DEDICATED TO 340th BG 487th BS B-25 PILOT

CAPT. JAMES A. LITTLEFIELD

Site edited and maintained by Doug Cook

 

PHOTO ALBUM

 

Training

 

B-25 Planes

 

Alesan Base Life

 

 

 
 
             

 

I am a former B-25 pilot [now 87 years old - Jan 2008] with the 487th Squadron. I was in Corsica from May 21, 1944 to Dec.30, 1944. I flew 66 missions. My name is shown on the mission sheets as J.A. Littlefield. [My photo] negatives were developed by me in a tent over on Corsica and forgotten over the years.  I have had a photographer put a lot of previously unprinted pictures on a disk.

 

                                        A former 487th pilot,

                                       (Capt) James A. Littlefield

                                        8601 Seven Oaks Lane

                                        Denton, TX 76210

 

MISSIONS

(ONLY A FEW OF LITTLEFIELD’S 66 MISSIONS ARE DOCUMENTED BELOW)

Three “boxes” of 487th Squadron planes outbound on a mission

 

 

 

 

June 10, 1944  Mission Target  Fano M/Y  Lt. James Littlefield’s 10th mission.

 

I have a Distinguished Flying Cross and 13 Air Medals. I was given the DFC for getting back from my 10th mission on one engine and we ran out of fuel, brakes shot out and my good engine quit 1/4 of the way down the runway. We crashed, but no one was hurt badly. Everyone else got the Purple Heart. [Your father’s album had] one of the pictures of 7D [after the landing].

 

340th BG 487th BS - SN 43-27556 - 7D

From Charles Cook’s 487th Squadron Album dated ~June 1944

 

In regard to 7D, It's been a longtime since that happened, I can't say that it was my skill and determination that got us back. I did what I had been taught to do to get the plane and crew back. It was something a lot of pilots did from time to time. We were hit [by flak] over the target and lost the right engine and on this mission we were breaking left and down after we had dropped our bombs so I lost a lot of altitude. We were leaking fuel but we couldn't see it.  The B-25 could maintain altitude on one engine but couldn’t climb. We tossed out some equipment that wasn't tied down in order to clear the mountains on Italy’s west coast. We had no problems and made clear approach, with the meat wagons waiting on us. I lowered the nose and checked the brakes and they seemed OK. I then pulled the nose up to kill some speed. When the nose came down, the right brake gave away and the left brake locked. I hit the left throttle to bring the ship to the right and the left engine ran out of fuel, taking us left. I told the copilot to pull the emergency air lever. He pumped the hydraulic pump instead. We hit an old bomb casing, knocking out the nose gear. The mission [target] as have it noted in my log book was Fano [M/Y June 10, 1944  NE coast of Italy- a long way to  limp back to Corsica!].

 

Fano, Italy today (NE coast)

 

 

 

 

Corbola, Italy today

 

 

489th BG Photo in James Littlefields collection   Aug 8, 1944 Piave Susegana, Italy RR BR Direct Hit

 

Piave Susegana Today

 

 

Ferrara, Italy today

 

 

 

 

Dramont, France today- bombed in advance of D-Day invasion

 

 

La Ciotat, France today- bombed in advance of D-Day invasion

 

 

Southern France D-Day (Aug 15, 1944):  1st Lt. James A. Littlefield flew several missions in support Aug 12-19, 1944

 

 

 

Orange, France today

 

486th Bomb Squadron hitting the RR bridge over the Po River at Casale Monferreto, Italy  Sept 3, 1944  (Littlefield collection)

 

Casale Monferreto, Italy  today.

 

 

487th Bomb Squadron mission near Rimini, Italy (Littlefield collection)

 

487th Bomb Squadron mission hitting the Magenta, Italy RR Bridge (Littlefield collection).

The bright explosions are phosphorous bombs hitting German anti-aircraft gun positions.

 

Magenta, Italy RR Bridge today.

 

 

 

 

Littlefield

 

Training

 

B-25 Crews & Planes

 

Alesan Base Life

 

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