The True Story of the Black Sheep Squadron

[BeepBeepRR]

 

[Red63440]

Thanks, I didn’t know he flew with the Tigers. My uncle was in the Flying Tigers and went to their reunions for many years.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

Thanks, I didn’t know he flew with the Tigers. My uncle was in the Flying Tigers and went to their reunions for many years.

Ya a gun for hire.. Grew up watching Black Sheep Squadron other wise known as Baa Baa Blacksheep. Robert Conrad was the man back then. My dad said he met Gregory in a bar one time. Not sure if true but as much as Pappy drank its very possible.

 

[Skytrooper]

Watched this a couple of months ago, very informative

 

[padam]

I read his autobiography when I was a kid.
He was a controversial guy for sure.

 

[padam]

It's amazing how hard some guys fought just to get the chance to get into combat.
Different times I guess.

 

[66Satellite47]

The true facts do show what a real hero is made of. Not all perfection, but courage and desire.
My Dad as a B-24 pilot flew a few missions over Rabaul and over Truk, He said those missions faced hundreds of Zeros. Amazing anyone came back alive.

 

[HemiLane]

My humble tribute to the Black Sheep Squadron. Squadron patch on the hood, '19 Challenger Scat Pack 1320.

 

[joe smith]

It's amazing how hard some guys fought just to get the chance to get into combat.
Different times I guess.

The Greatest Generation...

 

[AR67GTX]

Boyington’s autobiography has largely been discredited over the years with inaccuracies and just plain lies - probably in part due to his alcohol fogged memory and self promotion. The book, The Black Sheep by Bruce Gamble is a far better accounting and heavily researched history of VMF 214 and Boyington. He was a full time drunk and a regular brawler (usually when drunk). He described when he would roll out of his cot in the early morning darkness before a mission, he would crawl on all four out to a rain barrel where he would dunk his head, shake the water off and try to focus on an area light across the airfield. If he saw more than one light he would repeat the process over and over until he could finally just see one light. Then he would dress and go out to his aircraft where the crew chief would have to help him into the plane. But one thing all his men said, was once in the air there wasn’t anyone who could fly a fighter and shoot like he could. His men didn’t fully appreciate the name Black Sheep Squadron as it was a misnomer to some extent. As squadrons were formed, depleted and personnel transferred there were often stragglers without a manned, combat ready squadron to fly in. They were not misfits and bums, they were survivors and guys who arrived without a squadron assignment and no place to go when the music stopped playing. They were simply gathered up periodically and grouped to create a new (or recreated) squadron. But there’s no doubt he was an innovator of tactics, a mentor to his men and a really deadly fighter pilot.

 

[AR67GTX]

The TV show Ba Ba Black Sheep was not unsurprisingly, a Hollywood glamorization. Most of those guys would probably have sacrificed their left nut to see a female nurse without being wounded, contrary to the show. The shows depiction of there living conditions were no way even close to the miserable conditions they lived in, with rotting Japanese corpses in the woods, teaming flies and mosquitos, constant funguses, rashes, intestinal issues, heat, humidity, monsoons, etc. BUT - a number of the TV plots were based to some degree on actual events. For one, Boyington did love to fly over Jap airfields and taunt their pilots on the radio to come up and fight him. The Marine Colonel Lard was based on a real Colonel whose name was not Lard but that’s how Boyington referred to him - Col. Lard. He genuinely was often after Boyington. General Moore was an actual confidant of Boyington and did from time to time bail him out of trouble. In watching the show I would occasionally recognize mission and events that I recognized from Bruce Gambles book. The cute nurses in the short shorts and tied up blouses, not so much.

 

[66Satellite47]

TV show was mostly Hollywood with some reality sprinkled in. From the few things my dad told me, conditions were terrible, even for the "fly boys". He was down with Malaria for several weeks, many other health issues.
Doubt here were many situations when nurses were in close proximity to the combat areas. They were mostly in the rear areas where they could care for those evacuated from the front lines, although apparently a few exceptions. Some of the TV missions sure did resemble ones I read about or saw on Victory at Sea.

 

[Basket case]

And Pappy says in his book about his immaturity, lying and drinking. And his final line in the book was Name a Hero and I'll Prove he's a Bum.

 

[66Satellite47]

And Pappy says in his book about his immaturity, lying and drinking. And his final line in the book was Name a Hero and I'll Prove he's a Bum.

I have to laugh. I really should get his book.

 

[padam]

In the book he says when he came back from China, he almost got his *** kicked at a ball game. Everyone got up to sing God Bless America, but he had never heard of it.

 

[2blader]

Years ago…..early 2000’s I used to go to air shows etc. I went to an airshow where I had dinner and sat with Pilots of VMF214 the Blacksheep. I believe there were maybe 13-14 of them there. I also am a WW2 nut and have some stuff. I collect hand signed prints and have a Black Sheep print with all 14 signatures. Was also fortunate to find an older print of Pappy that was signed before his death in the 80’s. I will tell ya it was great fun attending while that generation was still here….it was something I will never forget who I met and spoke to over the years.