Pilots and Painted Ladies: 493rd Bomb Squadron and the Air War in the CBI

Lawrence V. Drake

Jan 2025 · Casemate Publishers

About this ebook

"A great read... The author clearly spent many hours talking with his father as the re-created dialogue expertly tells the story of one man's experiences serving his country during the war." — Gene Pfeffer, Curator, National Museum of WWII Aviation Raised on a farm in Montana, Vernon Drake enlisted in the Army Air Corp in the spring of 1942. Assigned to the 493rd Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Group of the 10th Air Force stationed in India, he piloted B-24 bombers into Burma in a fight to prevent the Japanese from advancing north to China, then flew C-108 gas-hauling tankers across the formidable Himalayas to support the U.S. and Allied armies. This dangerous airlift saw tons of fuel and supplies flown daily over the tallest mountain range in the world, regardless of the weather. He and the other airmen—aged only eighteen to twenty-five—flew dangerous missions over unforgiving territory against a brutal enemy. To provide some personal identity in an impersonal war, aircrews often painted artwork and identifying names onto the nose of their aircraft. As a talented artist, Lt Drake would spend many off-duty hours painting aircraft at the request of their crews, becoming a significant contributor to the nose art of the 10th Air Force. Drake's story, pieced together from his meticulous records, contrasts the hours spent creating works of art with the moments of sheer terror in combat over enemy targets and navigating through towering mountains engulfed in murderous storms while carrying thousands of gallons of highly explosive fuel.

About the author

Born and raised in Montana, Lawrence V. Drake has lived all over the U.S. He has worked as a flight instructor, crop duster, and aerobatic instructor, owning and flying a variety of airplanes including antiques and amateur-built. He became an entrepreneur in manufacturing and established a national trade association. Fascinated by his father’s WWII experience from a young age, Lawrence has collected an extensive library on the CBI (China, Burma, India) Theater including first-hand accounts and audio histories. Two of his father’s original nose art paintings are in the Commemorative Air Force collection and a reproduction is in the National Museum of WWII Aviation. Lawrence V. Drake is the author of a number of books including Schellville, Red Boots Rebel, and When Silence Calls. He has written articles in dozens of national periodicals.