P-40 refreshers

[Nathan]

Hi everyone,

Just been reading up on a few things. Reading up on the P-40's in the Pacific is always enjoyable to me. Here is a few refreshers on a few subject. Its just brief but interesting.

On December 7, 1941 the Japanese Navy bombed Hawaii. As you know several USAAC Pursuit pilots managed to get airborne. Including the famous Lt's. George Welch and Ken Taylor of the 47PS. Original credit gave Welch 4 victories and Taylor with 2. But now the latest possible findings is that Taylor got 4 and Welch just 2. Either way we cannot forget the actions made by these men during the early battles for the Pacific. Welch and Taylor made two sorties that day. Welch made a third sortie flying along with John Dains in a P-36 who earlier shot down a Japanese airplane in a P-40. Sadly Lt. Dains was shot down and killed by friendly fire on this mission.

Also a another notable and exceptional pilot that got airborne that morning was 2LT. Emmett "Cyclone" Davis who managed to save 3 P-36's at Wheeler before taking off in a P-40 and headed towards Barbers Point. He saw nothing there. In the meantime he managed to tag along with 3 other pilots from the 45PS, they were: Lt. Gabby Gabreski, Shifflet, and Laurence. They flew over Pearl Harbor but were being fired on by US Navy gunners and resorted flying back to Wheeler to prevent being shot down by friendly fire. Of course Gabby Gebreski would go on as the leading USAAF ace in Europe while "Cyclone" Davis would later become CO of the 35FS, 8th FG in the Pacific.

Enjoy,
Nathan

[Walrus 7]

Nathan,

How many was Taylor originally credited with?

I watched Tora Tora Tora on the weekend and saw all those lovely P-40s destroyed on the ground. Great sequences, but painful to watch.

Walrus

[Matt Gunsch]

Nathan,

How many was Taylor originally credited with?

I watched Tora Tora Tora on the weekend and saw all those lovely P-40s destroyed on the ground. Great sequences, but painful to watch.

Walrus

They were fiberglass P-40s, but the PBYs that were blown up were real.

[Jack Cook]

Sam Hitchcock of the 6th Pursuit also got airborne in a P-40B.
He and Ken Taylor were very goos friends and flew together in the 44th FS on Guadalcanal. I have a wonderful shot of them flying their P-40Fs over the slot. Hitchcock later commanded the 366th FS 358th FG flying P-47Ds for the last 5 months of the war in the ETO.
BTW Hitchcok's original 44th FS P-40F #106 "Pee Wee" is under rebuild by Judy Pay in Australia.

[Nathan]

I am not sure what the count is right now David Aiken would know more on that. In Tora, Tora, Tora I beleive 5 real PBY's were used and destroyed during the film! Also in that sceen you can see the tail of a B-50 in the background.

Also the sceen where the "Zero" crashed into the hanger to what was suppost to be an A-20 was actually a B-25 made to look like an A-20. I can't tell if that was real or just a model. To me it looked like a model but maybe someone else on here would know more on that.

At Bellows Field Han Christensan(sp?) was killed in the cockpit of his P-40. Sam Bishop got airborne but was shot down shortly after...he survived. George Whiteman was about to get airborne but was killed by strafers and crashed. Was there ever any photo evidence of that wreck? Also is it possible that Sam Bishops P-40 wreck is still lying off the shore to Bellows? Possible recovery maybe?

cheers,
Nate

[Nathan]

Sam Hitchcock of the 6th Pursuit also got airborne in a P-40B.
He and Ken Taylor were very goos friends and flew together in the 44th FS on Guadalcanal. I have a wonderful shot of them flying their P-40Fs over the slot. Hitchcock later commanded the 366th FS 358th FG flying P-47Ds for the last 5 months of the war in the ETO.
BTW Hitchcok's original 44th FS P-40F #106 "Pee Wee" is under rebuild by Judy Pay in Australia.

Jack,

Would you know anything about a blue painted B-17E that operated out of Henderson Field 42-43? Interesting history that airplane has but the fate of her and the crew is sad. If you got any info on that I would appreciate it.

Also another favorite P-40 pilot of mine....Lt. Bob Vaught.

[Cripes A Mighty]

Appropriate for this thread:

Had no idea this was going on. But there was an airshow over our lake this weekend.

Sorry for the poor pic quality, all I had was my point and shoot.

[Nathan]

P-39 or P-63? Cool shots btw. thanks!

[Cripes A Mighty]

Im not even sure. It was such a surprise that I literally was like a little kid .

