"SHOOT-OUT
OVER SAIGON"
B-25J-11 "NASTY
NANCY"
of the 75th B.S., 42nd B.G., 13th A.A.F.
Two types of prints to choose from
On Museum Quality Paper
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On Canvas
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On
10 April, 1945, the 42nd Bomb Group’s Mission #48 was assigned to the men
of B-25J "Nasty Nancy". Their job was to fly a |
Waiting high above "Nasty Nancy" in the thin cloud cover
were American |
racetrack route at 10,000’ over the city of Saigon, in broad daylight and lure
Japanese fighters into a brawl. Japanese fighter
groups stationed near Saigon
had been taking a continuous
toll on allied aircraft operating in the area. The
plan was to lure the fighters into a trap using one lone B-25 as bait, the
battle-weary "Nasty Nancy". 
P-38’s poised to attack when the call sign "Little
friends, Come Down and Play" was given. The ensuing battle saw "Nasty
Nancy’s" tail gunner, William Outlaw (right) duel
approaching fighters with his .45 caliber pistol after the jamming of his heavy
machine guns. Many of the Japanese fell for the ruse and a considerable
number were subsequently shot from the sky. The crewmen of "Nasty
Nancy" were officially credited with 4 kills, and lived to tell the
tale of this wild "Shoot-Out Over Saigon".|
“Please
know that your art is invaluable. It is more than brushstrokes on
canvas - you’ve assembled a patchwork of the lives of some incredible
young men...men who were too modest or heroic to articulate their
experiences in that dreadful conflict. Many, like my grandfather,
are lost to the ages. Their families know little about their role
in that world-wide struggle. Your work has opened so many doors to
so many families, giving us clues to the boys they were and the men they
became.
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Photo courtesy of Tom Gipe