Capt George RAREY

George Rarey, from Enid Oklahoma, was a commercial artist and cartoonist before he was drafted into the USAAC in 1942. Because, at 25, he was a few years older than many of his fellow airmen he earned the title of "Dad". Rarey, as he preferred to call himself, designed and painted most of the nose arts for the 379th Fighter Squadron in their early combat days.

By all accounts, Rarey was a gentle and amiable man who had learned to fly a P47 fighter before he had even learned to drive. And, in spite of the immense demands placed upon him as a fighter pilot, Rarey never stopped drawing and would spend every spare minute sketching the events and personalities which comprised the 362FG. That combination of fighter pilot and artist was a rarity.

The Group did not receive its combat aircraft until the very end of December 1943 and flew its first combat mission on 8th February. It was around this time that most of the nose arts were painted -- Rarey noted in his diary on 15th March that he had completed about half of the 379FS's planes. Each one was, in some way, a reflection of each pilot's character. Lt Shumway's fighter became "Slugger", Geyer's became "Stud", Larsen's "The Deacon", Thurman Morrison's was "Memphis Rebel". In all, Rarey is thought to have completed 28 nose art designs and as a consequence "Mogin's Maulers", as the group had now become known, was indeed a colourful sight.