#444

American WWII flyer "Louie Gassett" with B-25s #1007, #445 "Reckless Virgin," and #442 by itself. The flyer's name being indicated as "Louie," and this almost certainly 2Lt Douglas H. Gassett, pilot; assigned 491st BS on 1 Apr 44. In the middle image, of B-25H Mitchell bomber "Shark Mouth" of Ringer Squadron, the 'radio call' number is marked here as #442...

B-25H Mitchell bomber #444 "Shark Mouth" of Ringer Squadron in flight in the CBI, in the area of southern China, Indochina, or Burma. During WWII.

A Mitchell B-25, tail number 444, flies away from a site just bombed in China or Indochina area.

There were no hangars at Yangkai AB, nor any airbase in China. This required all aircraft maintenance to be performed in the open, regardless of weather conditions. These 491st Bomb Squadron mechanics are changing engines on squadron aircraft #444, "Shark Mouth", in the spring of 1944. Frenchy Beaudetter, George Butsika, John Burns, John Aspinwall, Karl Hammett, Frank Bert, Frank Bates...

#444 at engine change, Yangkai, China, July 1944 Hammett, Basil Turko, Aspinwall, Bert, unk., and Burns From the collection of Frank Bates.

At #444's engine change, Yangkai, China, July 1944. S/Sgt Domonique Beaudetter, T/Sgt George Butsika, S/Sgt Elmer Peterson, S/Sgt Joseph Burns, M/Sgt John Aspinwall, T/Sgt Karl Hammett, S/Sgt Frank Bert. (Info courtesy Tony Strotman)