Air Power History: Review of Fogg in the Cockpit by Lt. Col. Steve Ellis, USAFR (Ret.), Docent of the Museum of Flight in Seattle

“In October 1943, budding artist and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilot, Howard Fogg, went to war. Assigned to the 368th Fighter Squadron of the 359th Fighter Group, Fogg deployed to England in support of Eighth Air Force’s bombing campaign against German-occupied Europe…

“…The group underwent its strongest test immediately before and after the Allied invasion of France in June 1944. During this period, the 359th primarily focused on low-level attacks against lines of communication and airfields. The Mustang’s vulnerability to ground fire was increasingly obvious. Higher headquarters concluded that P-51 equipped units in the future would focus on higher-altitude counterair operations…

“…Fogg’s uncensored insights into the day-to-day routine of a typical fighter pilot offer an informative perspective. To provide some historical context for the layperson, the Foggs briefly interject significant events elsewhere in the world. The historical summaries and morale reports provide a point of view on a grander scale.

“…While Fogg’s accounts will be of interest to students of World War II fighter operations, railroad enthusiasts should be especially pleased. After the war, Fogg emerged as one of the nation’s premier railroad artists...”

~ Lt. Col. Steve Ellis, USAFR (Ret.), Docent, Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington. Air Power History, the Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation, Spring 2012.

Why did we write Fogg in the Cockpit?

Fogg in the Cockpit began and ended as a labor of love, but the focus of that love changed as the work unfolded. Howard Fogg's legacy was already firmly established thanks to his success as a railroad artist, but what son or daughter-in-law could resist the opportunity to build on that legacy when presented with a document as fascinating as a wartime diary? The format is compelling: no facts lost or colored by time, the trivial and the significant presented with equal clarity, and events offered up not through the veil of nostalgia but simply as fact. This then, was the basis and the inspiration for Fogg in the Cockpit.

And then the unexpected. The secondary players, men whose names would never appear on an internet search engine, took on a life of their own. Men who helped win the war and then came home to lead quiet lives. Men who, far too often, did not come home. The book was not just about Captain Fogg anymore, it was about the 359th Fighter Group; its pilots, officers, and support personnel. The supporting cast became stars, and the love of Howard Fogg, with whom we shared a lifetime, became a love of the men of the 359th, men we would never have had the privilege and honor of knowing if not for Fogg in the Cockpit.

“Green Hornet” P-51 with "A" Flight, 368th Fighter Squadron, 359th Fighter Group. Clockwise from lower left: Lieutenant Wilbur H. Lewis (standing), Captain Howard L. Fogg, Lieutenant John B. Hunter, Lieutenant Paul E. Olson, and Lieutenant Joseph M. Ashenmacher.

The Sunrise Serenade

Exerpt from Fogg in the Cockpit:

March 26, 1944, East Wretham Airbase

A B-17 from the 452nd buzzes the base, dropping a bottle attached to a handkerchief parachute.

In the bottle, this message: “To the P-47 boys, to you who fly and keep them flying. Many thanks for the wonderful work you are doing for us who are up here in the big ones. You are to all of us a million-dollar sight when you help us on every mission. Again, we the boys of this Fort SUNRISE SERENADE want to thank each and every one of you for your protection of us as we make each mission. Thanks a million. Signed, the crew of the SUNRISE SERENADE”

Although the “P-47 boys” continued to do their job of protecting the SUNRISE SERENADE from enemy fighters, she was brought down by flak over Brussels, Belgium on May 1, 1944. The pilot was killed and the rest of the crew sent to a POW camp.

"Moose Nose" by John R. Doughty, Jr., High Iron Illustrations

John R. Doughty, Jr., has honored the memory of Captain Howard Fogg and the 359th Fighter Group with this wonderful 19" x 13" limited edition print titled "Moose Nose," featuring Howard's favorite plane, a P-51D Mustang.

John said, “Howard Fogg's railroad paintings inspired me to start drawing trains when I was a little boy. He is by far the Dean of Railroad Art, and it was a privilege to do the rendering of his P-51D Mustang "Moose Nose"."



The Certificate of Authenticity accompanying the print reads:

"Howard L. Fogg is best known for his art, which he created during a career that spanned fifty years and encompassed over 1,200 paintings. Well before his passing in 1996 at age 79, he was already a legend among railroad fans, having earned the title “Dean of American Railroad Artists”. Before starting his art career in March 1946, Mr. Fogg served as a combat fighter pilot in the USAAF during World War II.

