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Contact Info
Home Town Saint Paul
Last Address
My nephew, Rick Van Bogart at, rjvbogart@hotmail.com, is assisting me with this site.
Date of Passing Mar 28, 2009
Location of Interment Rose Hills Memorial Park - Whittier, California
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Jim as he preffered, was know as "Van", or "Rumboogie", (a nickname given him in the Air Force, because he didn't drink, and would always give his "shots" to the other guy's.) Jim joined the Minnesota Air National Guard in 1939 and was in the 109th Obsevation Squadron at Fort Snelling Minnesota. He had acquired his private pilots licence prior to enlisting in the Army Air Force in April 1942, and trained at Fort Warren, Wyoming with the Quartermaster Company, Service Group (Aviation), and was sent to the B-26 Over Seas Training Base at Mac Dill Field Tampa, Florida as a pilot trainee. Then on to Walla Walla Army Air Base for combat aircraft maintenace and repair training. Then to, Galena Field Washington, Great Falls Air Base Montana, and Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, California.
Originally headed for Europe with the 8th Air Force, Jim was redirected to the Pacifc and flew a B-26 Marauder with a group of medium and heavy bombers sent to join the 5th Air Force in Australia. A short stay at Townsville, then on to the Air Base at Iron Range. While at Iron Range, Jim helped Col Arthur Rogers install the first opperational nose turret in a B-24 Liberator, "Connell's Special", and flew the first test hops with it. He found out that it was actually a little faster with the turret. When Col Rogers returned from one of the first missions with it, his nose gunner held up three fingers as they taxied by... 3 Kills.
Moving throughout New Guinea and the Philippines Jim volunteered, and was called on to fly often, and flew transport, photo, training, escort, and combat missions. At one time he was currant in 14 differant aircraft, and was amoung the first to fly the Douglas A-26 Invader in the Pacific. After WWII, Jim remained in the Minnesota Air National Guard with the 109th Fighter Squadron until 1947, when he moved to Califonia. He became a 2nd Lt. in Squadron 21 Civil Air Patol, El Monte Wing . He was also a "Weekend Warrior" and trained with the 452nd Bomb Wing at Long Beach, Calif. in the Douglas B-26 Invader.
In 1950 His Air Force Reserve Unit became the first to be activated as a complete Air Force Unit. They were sent to, Itazuke, Japan. Then Miho, and flew bombing and close ground support missions in Korea. They moved to K-9 Air Base Pusan, Korea in May 1951, and he flew 58 misions with the 728th "Cannibals" Squadron in the A-26 "My Baby" 44-34686. He also flew the F- 86 Saber with the 5th Fighter Interseptor Squadron before coming home in 52'.
Other Comments:
"I remember coming back from a mission, off the China Coast, in a P-38, when I heard, "Mayday, Mayday." I looked all around, then spotted a TBM smoking and going down. I radioed back, "I got you." Then I saw him hit the water with a terrific splash. I flew cover for him until Air Sea Rescue arrived."
(This pilot went on to become the 41st President of the United States, George H W Bush.)
No group of fliers since the Flying Tigers of China has ever emerged from the war with greater glory than the world famous Liberator unit . . . the JOLLY ROGERS. Month after month, since September, 1942, American newspapers and magazines have brimmed over with colorful stories about this most colorful of all B-24 outfits. Less celebrated Liberator units have complained that all these laurels fell to the JOLLY ROGERS because of their fascinating name and twin-tail insignia - a huge skull surmounting two crossed bombs.
COOKIE
Constituted as 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 15 Apr 1942. Prepared for combat with B-24's. Moved to Hawaii in Sep 1942 and assigned to Seventh AF. Completed training, moved to the Southwest Pacific in Nov 1942, and assigned to Fifth AF. Entered combat immediately, and from Nov 1942 to Jan 1945 operated from Australia, New Guinea, and Biak, attacking enemy airfields, troop concentrations, ground installations, and shipping in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Palau, and the southern Philippines. Received a DUC for strikes, conducted through heavy flak and fighter opposition, on Japanese airfields at Wewak, New Guinea, in Sep 1943. Other operations included participation in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in Mar 1943 and long-range raids on oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo, in Sep and Oct 1943. Moved to the Philippines in Jan 1945. Supported ground forces on Luzon, attacked industries on Formosa, and bombed railways, airfields, and harbor facilities on the Asiatic mainland. Moved to Ie Shima in Aug 1945, and after the war flew reconnaissance missions over Japan and ferried Allied prisoners from Okinawa to Manila. Returned to the Philippines in Dec 1945. Inactivated on 27 Jan 1946.
Redesignated 90th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy). Activated in the US on 1 Jul 1947. Assigned to Strategic Air Command. Probably not manned during 1947 and 1948. Inactivated on 6 Sep 1948.
Redesignated 90th Bombardment Group (Medium). Activated on 2 Jan 1951. Assigned to Strategic Air Command and equipped with B-29's. Inactivated on 16 Jun 1952.
Stations. Key Field, Miss, 15 Apr 1942; Barksdale Field, La, 17 May 1942; Greenville AAB, SC, 21 Jun 1942; Ypsilante, Mich, 18 Aug 1942; Hickam Field, TH, 12 Sep 1942; Iron Range, Australia, Nov 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, 10 Feb 1943; Dobodura, New Guinea, Dec 1943; Nadzab, New Guinea, 23 Feb 1944; Biak, 10 Aug 1944; San Jose, Mindoro, 26 Jan 1945; Ie Shima, c. 10 Aug 1945; Ft William McKinley, Luzon, Dec 1945-27 Jan 1946. Andrews Field, Md, 1 Jul 1947-6 Sep 1948. Fairchild AFB, Wash, 2 Jan 1951; Forbes AFB, Kan, 14 Mar 1951-16 Jun 1952.
Commanders. 1st Lt Newman W Enloe, 17 Apr 1942; Lt Col Eugene P Mussett, 17 May 1942; Col Roger M Ramey, 14 Sep 1942; Lt Col Eugene P Mussett, 16 Oct 1942; Col Arthur Meehan, 21 Oct 1942; Lt Col Arthur H Rogers, 16 Nov 1942; Col Ralph E Koon, 18 Nov 1942; Col Arthur H Rogers, 11 Jul 1943; Lt Col Harry Bullis, c. 20 Dec 1943; Col Carl A Brandt, 16 Mar 1944; Col Edward W Scott Jr, 10 Jun 1944; Lt Col Wilson H Banks, 8 Dec 1944; Col Ellis L Brown, 24 Feb 1945-unkn. Unkn, 1947-1948. Lt Col William L Gray, Jan 1951; Col Conrad F Necrason, Feb 1951-16 Jun 1952.
Campaigns. Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Papua; New Guinea; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; China Offensive.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Papua, [Nov] 1942-23 Jan 1943; New Guinea, 13 and 15 Sep 1943. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.