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Hawk914
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And this is a super-groovy shot of 3rd BG A-20s tearing up an airfield in the Raleigh, NC area during wargames in 1941. They're followed closely by USN F4F Wildcats.

 

In the background are A-24 Banshees, also most likely of the 3rd BG and some Navy SBC Helldivers. The aircraft in the foreground is a B-24A...

 

Wolfie,

 

Do you have any more 3rd Attack photos? I'd never seen that one. The group has a special interest for me.

 

Thanks,

Tom thumbsup.gif

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Do you have any more 3rd Attack photos? I'd never seen that one. The group has a special interest for me.

Yeah, I think there's some more stuff lurking in the archives... will take a looksee.

 

What's your special interest, if I may ask?

 

 

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I picked these three photos up last year. They came together and were most likely taken in Italy during 1944. They're small proofs, and so did not scan too well. But what they lack in quality they make up for in their scarcity...

 

Actually, this first shot isn't all that scarce... it's a rather ho-hum and poorly composed photo of an anonymous C-47. The only noteworthy feature of this bird is the fact that the insignia under the right wing is crooked...

 

ItalyC-47b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

 

This next shot shows a 332nd FG (Tuskegee Airmen) P-51B or C. Private photos such as this one are rather hard to come by; beyond a good number of official AAF photos, the 332nd does not seem to have been one of the more photographed fighter groups.

 

This photo is also significant because the P-51 shown may have come to the 332nd from the 52nd FG. The light area on the rear fuselage between the red tail and national insignia looks like it could be the remains of the 52nd's yellow tail, which had a thin black border as shown here.

 

P-51332ndFGItaly001b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

 

This is perhaps the most interesting of these three photos. At first it seems to be a ho-hum photo of a ho-hum P-39Q. But this may be a 332nd FG Airacobra, which would make it a somewhat rare photo because the 332nd flew P-39s for only a very brief period of time in 1944. I still have some research to do, however...

 

ItalyP-39b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

 

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This is the second XP-51, serial number 41-039.

 

XP-5141-038001b.jpg

NACA (NASA) photo via Project 914 Archives

 

 

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This has to be one of the most well-known wartime photos of the Curtiss P-40...

 

P40E4911FS004b.jpg

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Project 914 Archives

 

 

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31st PG P-39Ds during the Carolina Maneuvers in early 1941...

 

P-39s31PGWargames001b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

 

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XB-32 Terminator... this is serial #41-142, the second prototype.

 

XB-3241-142001a.jpg

Don Miller collection via Project 914 Archives

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I recently rediscovered this image of early A-20s on the hard drive. It's a photo that can be found in a few issues of Airpower/Wings rag, but this image came from somewhere on the net. I think these are A-20As...

 

321b.jpg

Image source: unknown web

 

 

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I'm looking for an ID on this ship... it's from the 49th BS, 2nd BG.

 

The first two digits of the tail number are '33', the third appears to be a '7' and the last two appear to be '53', although it's tough to make out. Could be '83' too.

 

If the first three digits are '537', that would place this ship somewhere in the -65,-70 or -75 production blocks.

 

Any info would be welcome...

 

49BS001b.jpg

Click for larger image

Image source: unknown web

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Hi Steve,

I have been goofing around on a couple of web sites concerning this tail number.

I just cant make out the tail # very clear on my monitor. bummer..

I don't know if you have checked these out, the first is;

http://www.2ndbombgroup.org/

they have a searchable database that is really nice!

The other site is;

http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/usafserials.html

This site is just plain awsome!!

Hope this helps,

Charlie

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Hiya Charlie, thanks... I'd already checked both of those sites.

 

The serial number site sees alotta use in my house, actually. (I started a thread about this site in the research section sometime back.) It is pretty useful, isn't it? There's an externally-run search engine for the info on that site, but it's been down for a while. However, I just checked it now and it's back up! I've linked to it in that other thread but here 'tis again... Aircraft Serial Number Search

 

Anyhoo, thanks much for looking around... I do appreciate it. And your post made me realize that I may have made a mistake in trying to interpret the tail number. Will have to go back and do it again. I think I also made a typo in that post, which I'll fix if need be...

 

Oh, by the way, I just checked my email... thanks a bunch! The scans are excellent. Here's a look at another P-40F which was used in that movie...

 

scan0001c.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

For those wondering 'What Movie?', this P-40 was used in the flick 'God is My Copilot', from 1945... starring Dennis Morgan as Bob Scott, Raymond Massey as Chennault and Andrea King as Catherine Scott.

 

Here's a candid photo of Morgan and King, shot during production.

 

BTS-GodCoPilot-5.jpg

Image source: unknown web

 

 

According to one reference, the P-40s used in the movie were from the 554th FTS from Luke AAF, which makes sense as the flying was shot at Luke. I haven't been able to confirm the unit ID though. The B-25 in the background is one of twelve used in the film, supposedly from the 952nd TS at Mather Field.

 

If anyone has any information concerning this film and the USAAF units involved in its production, please contact me, as I'd like to add a page for this flick on my P-40 site.

 

 

Thanks again Charlie!

