EAA Chapter 690

www.johnslemp.com/blog/post-oshkosh-thoughts

Post Oshkosh Thoughts… — JOHN SLEMP Photography The Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture, otherwise simply known as “Oshkosh,” was held last week. The yearly gathering has become the largest General Aviation gathering in the world, and this year it was reported that over 686,000 people attended. While I didn’t have any photograp...

Here's a link to a recent interview between myself and Steve Buss, conducted during AirVenture: https://www.eaa.org/-/media/files/airventure/eaa-radio-archive/2024/2024-07-23/john-slemp.ashx

www.eaa.org

Next week on Wednesday, 24 July at 1000 I'll be giving a presentation about my book Bomber Boys: WWII Flight Jacket Art, in the main theater of the EAA headquarters building in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Come hear stories about the men and women who wore these iconic jackets in WWII, and learn more about how this award-winning book was produced.

Last year it was an (over)full auditorium, so it would be best to arrive early to secure a seat.

I very much look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on the book and to order a copy: www.wwiibomberboys.com

Wanted to invite those who are coming to Oshkosh to a lecture/forum presentation on Tuesday, 23 July at 1130 in Forum 10. The subject? Creating award-winning aviation images. Presented by Aviation Week's Mike Lavitt, three experienced aviation photographers will discuss tips and techniques useful in creating compelling images. Open to all experience levels. Speakers include myself, Brett Schauf, and John Ford. We look forward to seeing you there!

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https://events.rdmobile.com/Sessions/Details/2411332

Join us tomorrow morning for our Pancake Breakfast from 08:00-10:00. Followed by Chuck Roberts discussing Chapter Outreach, focusing on Heidi.

Recently I teamed up with my friends at Archbury and Warbird Coffee to participate in a Memorial Day give away. Archbury is the company behind the Toby Mug replicas, and Warbird Coffee US has several blends that replicate the brews that GI's readily swilled during WWII. Of course the package wouldn't have been complete without a copy of Bomber Boys: WWII Flight Jacket Art.

Jeff Copsetta was our lucky winner, and as it happens, he is an Army veteran, and also co-hosts a podcast on WWII history called "What's the Scuddlebutt."

I was interviewed on their show last week, which can be found here: https://whatsthescuddlebutt.com/ep-187/

At an hour and 18 minutes, it's a good opportunity to settle in for a few minutes to learn more about the book, the history of the jackets, and the current impact they have on fashion and culture today.

Enjoy!

I was a guest of the What's the Scuddlebutt podcast last week, discussing the Bomber Boys book. They had some really terrific questions, and our chat lasted for 1 hour and 18 minutes. Here's the link: https://whatsthescuddlebutt.com/ep-187/

In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, we remember Col. (Ret.) Gail Halvorsen. He was the one, as a young lieutenant, that started dropping candy to the German children on his approach to the airfield. What began as a singular effort to show a bit of compassion to children who had very little, soon turned into a major public relations effort on the part of the allies.

Basically it was a way to show the Russians (who had closed off all land access to Berlin) that the effort to supply the city with the basics of life wouldn't be stopped. In fact, once the candy drops became "organized," there was a concerted effort to gather tons of candy to supply candy to the citizens of Berlin.

Major candy companies in the USA eventually contributed tons of candy to the effort, so much so that it was flown in by the planeload.

Sometimes, candy parcels were "accidentally" dropped into the Russian sector, as a further means of snubbing their attempts to blockade the city.

The blockade lasted almost a year, and later, he was assigned to Berlin's Templehof airfield, the very same airfield he had once flown supplies in to. He retired in 1974 with 31 years of military service, and passed away at 101 years of age in 2022.

More information about this pivotal event can be seen here: https://history.state.gov/milest.../1945-1952/berlin-airlift

Home for sale at Air Acres:

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Another new pilot...congratulations to Josh Franklin!

https://www.georgiaentertainment.com/2024/06/georgia-author-photographer-john-slemps-book-bomber-boys-wwii-flight-jacket-art-praised-as-fashion-book-of-the-year-possible-documentary-rumored/

Pancake Breakfast Tomorrow Morning followed by Bill Bell speaking on 50th Anniversary Sun-N-Fun

Recent portrait of Don Brooks, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. He’s also the guy behind the Liberty Foundation, and their restoration of the B-17G “Liberty Belle,” which is in the background. Photographed in Douglas, Georgia on 7 May, 2024. His dad was a tail gunner in the 390th Bomb Group during WWII. Many Thanks Don!

