DOPEY (V1) (PIC 2)

NAME

SER

BLK

SERIAL #

RCL/#

V#-P

PHOTO CREDITS

DOPEY

41-23781

345

01-2

ARTHUR ROCKWOOD

Port (Left) Side - Starboard has ARKANSAS TRAVELER - Walt Disney Character - "Snow White Theme"

Contributor - Bill Whitney
This is the first DOPEY painted by Amos Nicholson. First saw service with the 98th BG 345th BS as a radar equipped sea search airplane (the identification letter "Y" shown on it's nose after ARKANSAS TRAVELER had been added indicates prior 345th BS ownership). Newly designated Crew Chief Amos Nicholson (over in the 98th BG 343rd BS) was given this airplane to care for about Feb 1943 and the radar equipment was removed and bomb-racks added to convert the ship back to a bomber role. The operational career of DOPEY/ARKANSAS TRAVELER lasted only until 11 Apr 43 when it was consigned to the Service Group for repairs. In mid-June this airplane was destroyed in the service group area by (1) enemy agents, (2) enemy paratroops, or (3) by American G.I.s who washed the plane in gasoline and then accidentally set it on fire, depending of which source you want to believe.

Info Contributor - Amos Nicholson (Artist/Crew Chief) / via Charles Brummel (Nephew)
Along with ARKANSAS TRAVELER, I painted two versions of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, PRINCE CHARMING, and all "Seven Dwarfs" (three versions of DOPEY) on B24-Ds in the Libyan desert in Africa 1942-43. I never signed them and never got credit.