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Warbirds Unlimited Salutes Those Who Have Served
PLEASE JOIN US IN HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED.
​DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE WHO SERVED DURING WWII AND WOULD LIKE TO TELL THEIR STORY?

We will post their stories and pictures to honor their service and ensure their contributions are not forgotten. 
It is estimated that there are fewer than 168,000 WWII veterans surviving today, and we are losing hundreds per day from the "Greatest Generation". Help us preserve the memory of their contributions!
WARBIRDS UNLIMITED HONOR ROLL

        UPCOMING EVENTS/Recent News

Visit (click) here to see a "Then and Now" collection of some of Warbirds Unlimited's friends over the years. 
May 2023
            Three Men On A Mission: WWII
Warbirds Unlimited recently posted an “Honor Roll” account of Winston Tucker, a remarkable gentleman and B17 pilot whose WWII missions included Bremen Germany on October 8, 1943. In following up to this account, Warbirds Unlimited became aware of two other men who were on this same mission, although in other aircraft and in different bomb groups.
 
Mission: Bremen, Germany October 8, 1943
Shipyards were the main target for this mission although cloud cover forced some bombing of targets of opportunity. The raid consisted of 4 elements with a total of 344 B-17s and 55 B-24s.
 (A summary of this mission can be found at:
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/mission/viii-bomber-command-111) For those interested archive footage of portions of the mission is available for viewing at  https://archive.org/details/CS-610. Additional archive footage of B-17s over Bremen is available at https://archive.org/details/CS-1062 although there is no date for this footage.)
 
Winston Tucker: This was the 19th mission for Winston Tucker and as part of the 92nd Bomb Group he would have been in the second element of the attack consisting of 56 B-17s. His mission notes are as follows:
“Target Bremen, Germany. See more enemy fighters than ever before. Mostly Ju88’s. Lots of tail attacks. Rocket guns fired on us. Flack was so thick and heavy at target could hardly see through it. I led low Squadron. Very hard mission. Lost 30 Forts.”
 
Lawrence Kooima: John Kooima, nephew of B17 pilot Lt. Lawrence Kooima, brought his uncle’s background tother attention of Warbirds Unlimited. At the time of the Bremen mission, Lt. Lawrence Kooima was a member of the 423rd Bomb Squadron, 306th Bomb Group, flying B-17 42-29959 “Red Fury”, based out of Thurleigh, England. On this mission the B-17 Lawrence Kooima was piloting (one of 344 B-17s on the mission and part of the second element) was shot down and although it was reported that most men were able to bail out, Lawrence was listed as one of the six reported KIA, with 4 reported as prisoners of war. Among the awards earned by Lt. Kooima were the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf clusters, and Purple Heart.
Impressive accounts of Lt. Kooima, his crew, associated aircraft missions places and even eyewitness statements from Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) are available on the American Air Museum website starting here:
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/lawrence-w-kooima
 
John Luckadoo:  A friend of Warbirds Unlimited observed that another B-17 pilot on the October 8, 1943 Bremen missions had recently celebrated his 100th birthday (March 16, 2022).  Bremen was the 22nd mission for John “Lucky” Luckadoo. There are numerous sources available with substantial information on John “Lucky” Luckadoo and mis WWII service, some of which are listed below for our readers reference:
Mr. Luckadoo was assigned to the 100BG, 351st BS. See the links below for additional information on Mr. Luckadoo including his personal account of the Bremen mission
:
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/john-h-luckadoo

https://www.100thbg.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=211:the-bremen-mission&catid=25&Itemid=581

https://www.100thbg.com/index.php?option=com_bombgrp&view=personnel&Itemid=334&id=3204
 
For our readers interest here are links to film (no sound) of aircraft on the Bremen mission:
https://archive.org/details/CS-610
https://archive.org/details/CS-1062
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IhqBrogTDw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCqORnzI80I