 

 

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Steve-O,

Hey, did you notice how beat up that P-40 was in that picture?

BTW my neighbor flew the B-25H (as in your post #22) in the CBI and also flew the Hump.

He didn't really talk about it to much, and now he is to sick, but he did give me a self published booklet about his experiences during WWII.

 

Charlie

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Steve-O,

Hey, did you notice how beat up that P-40 was in that picture?

Yeah, these things weren't always kept lookin' perty! Here's a grungy P-40 from Luke AAF circa 1942. There's a number of color shots of this ship which show even better just how grungy it was.

 

P-40LukeField1942a.jpg

USAAF (USAF) photo via Project 914 Archives

 

BTW my neighbor flew the B-25H (as in your post #22) in the CBI and also flew the Hump.

He didn't really talk about it to much, and now he is to sick, but he did give me a self published booklet about his experiences during WWII.

Now that's something I'd like to see! Please share whatever you can when you have the time. Too bad this fella's not well... I wish these guys weren't leaving us as rapidly as they are nowadays... crying.gif

 

 

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Charlie Flick

Steve:

 

I continue to enjoy your photo posts. Great stuff, so keep it up.

 

I have a special interest in Hamilton Field (California) these days. Might you have any good pics of aircraft or the facilities there as of 1944-45? I have done the usual google stuff.

 

BTW, what are the Project 914 archives?

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

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Thanks Charlie, plenty more to come...

 

I'll see what I have on Hamilton Field. A quick look shows that I have nada stored on the PC for that airfield, so I'll take a look through the library. What's your interest in Hamilton?

 

As to the 'Project 914 Archives'... well, that's a fancy way of saying 'my collection'.

 

I've kinda made it one of my missions in life to study all of this stuff and to share what I have and what I know with others. It's just my way of trying to make sure that these men and their flying machines are never forgotten.

 

So it's become a project of sorts, and I dubbed my efforts in this vain as 'Project 914'. The name actually came about as result of an inside joke within a circle of friends, but I take this 'Project 914' business seriously, at least to the extent of placing everything I do along these lines under that label. That includes not only my photo/image and information collecting, but also other things such as model building, my artwork, websites and other web projects, etc.

 

So if an image has the credit line of 'Project 914 Archives', it means that I have an actual print or negative/positive in my possession.

 

The only exception is if you see 'Don Miller collection via Project 914 Archives'. I was lucky enough to have known this man and he was kind enough to let me scan a bunch of photos from his monstrous collection. Unfortunately, Don passed away many years back and, knowing his family, the photos and other things were probably just pitched. And it's a damn shame because he had thousands of original photos, negatives and slides. From what he told me, I was one of very few folks that Don allowed to freely peruse his collection, and I've spent many an evening with him, going through the stuff and shootin' the bull and all that. And I'm proud to say that, to my knowledge, I'm the only person whom Don allowed to borrow from his collection, and everything I borrowed was scanned and stored digitally. I regret that, at the time, I didn't know what the heck I was doing when it came to scanning and all that, so none of the images I made from his photos are high-resolution. (ARRRRGH!!!) If only I'd had some foresight back then. Oh well...

 

Anyhoo, that's the 'long-short' of 'Project 914 Archives'. (You can wake up now, I'm all through babbling...)

 

I'll see what I can find about Hamilton Field.

 

 

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Here's a couple of factory shots showing the A-31 Vengeance. These come from a large series of photos on the Library of Congress website.

 

8d07150u1a.jpg

Image source: Library of Congress website

 

 

8d07104u1.jpg

Image source: Library of Congress website

 

 

Many of the images from the LOC site are small, low-resolution jobs, like these. (although I've enlarged and cleaned them up some) They seem to have updated a few with high-resolution images and I hope that they do so with this whole series because it consists of a large number of really groovy shots showing Vengeances on the assembly line and under test at the factory.

 

 

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Charlie Flick
Thanks Charlie, plenty more to come...

 

I'll see what I have on Hamilton Field. A quick look shows that I have nada stored on the PC for that airfield, so I'll take a look through the library. What's your interest in Hamilton? I'll see what I can find about Hamilton Field.

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Hey Steve:

 

My interest in Hamilton Field is this. I recently came to own an USGI Ithaca manufactured M1911A1 .45 pistol. I have learned that it was shipped from Ithaca to Hamilton Field in 1944, and I have a copy of the shipping documents. Thus, I would like to find out more about what was happening at Hamilton at that time. I have been told that it may have been a staging field for B-29 aircrews heading to the PTO, but I am early in my research and have not confirmed that yet. In the first half of the war I understand that it was a training field for fighter squadrons flying the P-38, P-39 and P-40 aircraft.

 

Too bad about your friend and the loss of his images. His family should have, at a minimum, donated them to the image library of the American Aviation Historical Society. What a loss, but it is good that you managed to at least salvage something for posterity.

 

Thanks for the post, and any help on Hamilton Field.

 

Charlie

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So far I'm having little luck on Hamilton Field. I have one reference which may contain some good information but it is a sizable book the index doesn't list individual airfields for some reason. So it may take some time for me to go through it.

