World War II Database

1. Jack Fellows says:
9 Mar 2012 08:00:04 AM

This B-25J-22 (S/N 44-29600) strafer was assigned to the 499th Bomb Sqdn. ("Bats Outta Hell") - 345th Bomb Group ("Air Apaches") - 5th USAAF. Incident took place near Quemoy Island. Pilot: 1/Lt. Francis A. Thompson.

2.  Bill says:
16 Mar 2012 06:51:50 PM

EAT LEAD: GO GET'EM BOYS

Thanks for the information Jack, glad to read added info looks like the B-25 is making a bank to the left,after its strafing run you can see the fify caliber rounds hitting the water.
The tail and upper turret gunners would continue strafing the target until the B-25
made another pass, or other Mitchell's continued to strafe the target.
Some of those hot fifty caliber slugs, are gonna hit the ships boilers and when they do its Kaboom!

3.  David Stubblebine says:
23 Mar 2012 11:02:23 AM

Special thanks to Jack Fellows for offering better information for this photo’s caption. Several internet sources say the aircraft was flown by 2Lt Louie A. Mikell in s/n 43-28014 “Ruthless Ruth,” Lt Thompson’s wingman, but the very authoritative Warpath Across the Pacific by L.J. Hickey says this photo shows Lt Thompson’s aircraft and was taken from Lt Mikell’s. Similarly, several sources identify the ship being attacked as Coastal Defense Vessel No. 134 (a Type D Escort). At the time of this attack, Escort No. 134 was sailing in the company of Coastal Defense Vessel No. 1 (a Type C Escort) and both were sunk in this action. The silhouette of this ship more closely matches a Type C than it does a Type D and Warpath Across the Pacific has a good photo of the other escort which is clearly a Type D. So this photo has been captioned as it has.

4. Karen Owings says:
30 May 2013 01:46:33 PM

This is most definitely my father Francis Adrian Thompson flying this plane. I have some of the original pics that were taken from Lt. Louie A. Mikell's plane, as well as the Air Apaches WarPath Book.

5. Karen Rice Montalto says:
26 Jan 2015 07:34:10 PM

I'm trying to determine if this was maybe the plane my father flew in. He was a navigator, I believe, and he stated his plane was the "Ruthless Ruth" named after the "ballad of Yukon Jake - 1928 " -- His Name was Martin A. Rice, and I'm wondering if anyone has information about the crew of this plane? Thank you.

6. Mike Tewkesbury says:
19 May 2019 08:33:57 AM

From the book Flying Buccaneers by Steve Birdsall, page 280 shows three photos of the attack by Francis Thompson's aircraft. The ship that he bombed was one of two frigates escorting the destroyer Amatsukaze 6 April 1945.