Thought I might mention my book "Bomber Boys: WWII Flight Jacket Art" has been named "Fashion Book of the Year" by the Ivy Style blog. https://www.ivy-style.com/bomber-boys-is-the-fashion-book-of-the-year.html
Although the book has a chapter on fashion, written by noted fashion historian Laura McLaws Helms, there is also a section on collecting the jackets by Antiques Roadshow appraiser Jeff Shrader.
Accompanied by aircraft illustrations by the talented John Mollison, the book features 104 jackets in high resolution, photographed in 12 different museums across the USA, including the Smithsonian Air & Space museum, the 390th Memorial Museum, and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
There are over 20 contemporary portraits of WWII veterans which also includes the Tuskegee Airmen, and Women Airforce Service Pilots. Veteran stories accompany the images, many of which have never been published before.
A big book at 6 pounds and 12 inches square, this collectible has been awarded silver in two prestigious international design competitions, and only received 5-star ratings by customers.
We invite you take a peek when you have a free moment. You won't be disappointed! www.wwiibomberboys.com

WWII Bomber Boys - WWII Flight Jacket Art The home of the book "Bomber Boys, WWII Flight Jacket Art." The definitive book on WWII bomber jackets with over 100 examples of authentic jackets from all combat theaters. Includes chapters on their fashion and cultural impact, how to collect them, and their care. With an index. Includes

YOUNG EAGLES IMPORTANT UPDATE
The May 18th Young Eagles has been canceled. This is due to President Biden coming to town and the airspace around Atlanta being closed.

Clarence Holland and Frank Perry are World War Two veterans, who I recently photographed as part of an effort by American Airlines to take 70 veterans to Normandy in June.

They'll attend events and ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Clarence served on a troop transport in the Pacific, and Frank flew two missions at the end of the war as a B-24 waist gunner.

Clarence will turn 100 years old this summer, and Frank, at 98 years old, goes to the gym three times a week, and plays golf the other two days, weather permitting.

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Thomas Griffin was the navigator on the #9 Doolittle Raider crew, and in January of 2022, I photographed his jacket for my book at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Wanting to include a wide selection of jackets from different theaters and historical circumstances, I chose this jacket to photograph, without really knowing much about the man. To add to the story I discovered that there is a video interview with Mr. Griffin. Head over to the EAA website to check it out: https://www.eaa.org/videos/timeless-voices/history/1317867882?utm_source=ehotline_240425&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mu_timelessvoices_2024&utm_content=timelessvoices&mkt_tok=OTEwLVNFVS0wNzMAAAGStk0-SPjKH3cWSVY0_cjkzcsGJSEdEgqyLQrOhBdXFvDskURBrc4nYgLdpVF4vBK6cbH0CbORcSwF7O-ksZv42wgkLljWuboVGJlVJSC8BlJ8Kg

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This just in: https://www.ivy-style.com/bomber-boys-is-the-fashion-book-of-the-year.html

Hello All!
I’ll be speaking about my book at 1100 on Friday the 12th of April at the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland.
It’s part of the annual Sun ’n Fun event, so expect to take bit of time to park and get your tickets.
I’ll have books and Toby Jugs on hand, in case anyone wants one.
More information about the book can be found here: www.wwiibomberboys.com

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Bomber Boys Is The Fashion Book Of The Year - Ivy Style The links first. The book. The YouTube channel. The author. Bomber Boys, by John Slemp, is an archive, it is a history book, it is a work of art, it weighs more than I do, and it is the best fashion book of the year. Bomber Boys is a collection of transcendent photography of American ...

If you every considered learn to fly, please join us for our Flying Start Event May 11th, 2024. Register at: https://flyingstart.org/?fshome&logoff=y

Hello All!
I’ll be speaking about my book at 1100 on Friday the 12th of April at the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland.
It’s part of the annual Sun ’n Fun event, so expect to take bit of time to park and get your tickets.
I’ll have books and Toby Jugs on hand, in case anyone wants one.
More information about the book can be found here: www.wwiibomberboys.com

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WWII Bomber Boys - WWII Flight Jacket Art The home of the book "Bomber Boys, WWII Flight Jacket Art." The definitive book on WWII bomber jackets with over 100 examples of authentic jackets from all combat theaters. Includes chapters on their fashion and cultural impact, how to collect them, and their care. With an index. Includes

Will be participating tomorrow in a "pop-up" book sale at the Path Museum near Lenox Mall in Buckhead, Atlanta, from 11am to 3pm. An eclectic group of authors and fine artists will be there hawking their wares. If you are in the area, stop in for a minute to view several unique offerings! I'll be there with my book "Bomber Boys: WWII Flight Jacket Art" and a book by photojournalist and friend Ken Hawkins entitled "Jimmy Carter: Photographs 1970-2010."

