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Russ HiattRuss Hiatts WWIIs WWII AircrafAircraft Photost Photos

from Francefrom FranceCourtesy of Bob KennedyCourtesy of Bob Kennedy

& Gerald Liang& Gerald Liang

Northrop P-61A-5-NO, 42-5549, 9th AF.

Russ Hiatt, a Life Member of AAHS, a USAAF veteran of WWII,

aviation photographer and a great guy passed away in early 2005.

Because of the generosity of Bob Kennedy who now has the Hiatt

Collection and Gerald Liang who did the darkroom work, we can share

these photos with the AAHS Membership.

Russ Hiatt was raised in Bakersfield, Calif., and was an airplane nut

all his life. The U.S. Army Air Corps had summer maneuvers in

Bakersfield, Fresno or Delano in the 1930s, and the U.S. Navy used

Bakersfield as a refueling stop on training flights between the San Francisco

area and San Diego. During these times, Russ would borrow a camera and

hustle over to Bakersfield Airport and photograph as much of the activity as

he could, film being the limiting factor.

Russ entered the U.S. Army Air Forces in early WWII and was trained

to be an aerial gunner. He became so proficient at accurately firing a

machine gun that he became a gunnery instructor. Later he served as a tail

gunner in a Martin B-26 in the European Theater of WWII. After WWII,

Russ worked for Union Oil and lived for many years in Taft, Calif.

This selection of photographs come from various airfields in France

during the latter stages of WWII, and show a nice cross-section of 8th and

9th AF aircraft of the USAAF, including some rarely seen ones.Russ Hiatt, the tail gunner servicing his twin .50s

of his Martin B-26.

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300 Journal: American Aviation Historical Society, Winter 2005

de Havilland DH-98 Mosquito, P.R. Mk XVI, NS 559 (Hatfield), 8th AF, 26 Bomb Group (R), 654 Bomb Squadron (SP) modified under

Red Stocking Program, 055 at A-83, Denain-Prouvy Airdrome, Valenciennes, France, April 1945.

Lockheed F-5E, 9th AF, 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group, 31st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (8V-) at A-83, Denain-Prouvy

Airdrome, Valenciennes, France, April 1945.

Lockheed F-5E-3-LO, 44-24274, Kitty, 9th AF, 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group, 31st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (8V-C) at

A-83, Denain-Prouvy Airdrome, Valenciennes, France, April 1945.

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Martin B-26G-5-MA, 43-34330, 9th AF, 344th Bomb Group, 495th Bomb Squadron (Y5-A) at A-83, Denain-Prouvy Airdrome

Valenciennes, France, April 1945.

Boeing B-17G-40-VE, 42-97952, c/n 7317, 8th AF, 3 BD, 45 CBW(H), 96th Bomb Group, 337th Bomb Squadron (AW-S) at A-83,

Denain-Prouvy Airdrome, Valenciennes, France, April 1945.

Republic P-47D-11-RE, 42-75314, 9th AF, 387th Bomb Group, 557th Bomb Squadron, KS Squadron hack.

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302 Journal: American Aviation Historical Society, Winter 2005

A Waco CG-4A glider, 43-40454.

Douglas A-26B-15DT, 43-22323, 9th AF, 416th Bomb Group, 668th Bomb Squadron, (5H-M) at A-69, Laon-Athies, France in February

1945.

A damaged North American P-51D Mustang, USAAF Laura Connine at A-83, April 1945.