Mickey
Get an aerial view from an aircraft called MICKEY.
Delivered to the AAF on July 8, 1944, this “H” model went into service with the 389th Squadron in March 1945. The pilot was Maj. James M. Wylie, the 389th Squadron C.O., and he named the aircraft MICKEY, after his wife’s nickname. When S/Sgt. Orian E. Hackler, the crew chief, asked about a tail identifier, Wylie replied that it would be nice to have “X,” for “X marks the spot.”
Wylie claimed this aircraft was a “pilot’s dream,”, and he flew most of his missions in it. On one, he almost lost control of it over Nichols Field on February 6, 1945. An unexploded 20mm shell tore through one wing and the plane swooped towards the ground before Wylie regained control and returned his damaged mount to Mangaldan. Afterwards, the aircraft received only occasional small arms hits. The profile painting shows MICKEY at Mangaldan during April 1945, with 67…
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Posted on September 1, 2018, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged Air Force, History, Military, Military History, Pacific, veterans, war, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 32 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
Thanks for sharing the story over here, GP!
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The IHRA has fantastic research, so detailed!!
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What a beautiful story ❤️
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It is nice to have one of these once in a while. Thank you for dropping by, Laleh.
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Always pleasure ❤️
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Great to read this story
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Thank you!!
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I enjoyed reading the post. Thanks for sharing the link.
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The IHRA are the very best when it comes to research. I recommend them highly!
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Wonderful story, thanks for link.
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The IHRA researchers are beyond comparison. You’ll enjoy all their posts and the believe me – their books are even better!
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Fabulous, I must follow through
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I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
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You’re usually on the money
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Apparently pilots aren’t quite as superstitious as sailors about renaming their craft! It’s neat that we can trace the history of some of the machines that went to war, as well as that of the people.
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I keep thinking it’s a shame that nose art isn’t allowed today.
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The histories of the planes and crews can be difficult to track down, but we do our best to dig up as much information as we can.
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These are machines. Thank you for sharing GP! Have a great weekend. Michael
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Thank you, Michael. You do the same!!
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:-))
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Good to hear that both the crew and their aircraft survived the war.
Best wishes, Pete.
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For a change, eh Pete? I thought it was a story worth repeating.
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Definitely. Survival is good. 🙂
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“this aircraft was a “pilot’s dream,” Hmmm… Was the A-20 more agile than the B-25? While it soldiered on till ’45, I’d have thought the Mitchell would have replaced it by the end of 43.
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In my opinion, the A-20 was more agile and faster than the B-25. Many units did switch over to the B-25 though.
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Interestingly, the 3rd Bomb Group switched from B-25s to A-20s. Those pilots also enjoyed flying the A-20 because it was, as GP says, fast and agile.
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Thanks for sharing this post from IHRA about Mickey, its brave pilots and its numerous missions. Sad to read that they scrapped the plane later. Salute to all those men!
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The aircraft did it’s part for the men, like a loyal dog, it deserved a rest.
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There’s one A-20 flying around on tour today. Here are some photos of it: http://lewisairlegends.com/aircraft/a-20-havoc
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Great photos! She’s a beauty!!
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Great story. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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A good story. I thought you might like it.
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