 I was just thinking about why Jack Ilfrey and his old instructor R.C.Franklin
were such great combat leaders. Besides the fact that both their minds kicked
into high-gear when the pressure was on and their outstanding flying
abilities, was that they both were superb teachers. If someone wasn't doing
something quite right, instead of coming down hard on him, they would make a
joke out of it, get everyone to laughing, then make the guy feel like, what
ever it was about, he was the best in the world at it.
My first mission was wingman to Franklin. Seeing, feeling, and hearing all
that flak was pretty scary. Every time a burst jolted my airplane I would move
in closer. Franklin kept telling me to move out, but another flak burst would
just move me in closer. After the mission landed, Franklin started in telling
the story, and had everyone laughing. He convinced everyone that he had
finally found the world's best formation flyer, but just needed to move out
and look around. I was made to feel good that at least I could do something
right, and the next time I would know what to do, and not to get on to his
lap.
"Strictly Stella's Baby" with Maj. Franklin and his crew, (l to r:) Jim Cavalier, Isadore Jaffe, Franklin, Max Pyles (Crew Chief,) Charles Fink. The aircraft and it's crew were given over to Lt. Art Heiden when Franklin was promoted to headquarters.
On the first Berlin mission, I had a runaway prop on takeoff, and had to
abort. This time Franklin had me research and write a comprehensive essay on
the Curtis Electric Propeller (see advertisement above.) After submitting two or three rewrites it was
accepted and then he had me give lectures on how they worked and why they ran
away. Again he got laughs and I became the prop expert--in my mind, at least.
Jack used the same tactics, made humor out of serious situations, and made the
culprit feel good about himself.
Franklin's P-38 was named "Strictly Stella's Baby" and at the end of his tour he handed it over to Lt. Art Heiden.
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