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Canadian Flyer with B-24 "80 Days"

American flyer Gérard Labrie with B-24 bomber "80 Days" during WWII. Note his heavy clothing and parachute.

Canadian flyer Gérard Labrie with American B-24 bomber "80 Days" during WWII. Note his heavy clothing and parachute.

In the background, the fuselage skid (tail-bumper) is lowered and is bracing up the tail on top of a small stand.

Comments

Submitted by Pat on Tue, 02/06/2024 - 08:21

At the tail end of the great depression, my great-uncle Gerard Labrie moved from rural Canada to the USA to get a job and better living condition. He ended up enlisting in the US Army and was sent to the Pacific where he flew a P-40 with the Flying Tigers of Claire Chennault. Story goes that once he was coming up from under a Japanese bomber to shoot it when the bombs' door opened ant dropped its load and they all passed within inches of his airplane and that shook him ups o much that when he was back down he asked to be transferred and became a side gunner on a B-24. He was part of the force that reclaimed Guadalcanal from the Japanese. He made it back the USA after the war and went back to school and became a bridge engineer. I wish I had met him!!!

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