aviation Chief Metalsmith R.J. Pluth, and Chief Yeoman A.J. Gannon.