F-51D pranged..... base ID ? [MacDill AFB ?]

[Swiss Mustangs]

Hi all

two original photographs of P-51D 44-74675 after a mishap - can anyone please ID the base for me ? The aircraft shows coding for training aircraft in the 1947/1948 period and my best guess is MacDill AFB.... the B-29's in the background might be an identification help - confirmations please ? [Scott - Second Air Force ?]






TIA !
Martin

[Second Air Force]

Wow, I'm not sure, but it looks like they are refurbishing B-29s being reactivated from storage. In the first photo, the engineless B-29 in the background still has late-war 468th tail markings but carries red stripe in the national insignia bars. The rudder still has the twin diagonal stripes from the first 468th B.G. markings scheme from the CBI, making this a fairly old Superfort. In photo two, the two B-29s still have WWII tail markings and their original ship-in-Group markings. (T-49 from 498th and the Circle R of the 6th being easily identified.) The B-29 on the far right has the lead ship fuselage band of the 444th.

If I were to guess, I'd say it could be Mac Dill due to the early style hangars (and the large number of them) as well as the steel storm drain grate visible in the second photo. It is possible that it could have been taken somewhere else, possibly Tinker, as they stored a large number of veterans there, but I can pretty much rule out the Kansas or Nebraska bases that were still operational by '47. A further thought, could this have been shot at Keesler? Someone submitted some excellent photos of B-29s at Keesler on another thread, I'll try to find them and match up the hangars.

Excellent photos of post war hardware!
Scott

[Second Air Force]

Martin,

It appears that your photos were taken at Keesler in 1947. Go here and look at the hangars, water tower, background scenery, and I think Keesler is the station. http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... eesler+b29 Go to each of the six threads for this great set of photos and study hard! Thanks to August (k5083) for posting Mr. Kamm's photos.

Here are a couple of Richard's photos that clarify the location:


Notice the water tower and treeline in the P-47 photo, and the large quantity of the same style hangars as in your two pictures.

I'd guess not many of these aircraft ever left Keesler except in pieces after being maintenance trainers.
Scott

[Swiss Mustangs]

Scott

thanks a lot for your insights !

cordially
Martin

[Second Air Force]

While I was studying Martin's photos, I decided to research the B-29 in his second picture.

T-49 was a B-29-35-BW sn 42-24544. She was assigned to 73rd Wing, 498th Group, 875th Squadron and flew sixty missions. Baugher's site doesn't show where she was broken up or when. I'll keep working on the others.

Scott

[Swiss Mustangs]

need high-rez scans, Scott ?

please PM me your e-mail addy.
thanks

Martin