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Associated reading by Matt Bryden
Hello, Martin:
My name is Matt Bryden. I found you via Scott Lindley. You have
credited me with a pic of the Tempo II that, to the best of my knowledge (albeit limited) once passed through the hands of
a guy named Ed Koch in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Here are some pics of A-26's that might be new to you, if that is possible.
I'm sorry that my company's scanner converts the pics into .pdf format. I hope that there is freeware today that will
convert the pics to .jpg or better yet, .png format.
Thanks for all you do, and please have a Merry Christmas
MB
Matt continues:
These pics surfaced after my father died in 1997. He was one of those
who joined the USAAF in the second week of December 1941--flew Marauders in Africa and Europe for 40 missions, returned to
the states and eventually got assigned to be the Commanding Officer of a squadron of Invaders that went to the Pacific and
ultimately replaced the Boston/Havoc squadron that was the 13th squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group--a squadron that went way back
to WWI that called itself the "Devil's Own Grim Reapers"
John R. Bryden III rarely talked about the war, and when he did it was a
carefully selected recollection. He did note that when his squadron arrived, the Bostons were taxied up to the
edge of a cliff and then a bulldozer pushed them over into the ocean. He also said he remembered the day MacLellan
painted the Grim Reaper (Oscar) on the noses.
In 1995, a guy named Russ Newman bought a B-25 and had it rebuilt in
Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was part of the crew that reassembled "Old Glory" That summer I managed to pry some "war
stories" out of the old man, but the 3 or so I managed to get him to recall left him exhausted.
The point is, I wish I could give you
some background regarding the pics, but I cannot. Sorry about that, but I'm certain you understand.
I have been able to determine with some certainty that the last pic
was taken over Tulsa, Oklahoma. The building behind the nose of the plane is the Philtower, the building behind the
turret is/was the National Bank of Tulsa, and the Mayo hotel is beneath the tail.
That's all I know.
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