P-43's DID see combat!

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:58 am

Often was told no combat was seen by the P-43. And or no record was kept regarding the P-43's in China. Looks like someone did some research and the P-43 did achieve several Japanese kills!!

And saw more combat then some people might have though. Looks like it had some tech problems though.

Read this article...it gives a detailed account of the P-43 in China and some of the combat it seen. Along with the P-66 and A-29 of course!

http://www.warbirdforum.com/dunnp434.htm

TAdan · **Posted:** Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:24 am

The Chinese operated a wide range of unusual warbirds.

I think Robert Scott mentions flying a P-43 on a few occasions in his book God is My Co-pilot.

I knew the Chinese used the Lancer, but i did not realize it saw service with the 23rd F.G. Neat!

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:09 am

TAdan wrote:

The Chinese operated a wide range of unusual warbirds.

I think Robert Scott mentions flying a P-43 on a few occasions in his book God is My Co-pilot.

I knew the Chinese used the Lancer, but i did not realize it saw service with the 23rd F.G. Neat!

God is my copilot actually had a P-43 in it and looked like perhaps actual footage from China. :?:

TonyM · **Posted:** Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:36 pm

The 23FG was using them in the CBI as late as March 1943, even just as the mail plane.

One P-43 used in the CBI by 23FG was in a crack up.

...

3-30-43A. Chenkueng, China. At 1145, a Republic P-43A (41-31456) crashed while attempting to land at Chenkueng, China. The pilot, 1Lt. Samuel D. Berman, received minor injuries. The pilot stated to investigators, "I was the pilot of a P-43A on a mail run from Kunming, China, to outlying stations. I was going to land at Chenkueng, China, at 1145 and made a normal approach to the field. As soon as I landed the ship started to veer to the left. I tapped the right brake to correct the direction of the ship, and the right brake locked and the ship started to nose over again and flipped over on its back." (76FS/23FG) (504). Copyright 2009 Anthony J. Mireles.
...

TM

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:22 am

i've read of p- 43's in combat. they were cast offs that nobody wanted but the chinese needed. i'm sure they did their part under well trained hands, but it was never a firecracker.

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:58 am

Here's a picture that is captioned on the back "India Salvage". I've no idea where it was taken, but there appear to be two P-43s in the shot.

Scott

Nathan · **Posted:** Thu Jul 15, 2010 5:39 am

In the article it states the P-43 was based a few times in India as well. Great find!!! I'll have to reread the article I know it mentioned P-43s in India a few times.

flyboyj · **Joined:** Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:01 pm **Posts:** 157

Read the books "Bloody Shambles" as the P-43 is mentioned in there as well. The author also backs up many of the allied claims aganist Japanese records.

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Jul 15, 2010 6:42 am

The Republic P-43 Lancer is an interesting machine. IIRC, there were reliable accounts of remains of one of the Australian based examples surviving, but I don't have the data myself.

gemmer · **Joined:** Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:54 am **Posts:** 314

The 67th Pursuit Squadron had several P-43s on Tontouta, but were left behind when they moved up to Guadalcanal with their P-400s. It probably should have been the other way around.

TonyM · **Posted:** Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:06 pm

Nathan wrote:

In the article it states the P-43 was based a few times in India as well. Great find!!! I'll have to reread the article I know it mentioned P-43s in India a few times.

Nathan,

Here is a P-43 crack up in India. Before people start correcting me, Karachi was part of India during WWII; There was no Pakistan in 1942.
.
.
.
4-17-42. Karachi Air Base, India. At 0935, a Republic P-43A (41-31475) crashed at Karachi Air Base, Karachi, India, killing Republic Aircraft Corporation test pilot Duane J. Clapham. The airplane was being test flown after being re-assembled in the Karachi Air Base Airship Hangar. The airplane was observed flying at about 1,000 feet agl west of the field. The airplane was then observed heading east with the landing gear extended; smoke and fire was seen trailing from the underside of the aircraft. The pilot alerted the tower that he was coming in for an emergency landing. The airplane, still trailing smoke, was put in a normal glide on the base leg for the East-West runway. The pilot made the turn for final and began his approach. The airplane burst into flames at about 75 feet agl, completely enveloping the cockpit with flames. The airplane exploded moments later and then dove into the ground, smashing to earth and bursting into flames on the east edge of the field. One witness stated that the fire appeared to be coming from the area of the supercharger. The P-43 had been re-assembled after shipment from the United States and was being test flown under the direction of the Army Air Forces and the Republic Aircraft Corporation in preparation for delivery to the Chinese Air Forces. (029). Copyright 2009, Anthony J. Mireles.

Good Luck with your research.

TonyM.

Rick65 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:26 am

To expand on JDK's succinct reference to Australian P-43s.
According to Stuart Wilson's Military Aircraft of the RAAF 8 were used by the RAAF for photo reconnaissance based at Coomalie (just inland from Darwin) in the Northern Territiry.
They were used for a short period from August 42 to mid 43.
I don't know what specific use was made of them but their range wasn't that much less than the F-4s also used for operations over the islands north of Darwin
Two were lost in accidents and the reamining 6 returned to USAAF
Presumably the potential wreckage referrred to is from A56-7 which was discovered in 1958 near Melbourne having been lost since it went missing in April 1943
Does anyone have more information?

JDK · **Posted:** Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:05 pm

Rick65 wrote:

Does anyone have more information?

I recall an online discussion about surviving parts and wreckage, but can't remember where. Two refs are:
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-air ... thers2.htm

Quote:

Republic P-43 Lancer In 1942 eight Lancers were delivered to the RAAF to augment the Buffaloes and Lightnings of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. Six of the aircraft, were received on August 31 1942, and the remaining two arrived on 10th November 1942. The Lancers operated with PRU until the following year when A56-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 were transferred to the US 5th Air Force at Charters Towers. Of the remaining two Lancers, A56-6 was taken off strength on 8th March 1943, and at the time, A56-7 was officially listed as "Missing. Aircraft left Wagga on 28th April 1943, and has not been sighted since". This mystery was solved 15 years later when Lancer A56-7 was located in 1958 in the Healesville Hills, north-east of Melbourne.

And the ADF Serials website: http://www.adf-serials.com/ Go to 'RAAF Series 2' and type 'A56 (Lancer)'.

One for Mark P?

JDK · **Posted:** Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:06 pm

Found the discussion (or one anyway) here on WIX.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20347

A bit more here: http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/vic131.htm

Nathan · **Posted:** Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:51 pm

I think the P-43 has some qualities that were not found in many of the early war airplanes. (At lest for the U.S. anyway) It had high altitude performace. Better then the P-35. Perhaps better then the P-40. But I read the P-43 at lest the early models did not have self sealing fuel tanks. That is clearly a weakness.

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P-43's DID see combat!

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