Dottie Mae: 75 Years On

[Bomber_12th]

75 years ago today was of course VE-Day. It was also on this day 75 years ago that the P-47D "Dottie Mae" took a dip into the Traunsee Lake in Austria, becoming the last Allied aircraft lost in the ETO before the official end to hostilities with Germany. The pilot at the time, Lt. Henry Mohr, was flying too low over the lake on what was a moral-boosting flight for a nearby POW camp that had recently been liberated. Lt. Mohr escaped just before the aircraft sank to the bottom, where it remained for 60 years until recovered in 2005. Found to be in exceptional condition, the aircraft was acquired by WWII veteran Jack Croul for his Allied Fighters collection of flying warbirds and was sent to Vintage Airframes in Caldwell, Idaho for restoration back to flying condition. The restoration saw the aircraft retain as much of its original internal metal as possible, and is as stock/authentic as any P-47 has ever been restored, featuring all original placards, stencils, instruments, paint/primer/rivet/metal finishes, a fully functioning turbocharger, radios, gunsight, etc. The aircraft first flew again in July 2017.

Here are some screenshots from a photo flight today, in P3Dv5, flying out of and around Chino, California, where the real aircraft is based, using the ORBX SoCal scenery. Thank you to Aeroplane Heaven for the aircraft, which is really well done throughout, including fantastic flight dynamics and sounds! A big thank you to Snurdley (Todd Disrud) for the exceptional repaint, which so accurately depicts the real aircraft! Snurdley's repaint of this aircraft is so accurate and detailed, down to including the little rectangular "Thunderbolt" Trademark stickers that Republic applied to each side of the vertical fin, as was found on the aircraft when it was recovered and were reproduced and added back on when the restoration was completed (the only restoration to feature that authentic detail).

 

[Bomber_12th]

 

[jmig]

I admire your research into the aircraft's history and attempt to recreate an exemplary icon of the Allied aviation forces of the era.

 

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you John, though none of this is my work but the screenshots. All of the due credits are in the second paragraph of my original post, with special emphasis on Snurdley for the superb repaint, which can be downloaded here: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?catid=180&linkid=26178 Snurdley has released several fantastic repaints for the AH P-47, all of which can be found if you search his username in the warbird library here at SOH.

For my use, I have replaced the envmap that comes with the AH P-47 with that of the chrome envmap by Bananbob's "alternate_globalenvtest.zip" available at Avsim, so as to provide the photoreal-style reflections.

 

[jmig]

Thank you John, though none of this is my work but the screenshots. All of the due credits are in the second paragraph of my original post, with special emphasis on Snurdley for the superb repaint, which can be downloaded here: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?catid=180&linkid=26178 Snurdley has released several fantastic repaints for the AH P-47, all of which can be found if you search his username in the warbird library here at SOH.

For my use, I have replaced the envmap that comes with the AH P-47 with that of the chrome envmap by Bananbob's "alternate_globalenvtest.zip" available at Avsim, so as to provide the photoreal-style reflections.

I was referring to posting the history of the airplane along with the beautiful screenshots. It made it more meaningful than just seeing images of "a" P-47.

I find this especially admirable for someone as young as you, who did not grow up with a father who pied him with stories of WWII in your youth. I grew up with WWII all around me, along with John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart WWII movies. These moves had a role, along with my Dad's stories, in encouraging me to become a USAF pilot.

To most people of your generation, WWII is ancient history. Not, a pivotal point in the history of human civilization.