From: jem3@pyuxf.uucp (25312-mc killop)
Subject: Re: B-25s and B-52s
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 13:11:10 GMT

In article <C1F7vK.Mxw@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Charles.K.Scott@dartmouth.edu (Charles K. Scott) writes:
>In article <1993Jan22.172449.23919@walter.bellcore.com>
>jem3@pyuxf.uucp (25312-mc killop) writes:
>
>> The mod was made by Major Pappy 
>> Gunn, a legendary figure.
>
>I read some specific stuff about his modifications; it made the
>aircraft VERY nose heavy and consequently so difficult to fly that he
>never let anyone else fly the original for a while.  Legend had it, his
>wife or girlfriend who was a nurse, was captured on Corrigidor and
>Pappy waged what amounted to a personal war against the Japanese. 

Gunn was a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and a pilot who retired
with his family in the Philippines prior to WWII.  When the
Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he volunteered his services to the
USAAF, was accepted and managed to get out to Australia.  His
family was left behind and spent the war in a Japanese prison.

There was a book written about him many years ago.  Of course, I
cannot remember the title and did not buy it much to my regret.
The three stories I do remember are:

1. He became great friends with George Kenney, Commanding General
of the Fifth Air Force.  One day he came into Kenney's office and
told him he wanted pilots wings.  Kenney knew he had been rated in
the Navy and had been flying missions from Australia so told him to 
go down to the PX and buy a pair.  Gunn told him they would not sell 
them to him because he had never been rated by the Air Force.  So 
Kenney wrote a letter back to the bureaucracy in the States telling 
them to cut orders rating Gunn.  A letter came back telling Kenney to 
ship Gunn back to the States for pilot training.  The next letter
from Kenney was a "Dear Hap" letter to General Henry H. "Hap"
Arnold, Commanding General, USAAF and that took care of that
problem.  He was also rated retroactively to Dec 41.

2. Gunn broke his little finger one time working on the aircraft.
(Yeah he was a major but he was more a line chief that an officer.)
The medics put several splints on the finger but Gunn kept breaking
the splints as he worked.  So one day he went back to the medics
and told them to cut the finger off.  Of course, the medics refused
so Gunn drew his .45 and told them either they cut it off or he
would shoot it off.  They cut it off!

3. Gunn was a gambler and he drew a lot of back pay after getting
his rating as a pilot.  The best poker games were in New Guinea so
Gunn hopped a ride a copilot on a B-25 heading to Port Moresby.
Gunn had pinned his wad to his shirt.  It got warm in the cockpit
so he took his shirt off.  He was still warm so he opened the
window and before he could grab it, the shirt flew out the window
with all his money.

Gunn's family survived the war and they settled in the Philippines
again.  I believe he got involved in a Philippine airline but am
not sure.  He was killed by Communist Huk guerillas when he refused
to stop his Jeep at one of their roadblocks.  They opened fire and
killed him.  Tragic end to a very colorful character.