The DRAGON AND HIS TAIL (PIC 1)

NAME	TP	-	M#	SER	-	BLK	-	MF	SERIAL #	AF	BG	BS	SC	RCL/#	V#-P	PHOTO CREDITS
DRAGON AND HIS TAIL, The	B	-	24	J	-	190	-	CO	44-40973	5	43	64	~	973	00-1	N/A

Artist - S/Sgt Sarkis E. Bartigan

Contributor - Brendan Wood

Info Contributor - Gerson Lopes
When the plane was on the island of Ie Shima (after the war ended), General Kenny, commander of the 5th Air Force, wanted to keep the plane and fly it back to the United States. The plane was equipped with "synthetic" rubber tires, which was a brand new deal back then, and the General wanted "real" rubber tires on the plane when he took it back to the States. So he literally "scoured" the pacific in order to find the real rubber tires, and had them flown in to Ie Shima and fitted onto the plane. After a thorough pre-flight, he took off in the plane for a check-out flight, wherein, all went well, and they were to return to the island and leave the next day. Upon landing, one of the damn rubber tires blew-out and the plane skidded off the runway and crashed!