The 57th Fighter Group
The Lucky Little Bell of San Michele
This is a page from 65th Fighter Squadron P-47 pilot Lt. Jimmie R. Long, Jr.'s book "Tales From The Fighting Cocks Roost" that describes the Lucky Little Bell of San Michele.
Here's the story of the Lucky Little Bell of San Michele as it appears in Jimmie Long's book about the 65th FS of the 57th Fighter Group.
65th Fighter Squadron P-47 pilot Dwight Orman sent me the photos above of his A-2 flight jacket (left = front and right = back) showing how and where his Lucky Little Bell of San Michele was fastened. Dwight's bell is missing but you can see the links and hasp where it was at one time attached. Dwight says he never believed in the bell being lucky but he went along with everyone else and wore one. He said some guys were lucky and some guys weren't regardless of whether they wore the bell or not. It was lucky for Dwight. I've yet to hear what the bells cost.
Here is B-25 pilot Bill Bierd's field jacket with his Lucky Little Bell of San Michele pinned over his 381st Bomb Squadron insignia. The bell was lucky for Bill too!
George Underwood from the 381st Bombardment Squadron, 310th Bombardment Group also got a Lucky Little Bell of San Michele at Capri but the documentation that came with his bell tells a different story than the one above. I guess it was just as lucky for George however!
Here's George Underwood's A2 flight jacket with the Lucky Little Bell of San Michele attached just over his 381st Bombardment Squadron patch.
Here's a nice close-up of George Underwood's Lucky Bell of Capri (photo by George Underwood).
This little montage shows several different views of Quentin Kaiser's Lucky Little Bell of San Michele from Capri. Quentin Kaiser, my father, was a radio-gunner in the 489th squadron of the 340th Bomb Group stationed at Alesani, Corsica.
The Bell of San Michele above indicates it is "Luchy" rather than "Lucky." This unusual Capri bell was discovered by Wilkes Coleman.
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