"Captain Howard L. Fogg flew the P-51D “Moose Nose”, CV-D (44-13762), when he was assigned to the 368th Fighter Squadron, 359th Fighter Group, 8th USAAF, based at East Wretham airfield in Norfolk, England, in the European Theatre of Operations. While he flew several P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs, his last P-51, “Moose Nose” was his favorite, as expressed in the book Fogg in the Cockpit: “Test hopped Moose Nose… she is the best 51 I’ve flown. Terrific smooth power, 55”, 2800 RPM, 340 IAS at 2,000 feet. Really swell”. In addition to his primary role of flying bomber protection and engaging in ground attacks, which included the strafing of many German locomotives and trains, he served for a period of time plotting missions while on Detached Service to Group, often going straight from the plotting room to the cockpit. After leading a spotter flight on June 10, 1944, Captain Fogg suggested an improved procedure that was quickly adopted by Wing Intelligence and became part of the 8th Fighter Command Field Orders. Late in his European tour and upon his return to the United States, he took on another role: training new pilots. He flew 76 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Pilots from the 359th Fighter Group flew 13,455 sorties, had 241 air-to-air victories and an additional 122 aircraft destroyed on the ground. They also destroyed or damaged almost 500 locomotives and 1,400 railway cars.

A very special “thank you” to Richard and Janet Fogg for their assistance on this project, and I highly recommend their book Fogg in the Cockpit, which is available on-line or at many fine book stores."

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The son of an Air Force officer, John R. Doughty, Jr., traveled extensively during the period his father was in the service, and John received his first art award for a drawing he did in kindergarten of the Edwards Air Force Base fire station. Previously a Technical Illustrator-artist for Hamilton Sundstrand Aerospace Company, in the early years of John’s art career, his focus was on railroad art and building High Iron Illustrations. In 1985 he decided to diversify, with a primary focus on aviation-related subjects, and in 1991 he became an Artist Member in the prestigious American Society of Aviation Artists.

Limited edition prints are available for sale at:
www.highironillustrations.com
http://stores.ebay.com/High-Iron-Illustrations
www.pilotsandprofiles.blogspot.com

March 15, 1944

Excerpt from Fogg in the Cockpit, The Wartime Diary of Captain Howard Fogg:

Wednesday, March 15, 1944: Wretham

Briefing at 0800 for a deep job, withdrawal from east of Dümmer Lake to Zwolle. Target is Brunswick. Me, Brownie, Baldy, and Randy: Yellow Flight. Albertson aborted with his whole flight. Smitty and Simmons aborted, too. Also Lane. So Forehand flew my #4 and Hawk was Bo’s. Eight ships.

Over Dümmer Lake behind the bombers we found 12 Me109s. Bo missed his chance by not breaking into them on his right fast enough. Result, we climbed up under them in spirals, jockeying for position, neither side opening the attack. We were desperate for gas so I finally beat it. Dodged flak over Zwolle and hit the Zuider Zee with 80 gallons. Made the first field west of Yarmouth. Seething mad. Landed with 25 gallons at 1315. Brownie had 20 gallons, Randy 20 gallons, and Bill 40 gallons. Whew! Must respect the P-47. Oh, for some gas!

Lieutenant Howard Fogg’s P-47D-10 Thunderbolt CV-T 42-75104
Courtesy of Peter Fogg

Fogg in the Cockpit Book Trailer

We're launching our book trailer!

You can view it on Youtube at Fogg in the Cockpit Book Trailer, but for a preview, here are a few of the images we've included.

Plane & Pilot Magazine announces Fogg in the Cockpit

From page 15 of the March 2012 Plane & Pilot:

Fogg in the Cockpit: Howard Fogg – Master Railroad Artist, World War II Fighter Pilot by Janet and Richard Fogg (Casemate Publishers, 2011, ISBN: 978-1-61200-004-6). For many, the name “Howard Fogg” conjures up paintings of railroads and American landscapes; however, Howard Fogg was also a World War II fighter pilot. He flew 76 missions in Thunderbolts and Mustangs, keeping a diary during his wartime service. This book offers a firsthand look at his story.