Georgia Peach P-47D-21-RE 42-25520 405th Fighter Group, 510th Fighter Squadron
Nose art painted by S/Sgt Lynn E. TRANK 405th Fighter Group, 510th Fighter Squadron Christchurch, England, Picauville & St Dizier, France, Kitzingen
Lynn Trank was pleased with this one. Apparently, stepping back to admire the finished result he fell off the end of the wing! The crew chief never let him forget it! Some time later, Sgt Trank painted a very similar second version of this nose art using an almost identical girl but titling it "Georgia Peach II". Both silver P47s were assigned to 1Lt Edward Powell who hailed from Cairo, Georgia. On 25th July 1944 it was 2Lt Elwood Wilson who took "Georgia Peach" on a bombing mission to Tessy-sur-Vire in France. The plane was hit by flak as it pulled up from its bomb run with flames pouring from the superchargers, Wilson bailed out successfully to become a POW and the aircraft crashed at La Villiere, nr Tessy.
Photo by Dale Vickers