Located between Lenox Square and the Marta Station. The PATH Museum is nestled on the ground floor of 3399 Buckhead, at the far end of the lobby.
3399 Peachtree Rd, NE,
Atlanta, GA 30326. https://pathmuseum.com/

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Happy to announce that the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia is now carrying my book! We hope that it sells well there, as a significant portion of each sale is profit for the museum. We've come to really love and appreciate museums for the work they do, and during my time photographing jackets for the Bomber Boys book, I realized that they are "America's closet."

While I understand that there will always be a bit of "interpretation" by curators, the good ones will present a fair and balanced viewpoint. Unfortunately, there now appears to be a movement to "reinterpret" history so that it conforms to a more politically correct perspective. This is a grave error in my opinion, as what is "correct" today, probably won't be tomorrow. While I'm favor of an open mind, I'm also in favor of the wonderful Reagan-era phrase "Trust but Verify." Curators are people too, so always dig a little deeper to truly understand history, and to understand where we've come from. It will hopefully help guide us in the future. www.wwiibomberboys.com

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I photographed Billy Lewis as part of my project on WWII veterans and their "bomber jackets". He was a B-17 waist gunner and was shot down during the Battle of the Bulge over Belgium in late December, 1944. He tells of his experiences in a powerful video interview: https://youtu.be/ZrdCtvKxyjY?si=RVPCNQeTUSJrhUd3

Many Thanks to my friend and colleague Michael Schwarz Photography for recording this interview.

Just a brief glimpse into what the men of the Eighth Air Force faced on a daily basis, from the summer of 1942 until the end of the war. Masters of the Air indeed!

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One of the aspects of the Bomber Boys: WWII Flight Jacket Art book that probably doesn't get enough mention is the downloadable spreadsheet that details, as much as possible, each jacket in the book. Just this morning a fellow in Europe who had purchased the book lamented that there wasn't a detailed list of the jackets with manufacturer data, etc. Well there is actually, and it's on the website. It's free for the asking, but I'd ask that you sign up for my mailing list before downloading the list. It has all 102 jackets that are shown in the book.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q_pAY9ftztsDX9Y2SkJRz3SZA_dg5veg/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117641842670232694316&rtpof=true&sd=true

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Jacket Spread Sheet.xlsx Smithsonian Data Smithsonian Jacket Data #,Pic,Name/Aircraft,Type,Drawing #,Contract #,Manufacturer,Location,Contract Date,Qty.,Unit,Remarks,Page Shown 3,√,Blackie,A-2,30-1415,W535ac 20958, 42-1401P,Rough Wear Clothing Co.,Middletown, PA. ,8 August, 1941,30k,Unknown,Balls 'O Fire 7,√,Johnson, A....

I understand that WASP Shirley Kruse passed away on February 2nd, 2024. I had the opportunity to photograph her in 2016, during the annual AirVenture pilgrimage that so many make to aviation's "Mecca." While I can't say I knew her well, during our short interaction, I found her to be quite charming, enthusiastic, and terribly funny. I'm sure I would've enjoyed getting to know her better. Here's to a life well lived Shirley! Blue Skies Forever!

As the third episode of Masters of the Air debuts, hear from WWII and Eighth Air Force veteran Bob Grosso about how they almost didn't make it back from a mission. The only certainty these guys faced was the fact that they might not make it back alive...and yet, they went anyway.

www.wwiibomberboys.com/store/p/book

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https://youtu.be/Iun7NrA355Y?si=CLsNK9F-3LH_7S9-

Bob Grosso Official Promo Mr. Grosso talks about the largely unknown chivalry shown by a Luftwaffe pilot to the crew of a badly damaged B-17 bomber during a mission in WWII.

As the premier of "Masters of the Air" takes place this evening, we remember the men who participated in the actual events depicted. One of them was Lewis Herron, a tail gunner in the 100th Bomb Group.

The artwork on his jacket was done by a fellow crew member, Michael Garemko, who was a professional artist before the war. The now iconic "Heaven Sent" artwork has been seen and used many times since. Part of my book on WWII flight jackets, it depicts 104 painted A-2 jackets from WWII.

Lewis tells a story about flak on one of his missions: https://youtu.be/IBWoJ4viEB4?si=6hA4xMThwUIMY0xx.

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