The page you see is dated 12/May/45. More info later.
Keith

Excellent Keith, can't wait for your next report.

While were on the subject of 350thFG insignia, do you happen
to know the literal translation for the 1stBrznFtrSqdn motto
'Senta a Pua'?
I've checked two Portuguese dictionary's with no luck.

Thanks,
Bob

Little Vic II


Tom,
We might as well add a 347th P-39 with insignia to the mix eh?

Why not indeed?  Wish there was a hi-res photo of this one.  First known use of the SRA insignia on a plane, and it looks a little different from the versions that followed: I don't see the lightning bolts or cloud, both of which normally extended outsidfe the parameters of the circle, the ass looks a bit smaller and is facing backward -- that is, on every other aircraft I've seen, the ass is facing forward, not kicking forward (except 7A8 "Lillian").   Looks like ar arc of script behind the ass?

I would assume the large letter A is a happy accident, simply the buzz code for this P-39?  Bob Shifflet says Pops Grable had a lot of hours in this one.

Those look like 1000 lb. bombs -- took some guts to load those on a little P-39 and fly 150 miles over the sea to your target and back.  Bet one eye never left the fuel guage.

Attached Image(s)

Grandson of 1st Lt. Bernell A. "Barney" Forster (1921-2007)
347th Fighter Squadron/350th Fighter Group

skybear45


Excellent Keith, can't wait for your next report.

While were on the subject of 350thFG insignia, do you happen
to know the literal translation for the 1stBrznFtrSqdn motto
'Senta a Pua'?
I've checked two Portuguese dictionary's with no luck.

Thanks,
Bob

First:  Keith --
Neat document.  I assume the "Whistler" was the Devilhawk equivallent to "De-NUSS-Ance"?

Bob--
I asked the same question to Luis Gabriel, who runs Sentandoapua.br. He says there is no literal translation -- it is similar to "Tally Ho!" or "Geronimo!"  The closest literal translation I ever got is "To The Hunt!", but I think it is just one of those ineffable colloquialisms for which there is no single good translation (like "eat your heart out").

There are two versions of the 1 GaVCA insignia:  the original one was designed on the boat en route to theatre, and did not have the flak burst.  (The designer explains the symbolism of all the components -- you probably know it already so I won't bore you here). After they saw combat they added the flak burst.  I'm not certain if they changed it on the P-47's or just on their jackets.

3 versions of the Red Ass insignia as well:  the first is the most famous and was designed by George Faltum, and is I would say the "official" version. 
While the Devilhawk and Goofy seemed to go on the planes as designed, when the Screaming Red Ass went on the planes the Ass changed significantly:  it was less of a profile and more of a hindquarters shot, different ears, more muscular, more expressive face -- possibly because the it was painted by a different member, Ted Gurney. 
Ted Later changed it again -- same Donkey, but this time with 4 lightning bolts.  Unlike the second version, the bolts and clouds were all contained within the blue circle.

Attached Image(s)

Grandson of 1st Lt. Bernell A. "Barney" Forster (1921-2007)
347th Fighter Squadron/350th Fighter Group

Tom, Bob,
I have a similar story on the Senta a Pua. Literally it doesn't translate very well. Here is a good explanation:
The war cry "Senta a Pua!" was a suggestion from Ten.-Av. Rui who hadheard it several times from Cap.-Av. Firmino Alves de Araujo whileserving at Salvador Air Base; it was used by the latter on hissubordinates, inviting them to do their tasks at once and quickly. Itbecame the Brazilian equivalent of the British "Tally-Ho" and theFrench "À la Chasse!". It roughly translates to something like "Drillit Deep".
The documentary "Senta A Pua" translates it as "Hit 'em Hard". I have also heard it translated figuratively as "By the Seat of your Pants". Today, I believe it has much more of a sexual connotation, although it may have had the same then as well. My young Brazilian friends know the expression of old but use it more as a love cry than a war cry.

As regards the "Whistle" it is the squadron's news rag which was posted on a bulletin board as often as was possible to write it. The author was Edward "Moon" McCann, the same author of "Lights are Bright, Sir" and "Thunder over Bowxtown".

Do you have any copies of the "De-NUSS-Ance" Tom.

I did come across some very interesting entries as regards documents for history sake in the Whistle recently which suggests there is a lot more paperwork to be found out there. At least this is my hope. 

Keith

By the way, I came across a leather squadron patch for sale in the Whistle it said it can be had for $3.50. Beats e-bay eh?

Little Vic II


By the way, I came across a leather squadron patch for sale in the Whistle it said it can be had for $3.50. Beats e-bay eh?

Keith,

Place an order for about a hundred of those patches for me. At those prices we could all retire early on the re-sale.

Seriously though, thanks for the feedback on the motto issue. This goes a long way towards explaining why I had
no luck going the dictionary route. I think I'll just side step this issue in my text.

Thanks again,
Bob

Screaming Red Ass

skybear45


Excellent Keith, can't wait for your next report.

While were on the subject of 350thFG insignia, do you happen
to know the literal translation for the 1stBrznFtrSqdn motto
'Senta a Pua'?
I've checked two Portuguese dictionary's with no luck.

Thanks,
Bob

First:  Keith --
Neat document.  I assume the "Whistler" was the Devilhawk equivallent to "De-NUSS-Ance"?

Bob--
I asked the same question to Luis Gabriel, who runs Sentandoapua.br. He says there is no literal translation -- it is similar to "Tally Ho!" or "Geronimo!"  The closest literal translation I ever got is "To The Hunt!", but I think it is just one of those ineffable colloquialisms for which there is no single good translation (like "eat your heart out").

There are two versions of the 1 GaVCA insignia:  the original one was designed on the boat en route to theatre, and did not have the flak burst.  (The designer explains the symbolism of all the components -- you probably know it already so I won't bore you here). After they saw combat they added the flak burst.  I'm not certain if they changed it on the P-47's or just on their jackets.

3 versions of the Red Ass insignia as well:  the first is the most famous and was designed by George Faltum, and is I would say the "official" version. 
While the Devilhawk and Goofy seemed to go on the planes as designed, when the Screaming Red Ass went on the planes the Ass changed significantly:  it was less of a profile and more of a hindquarters shot, different ears, more muscular, more expressive face -- possibly because the it was painted by a different member, Ted Gurney. 
Ted Later changed it again -- same Donkey, but this time with 4 lightning bolts.  Unlike the second version, the bolts and clouds were all contained within the blue circle.

Tom,

I appreciate the background on the insignia variations. I've often pondered just why there
was such a marked difference between the two images, thanks for clearing this up for me.

Bob