The below link is to a first-hand account of the mission as published in “The AF News, September 2014:
2014-9RD.pdf (8thafhs.org)
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Warbirds Unlimited lost a dear friend and amazing aviation historian in the passing of Col. Ole Griffith, who passed away February 17, 2021. A link to his obituary is posted below:

          Col. Ole Griffith Obituary Link


August 2020 - Warbirds sailing to Hawaii for World War II Commemoration: 14 WWII vintage warbirds were transported to Hawaii aboard the USS Essex in preparation for a series of flyovers commemorating the 75th anniversary of the wars end. Below are several links about this event:
https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/wwii-warbirds-arrive-in-hawaii-for-historic-flyovers-to-commemorate-end-of-war-75-years-ago-1.640952
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https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/f-35s-b-25s-uss-essex-transports-world-war-ii-warbirds-hawaii-166877

https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-wwii-warbirds-hitch-ride-on-us-navy-amphibious-ship-2020-8

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a33524836/uss-essex-taxi-wwii-warbirds/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S7H-iyhj8g
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoD8OL77yjk
March 30, 2019: Mesa Falcon Field Airport Open House.  (see a few photos from the event in our gallery - click here!)
 Historic Photo Dedication at Mesa Falcon Field Airport February 25, 2019! See pics below.
The tour stop of the Experimental Aircraft Association Ford Tri-motor at Mesa Falcon Field on January 24-27, 2019.
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Visit our Honor Roll  for our latest addition and listen to the interview of "Sinker" Robinson, a B24 gunner shot down over Yugoslavia in March 1945.

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 Merry Christmas! Enjoy a greeting from Christmas past when Arizona News Channel 3 covered the event when Santa took the controls of BarbieIII
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  Click Here!.

November 3, 2018: Mesa Falcon Field Airport Tennants and Family BBQ. 

It is with great sadness that Warbirds Unlimited learned of the passing of Lynn Davis. Lynn was the lead restorer on a AN75-N1 Stearman. God Speed Lynn Davis, we are grateful to you for your friendship and expertise. You will be greatly missed.
                    Link to obituary of Francis Lynn Davis here
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 Warbirds Unlimited  promotes vintage AIRCRAFT

Warbirds Unlimited continues to follow the restoration of a 1946 North American Navion at Mesa Falcon Field.
​Although originally designed for the post WWII civilian market, Navion's served with the US Army Air Force designated as L-17.
A link to an interesting article about the Navion from Smithsonian:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/accidental-classic-10259152/

J3 Piper Cub
  • 1941 J-3C-65 Cub​
Restoration is currently underway on this 1941 J3 Cub
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   AN75-N1 Boeing Stearman Trainer
   •1942: Delivered to Army Air Force as a primary trainer
   •1950: 220 hp Continental replaced with 450 hp P&W R-985              engine
   •1950-52: Towed banners in California
   •1952-1976: Dusted crops on Oahu
   •1982:Starred in IMAX film flyers and Larry Hagman film                “Deadly Encounters”
   •2008: Ground-up restoration completed in 2012. 15,000 hours          labor. Standard/Aerobatic Category​ 
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    AT-6C Trainer
    •1943: Manufactured by North American  
    •1943: Purchased by British to train pilots in South Africa;              shipped to Capetown South Africa
    •1995: One of the last 93 aircraft released by the South African        Air Force; Shipped to Mesa Falcon field in a crate
   •1997: Re-assembled Standard/Normal Category

Low pass and right break in an aT-6C
Warbirds Unlimited demonstrateS our American aviation heritage in our World War II Trainers!

link to warbirds unlimited photo gallery



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  • Warbirds Unlimited Home
  • Warbirds Unlimited Honor Roll
  • About Warbirds Unlimited: Our Heritage
  • Contact Warbirds Unlimited
  • "Miss Informed" #54
  • PHOTO GALLERY
  • Pushing the Envelope
  • The BarbieIII Years
  • ARCHIVES - Past News & Events
  • Then and Now