It was over Cedar Creek Lake in Gun Barrel City Texas. If anyone has any info about the performers and where they were out of it would be greatly appreciated.

List of preformers:

1. C47 - skydiver drop
2. Extra 300 I think.....It very well might have been a Yak. I didnt have my glasses on
3. Tora Tora Tora, 3 'zeros' 1 'kate' and the P-39/P-63. I thought it was a p40 at first. I assume CAF???
4. L-39
5. L-29 (2)
6. T-28 (3)
7. Mig-17
8. Stearman with wing walkers.

Not your typical airshow crowd


Edit* I had just got done watching TORA when I got on and saw this thread lol

Last edited by Cripes A Mighty on Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Jesse C.]

Also the sceen where the "Zero" crashed into the hanger to what was suppost to be an A-20 was actually a B-25 made to look like an A-20. I can't tell if that was real or just a model. To me it looked like a model but maybe someone else on here would know more on that.

The A-20/B-25 was a damaged Mitchell that had been stolen by a drunk pilot who wanted to kill himself and after he hit a Radio tower he landed the bird and got arrested. The bird was pretty much derelict and was dummied up to look like the havoc and was destroyed for the scene.

Or so I read

[Cripes A Mighty]

2nd Lt. Phillip Rasmussen also got up in a P-36. As did 5 pilots of the 46th sqdrn. in P-36s.

[Nathan]

2nd Lt. Phillip Rasmussen also got up in a P-36. As did 5 pilots of the 46th sqdrn. in P-36s.

A flight of 4 P-36's took off together....Rasmussen, John Thacker, Gordon Stirling, and um I can't beleive I can't remember the fourth pilot....Lew Sanders? They got in a actual dogfight with 6 Zeros. Stirling was the only one shot down and he is still MIA to this day.


Harry Brown and Mike Moore in P-36's both shot down a A6M2!

Left to right: Lewis Sanders, Philip Rasmussen, Ken Taylor, George Welch, and Harry Brown. My heroes!

[Nathan]

At the end of December 1941 a twin engined Beechcraft took off from Bataan loaded with 7 pursuit pilots and headed to Australia followed by other evacuees in the days following. These Philippine veterans would take on a new mission...they would form the 17 PS (Provisional) with P-40E's and head out to Java where the Dutch was under threat of Japanese air attacks. Maj. Charles "Bud" Sprague former V Fighter Operations command officer in the Philippines was now chosen to command the 17PS (P). With 17 new P-40E's available the 17 ships left Australia on January 16, 1942. A Philippine vet, 1LT. George E Kiser was one of those pilots that flew to Java. He had already scored two kills in the Philippines. The 17PS made home at Blimbing Field a newly constructed and well camouflaged airfield. All future activities of the 17 PS (P) would be made at this field. Many missions were flown from Blimbing Field. At times outnumbered 10- to -1 but official credit gave the 17PS credit of 65 victories (the current accepting total is 49), with only 9 pilots killed or missing. By the beginning of March Japan landed troops on Java, and by that time only a few P-40's remained flyable. The situation hopeless the entire squadron left for Sydney along with the 19th Bombardment Group. The 17PS turned over the remaining P-40's to the Dutch. By that time only 3 or 4 P-40's remained flyable. Kiser took command of the 17PS after Sprague was shot down and killed on February 20, 1942. During his six weeks in Java Kiser was credited with 3 more victories reaching ace status. The top scoring ace for the 17PS was 2Lt. William Hennon, who scored 5 victories between 3 February, and 26 February.

The 17PS holds the distinction of being the first USAAF fighter squadron to achieve success against the Japanese air force. The fighting in Java bread many new lessons to fighting the Japanese in the P-40 that would later be adapted and used by future fighter forces in the Pacific. Scoring 49 Japanese aircraft for the loss of 17 P-40's. The survivors of the 17PS would later go on and fight in the skies over Darwin.

Enjoy,
Nathan

[John-Curtiss Paul]

The Tora Tora Tora P-40's that were blown up were fake but they had real Allisons and real Curtiss Electric Props on them. They also had real T-6 wheels on them. They destroyed lots and lots of authentic stuff making that movie.

[Saville]

The Tora Tora Tora P-40's that were blown up were fake but they had real Allisons and real Curtiss Electric Props on them. They also had real T-6 wheels on them. They destroyed lots and lots of authentic stuff making that movie.

I've often wondered about the "P-40's" in the John Wayne Movie "Flying Tigers":

They clearly weren't real P-40's yet the props turned pretty fast and I couldn't detect tow lines when they moved.

What were they? were they modified airplanes? Models? How did they turn the props?