Pearl Harbor P-40

[Mgawa]

Armyjunk- excellent image, thank you!! Please tell me what is the credit for image?

[Steve Nelson]

Gabreski didn't get airborne during the attack, but flew CAP missions later that day.

SN

[armyjunk2]

Mgawa, US National Archives, Record Group 111

[Mgawa]

Thank you very much I will store this image in folder National Archives in my PC.

[sgt hawk]

Holedigger-#86 was my Dad's assigned aircraft (he was the crewchief) it was flown by Phillip Rasmussen that morning and had the bare alluminum look, I recall Dad saying that the other 36's were OD and all were being painted OD. I have tried to go thru Dad's stuff to see if he had any photo's of pre-War markings fo David Aiken on 36/40's but have had no luck.

[Nathan]

David Aiken told me before there were still several P-36's not painted. It was not a priority to paint them because they were being regulated to other duties and soon going to be withdrawn.

Other aircraft at Wheeler....the A-12 Shrike, and P-26 Peashooter.

This image below is of Wheeler field taken from a Japanese aircraft. There appears to be one or two aircraft in NMF.

[sgt hawk]

The 36 at that time was an aircraft in transition. It was obsolete and being replaced by the P-40. It was the radial engine version of the same aircraft.

[sgt hawk]

Nathan-The P-26 was the squadron commander's hack aircraft, the only one at Wheeler at that time.

[airnutz]

Wow...doing my morning WIX reading with Turner TV on in the background..I hear airplane sounds and
turn around to see a clip of a formation of NMF P-36's. It's in the opening scenes of the 1942 flick, "Seven Miles From Alcatraz".

[armyjunk2]

a couple more, same Record Group as others

1


2

[Mgawa]

Thank you

[Nathan]

Nathan-The P-26 was the squadron commander's hack aircraft, the only one at Wheeler at that time.

There were 21 P-26's based in Hawaii on December 7th 1941. I do not have detail what airfields they were at. Last I remember the majority where at Wheeler.

The roster is the following:

P-26A 33-34
P-26A 33-37
P-26A 33-39
P-26A 33-59
P-26A 33-68
P-26A 33-80
P-26A 33-85
P-26A 33-86
P-26A 33-88
P-26A 33-100
P-26B 33-160
P-26B 33-182
P-26B 33-183
P-26B 33-184
P-26B 33-185
P-26B 33-186
P-26B 33-192
P-26B 33-194
P-26B 33-195
P-26B 33-203
P-26C 33-191

Note: Dana Bell's USAAF Colors-Vol 1 has a nice photo of one taken just after the attack which is devoid of unit markings.

Hth,
Nathan

[Holedigger]

Great Stuff Gang!!!! This is what WIX is about!! Thanks Sgt Hawk, if we can resolve the OD anti glare or None at all that would be great.....one of those details lost in time!

[Nathan]

a couple more, same Record Group as others

1


2

These P-40's at Bellows where envolved in a taxi accidant on December 8th. These were not damaged during the attack.

cheers,
Nathan

[Pogmusic]

Nathan,
If you have a laptop and scanner, you can use those too at the NARA. I use to go there when I was with World War Two magazine & Vietnam Magazine and scan all day.

RG 111 is a great source of unpublished images. Unfortunately, I didn't think to burn copies to a disk when I left. Hopefully the group still has the images for use in future magazines...