[cobrahistorian]

Hi all,

I realize this is a somewhat old conversation, but I can add in a little bit on "Battlin Beaut", since I've got a few original photos of her, both with and without the pinup nose art. She was P-47D-2-RE 42-8058 and originally flew without the 28 on the cowling or the tail. Both were added at some point at Finschafen. But this was not the only airplane that flew with that nose art and name/number. There was a D-15 that carried the same cowl panels after the original was wrecked in a takeoff accident in October 43. I do not have the tail number for that airplane, but it did carry the 28 on the nose and I have two photos of it with Lockheed 165 gallon tanks under the wings.

Jon