Hellertown & Lower Saucon V-Mail archives

Saucon Valley Defenders – Update February 3, 2025

 

Did you know that a P-47 fighter plane was named after the borough of Hellertown in July 1943?

 

This information reached the Saucon Valley Defenders Committee through a letter from Pfc. Francis Gollinger, who was stationed at the Orlando Air Base in Florida. Before enlisting, he drove a Lehigh Valley Dairy truck around town. He had seen the plane and recognized the name on it—so it must have indeed been the real “McCoy.” The acquisition of war bonds in sufficient quantities made this feasible.

 

This July 1943 Saucon Valley Defenders V-Mail, signed “Faithfully yours, CHRISTOPHER HELLER,” makes for intriguing reading. It talks about the July 4th fireworks and mentions many locals, including Freeman, Kies, Sabo, Wagner, Ache, Schellhase, Bergstresser, Hoppes, Heffner, and Gozzard. 

 

The local war support initiatives of the Boy Scouts and the Edward Ackerman Post of the American Legion were acknowledged, along with the local volunteers at the Hellertown Observation Post who completed the Army’s airplane recognition course.  

 

Please help! If you have any information about the P-47 airplane named after the Borough of Hellertown, please share it on this blog so others can appreciate how the efforts of the Saucon Valley Defenders and the Borough of Hellertown were recognized during the war years.

• Did this WWII-era fighter plane serve in the European or Pacific theatre?

• When did it first fly?

• When was it retired or lost in combat?

• Are there any photos or news articles that can be shared on this blog?

 

To leave a comment (below) on this Blog, you will need to sign in with a GOOGLE ID (if you have one) and click on the COMMENT link at the very bottom of this (or any other) blog post. Note: if no comments have been yet been posted, the link will read “No Comments” - just click on that!

 

Also, if you have not downloaded the 80 V-Mails from published by the Saucon Valley Defenders, please follow these instructions: the complete collection of these communications are immediately available for downloading as one rather LARGE word-searchable PDF (Adobe) file that can be used for targeted searches for names or other pertinent information you may be interested in. The link to this file will appear on the sidebar of this blog - click on the picture REACH YOUR BOY OVERSEAS. The files are printable should you desire copies for family members and friends.

 

Enjoy the read, and hopefully, we can get more information on the P-47!

 

Ken Bloss & Dan Ruth