| Original caption: “Sergeant J.S. Wilson, United States Army, painting a design on the prow of a bomber based at Eniwetok.” Wilson paints nose art on Consolidated PB4Y-1P “Sleepy Time Gal” Number 22 from Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron 4 (VD-4). Dozens of aircraft were named that, after a popular song from the 1942 film of the same name. In June 1944, VD-4 operated 8 PB4Y-1P equipped for combat photographic operations under Fleet Air Wing 2. The squadron had 52 officers and 311 enlisted men. From Eniwetok in June 1944, it flew combat photo missions in support of the Marianas invasions. PB4Y-1P “Sleepy Time Gal,” United States Navy Bureau of Aviation Number 32122, was accepted from the United States Army Air Force on June 8, 1943. The aircraft served with VD-4 from August to October 1943, and then was part of the pool of aircraft available to Fleet Air Wing 14 from December 1944 to February 1945. In March 1945, the aircraft returned to Naval Air Station San Diego. From May to September 1945, 32122 was available to the aircraft pool at Naval Air Station Clinton, Oklahoma. The aircraft was stricken on October 31, 1945. The artist is most likely United States Navy Seaman 2nd Class S. J. Wilson (March 20, 1920 – October 3, 2000). Wilson worked for 3 years at Vultee Aircraft before the war. He was stationed at Palikulo Bay Airfield in Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, which was also a PB4Y base. He was a banker after World War II. United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Charles Fenno Jacobs (December 14, 1904 – June 27, 1974) was recruited by United States Navy Commander Edward Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) to join his Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, 1 of the original 6 photographers to join him. Fenno Jacobs, renowned for his offbeat sense of humor, excelled at portraying soldiers’ bodies as comparable to the steel weapons they served. When the war ended, the Steichen 6 marched into Fortune Magazine in uniform and suggested they be hired and given an area of the world to photograph. Jacobs received Europe as his photographic domain. He went onto 3 exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art postwar. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2279.jpg |
| Image Size | 751.89 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2484 x 2556 |
| Photographer | Charles Fenno Jacobs |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 1, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Eniwetok |
| Country | Marshalls |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-401702 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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