Emma M Utter
Military
media-414198.jpg
FRE 8021
Private First Class Emma Utter of the Women's Army Corps paints the nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 44-50505) nicknamed "Pallas Athene- The GI Jane" of the 392nd Bomb Group. Passed for publication 12 Feb 1944. Printed caption on reverse: 'A W.A.C. Christens A Liberator. To honour their khaki-klad sisters, the W.A.C.S. - members of the crew of a Liberator, operating from a British base, painted on their ship the W.A.C. insignia - the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Pallas Athene and named the 'plane G.I. Jane. (G.I. stands for Government Issue and has become the American slang for Army personnel). The original "G.I. Jane" - Cpl. Hazel I. Bliss of Portland, Oregon, performed the christening ceremony. The plane, until now only known by its call letter, V for Voctory[sic], belongs to a Liberator group which bagged 45 enemy aircraft in less than a six month period. Keystone Photo Shows:- PFC Emma Utter of Sagola, Mich. is clever with the brush so she puts the finishing touches to the W.A.C. insignia. JW/F. Keystone. 14-15-16-17.' Censor no: 304772. On reverse: Keystone Press Agency, US Army Press Censor ETO and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau [Stamps].
Roger Freeman Collection
IWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Emma Utter served with the 2nd Air Division HQ in England. In February 1944, she was part of the WAC unit who christened a B-24 'Pallas Athene'. Emma put the finishing touches onto the new nose art and was one of eleven WACs who were taken on a short flight after the event.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Headquarters
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: Women's Army Corps 2nd Air Division
- Service Numbers: A-200081
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Women's Army Corps
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Pallas Athene
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Military site
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Enlisted |
Marquette, MI, USA | 12 February 1943 | |
Sagola, MI, USA | |||
Born |
Michigan, USA |
Revisions
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources
NARA enlistment record: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf…
ContributorLucy May
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Listing from E. Cohen