The patch of the United States Strategic Tactical Air Forces.
The 225th’s role in the exhibition was described in an item published in the 7 September 1945 issue of the 56th AAA Brigade newspaper, “The Rhine Valley News,” which read as follows:
“In their role of illuminating historic Eiffel Tower, five sections of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion are providing one of the most striking displays in the USSTAF Exhibition currently showing in Paris. The searchlights, manned by minimum crews, nightly are trained on the noted spire, bringing the world famous web-like structure into sharp relief. On cloudy nights a spectacular reflection of the edifice can be plainly seen in the sky. As symbolic of Paris as is the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building of New York City or as is Big Ben of London, Eiffel Tower is the site of the U.S. Air Force exhibit, which is centered in and about the base of the symbolic structure. The exhibit consists mainly of U.S. Army equipment, most of it air force materiel. It has attracted thousands of patrons since its inception and continues to pack them in daily. Opened in late summer, the show is dedicated to the French people, in recognition of the aid they gave U.S. airmen forced to land on French soil during the pre-invasion days when France was prostrate under the tyrannical heel of her enemy, the Boche. Of all the roles the 225th men have performed – illuminating enemy planes, lighting up U.S. engineer projects for the night shift, homing friendly planes, etc. – most pleasant of all is this present nocturnal adventure in Gay Paree.”
The full story of the Skylighters’ participation in the United States Strategic Tactical Air Forces Military Equipment Exhibition, held at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, in August 1945, will be available soon.
Until then, enjoy some photos snapped by the 225th men and others, including many by French photographers from the Roger Viollet Studios and the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
The exhibition viewed from a plane flying over the Eiffel Tower.
Under the tower are, left to right, a CG-4A Waco glider, a P-61 Black Widow, and a P-47 Thunderbolt.
The P-61 on display, named “Veuve Noire” (French for “Black Widow”) especially for the exhibition. Most of the aircraft on display were re-christened specifically for the event, while others were “lame ducks” that had not seen combat.
Closeup of the nose art, showing a black widow spider in pursuit of an Axis fly.
The radio operator’s sighting station in the tail of the P-61, which had a crew of three, the other two being the pilot and gunner.
Left to right, a P-51 Mustang, B-17 Flying Fortress, and P-47 Thunderbolt. Note the bombs piled at left and right, waiting to be arranged around the B-17. This photo was taken before the exhibit was officially open to the public, but passersby can be seen at the railings getting a sneak peek. Two of the Skylighters searchlights were set up on this side of the tower. The River Seine and Pont d’Iéna (Jena Bridge) are off the top edge of the photograph.
The bombs – all 500 pounders – in their final position, with a line of onlookers entering the exhibit area.
One of the Skylighters’ searchlights and power plants is visible in the fenced-in area on the left-hand side of this photo.Another light has yet to be placed on the opposite side.
A rare color image of the B-17 in the photos directly above this one.
A closeup of the nose art on the B-17G’s fuselage reveals her to be “The Eagle’s Wrath.” Her Norden bombsight and .50-caliber “cheek” guns have been removed.
The “Wrath” shortly after being towed into position.
Another B-17, “Duration Plus,” being admired by the locals.A comparison with the same part of The Eagle’s Wrath shows that her bombsight and cheek guns are still in situ, as is her chin turret.
The B-24 Liberator “Witchcraft II.” The original “Witchcraft” was assigned to the 467th Bomb Group, 790 Bomb Squadron, and compiled an amazing record of 130 combat missions flown (and it still flies at air shows today!).
Two French boys admiring Witchcraft II’s nose art.
A vendor selling flavored ices provides welcome relief from the August heat.
Neatly tucked under the starboard wing of a C-46 Commando transport plane is “Janey,” an L-4B Piper Cub artillery spotter plane. “Janey” saw duty from North Africa through Sicily, Italy, and southern France and into to Germany. She was the only spotter plane to survive the entire war in Europe intact. She also took Gen. George Patton on many flights to observe the ground fighting during Third Army’s dash across France in the Summer and Fall of 1944.
A Douglas A-26 Invader, “Tom Swift’s Flying Machine.”
An overhead shot of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning, aka “The Fork-Tailed Devil.”
This Fourth Fighter Group P-51D-20-NA Mustang was repainted with the group name and logo (Don Allen’s boxing eagle) for the Eiffel Tower exhibition.
“Janine” gets the once-over from grateful Parisians.
A German V-1 pilotless bomb was an object of special curiosity.
The exhibition also featured small pavilions devoted to the critical support arms of the U.S. Army Air Force. Pictured is the IXth (Aviation) Engineer Command display area, dedicated to the engineers that built dozens of airfields across France, Belgium, and Holland during the final assault on Germany. In the foreground can be seen sections of PSP, or pierced-steel planking, perforated metal strips that were used to turn stretches of muddy cow pasture into runways that could support aircraft takeoffs and landings.
Photos by Roger Viollet/Keystone-France/Getty Images
A band gets ready to play as several speeches are made to open the exhibit.
A P-47 Thunderbolt painted to commemorate the exploits of the 56th Fighter Group.
“Angels’ Playmate,” representative of the North-American P-51 Mustang.
A pair of B-17 Flying Fortresses in the background with an A-26 Invader out front. The Palais de Chaillot (aka The Trocadero) is visible on the other side of the River Seine.
A Waco CG-4A glider with a 75-mm howitzer (just below its nose) is prepared for the opening of the exhibition. The Waco was the most widely used American glider during the war, with almost 14,000 built. It could carry 13 men and their equipment.It was also capable of carrying a jeep, howitzer, or supply trailer, any oneof which could beloaded and unloadedthrough its hinged nose. It was also the first glider that could be retrieved from the battlefield by a C-47 specially equipped with a tail hook and rope system designedto catch a loop mounted on the forward top of the Waco’s fuselage.
Men of the U.S. 440th Troop Carrier Group, save for the mannequin outfitted as an American glider infantryman (second from right), prepare the Waco exhibit for prime time, showing how a Willys Jeep could be driven right out of a Waco’s open nose.
A B-26 Marauder, “Je Reviens” (“Ill Be Back”), with two .50-caliber machine guns in their tell-tale “blister” (right) on the side of the fuselage. Another pair of fifties was in a blister on the other side.