 

 

On with the show! How'sabout some Korean War stuff?

 

Here's one which I had occasion to scan tonight in order to settle an argument debate on another forum. I have conflicting information as to the date and location; one source says it's Pusan in September 1950 while another says Chinhae, Fall 1952. I'm somewhat inclined to go with the latter, but would like to hear from anyone who knows for sure.

 

One thing's for sure... these are F-51s of the 18th FBG. The aircraft with the sharkmouths and yellow-tipped tails are from the 12th FBS, while the red-tails belong to the 67th FBS.

 

scan0032b.jpg

Image source: Shark's Teeth Nose Art by Jeff Ethell

 

 

This next image came from an Osprey book, the title of which I cannot recall at the moment. Here's the caption from the book:

 

"Col Stanton T Smith, Commander of the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing, makes a final adjustment to his scarf before boarding his aircraft for a combat mission! The nose is painted in the colors of the Wing's three constituent Fighter Bomber Squadrons: blue for the 7th, yellow for the 8th and red for the 9th. After operating from Japanese bases, the Wing moved to Taegu (K-2) in late September 1950, becoming the first jet fighter unit in the combat area to operate inside Korea. Dust and stones kicked up by the taxying F-80s caused many problems, and the PSP runway quickly wore out!"

 

F-8049thFBW001a.jpg

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Image source: unknown publication (Jack Jenkins photo)

 

 

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Here's a small tribute to a local hero in my neck of the woods... Walter Grabowski. Walter was a Jug driver with the 511th Fighter Squadron, 405th Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force. Unfortunately we lost this fine fellow a couple of years back.

 

These first two shots are from a well-known series and have both appeared in print many times. The first shows Walter in the cockpit of a 'razorback' which is fitted with a fairly rare canopy mod for the P-47, similar to the 'Malcolm Hood' seen on P-51Bs and Cs.

 

Walter002b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

Walter003b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

 

This shot is evidence that Walter was a busy guy during his time with the 411th!

 

Walter004b.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

 

The umbrellas denote 'top cover' sorties, probably covering Ninth AF bombers. The aircraft silhouettes probably indicate aircraft destroyed on the ground. The bombs, of course, are for bombing missions. The brooms are for fighter sweeps.

 

The fighter groups of the Eighth AF often draw the most attention from enthusiasts, as their job was mainly to escort the heavies on bombing missions and engage the Luftwaffe in the air. And dogfighting with the enemy seems to hold more allure for many. The boys from the Eighth did see a considerable bit of air to ground action as well, but the fighter groups of the Ninth AF were the AAF's true ground attack pros in the ETO. Their primary function almost from the get-go was to shoot up anything and everything on the ground.

 

Not as 'glamorous' as air to air combat, perhaps. (which they also saw a bit of) But it was a damned dangerous business... a helluvalot more so than dogfighting. Up at 15 thousand feet you might have a couple of enemy aircraft shooting at you at any given time, usually only one. Yeah, that's dangerous enough. But down on the deck, especially if you were hitting an airfield, you had all sortsa sh*t coming your way... from actual flak guns to rifles, pistols and who knows what the hell else. If they had something that could hurt you and were in a position to use it, they probably tried their damnedest to knock you down. There've even been stories of guys throwing rocks...

 

Another hazard was the very fact that they were flying low... trees, telephone poles, high tension wires, buildings and the ground don't mix too well with airplanes that are screaming along at a few hundred miles an hour fifty feet off the deck. Many a pilot was lost to collisions with objects on the ground... or the ground itself.

 

So, although it's not my intention to take anything away from the Eighth AF fighter jocks, or any others, I must say that if I had to pick one group of USAAF airmen who truly earned their paychecks, it would have to be the likes of Walter and his comrades among the ranks of the Ninth AF fighter pilots...

 

 

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Here's a couple shots from a well known series of photos showing P-6Es of the 17th PS, 1st PG. I'm not sure of the date here, but it's probably 1929-1931 or thereabouts.

 

P-6Es17PS001.jpg

Project 914 Archives

 

P-6Es17PS002.jpg

USAAC (USAF) photo (web)

 

 

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This is P-6E 32-244 at the 1932 National Air Races in Cleveland.

 

P-6E32-244001b.jpg

Image source: unknown web

 

 

Here's P-6E 32-274, displaying the 1st Pursuit Group's insignia on the rudder in 1931.

 

P-6E32-274001b.jpg

Image source: unknown web

 

 

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Here's a look at the ball turret on a rather well-known B-17... ;)

 

1145043059a.jpg

USAAF (USAF) photo

 

 

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And here's a really nice shot of an A-20A. I don't know the unit, but it might be the 3rd Attack Group...

 

3214-3.jpg

USAAF (USAF) photo

 

 

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This P-39D (serial #41-28378) was being tested by NACA when this photo was taken in March of 1943...

 

P-39D-141-28378001b.jpg

NACA (NASA) photo

 

 

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These P-40Fs were assigned to the Army Air Forces advanced flying school at Moore Field, Texas in 1943.

 

 

8e01391u2.jpg

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Project 914 Archives

 

 

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