Warbird Information Exchange

Cool photo of a 109 in US markings (star with a meatball!):

Just a bit of background on that 109, it was flown by Roumanian Captain Constantin Cantacuzino to Foggia in on Aug. 24, 1944 with American Col James Gunn III stuffed into the radio compartment. He was the highest ranking POW and was being flown back to arrange for the repatriation of the other American POWs.

http://www.worldwar2.ro/arr/p001.htm

From Col. Chuck Hines,
Raven pilot and 21 TASS O2-A pilot:

Photo of 862 with Chuck was taken in the 21st TASS Boron FOL revetment at Phan Thiet, RVN, August 1970. The rusty barrels contained sand and were designed to absorb shrapnel from NVA mortars and rockets. My first experience with enemy
ordnance occurred while flying 862. I Took an AK round through the elevator
trim assembly. Still have part of the severed chain linkage somewhere in a
drawer upstairs. The sound was identical to a basketball hitting a
backboard and my brain wondered who the hell was out playing with a
basketball that morning. (Sounds of bullet impacts one hears during movies
are nonsense.) Next, experienced runaway full nose-up trim. Pulled the
circuit breaker. Made no difference. It required force of both knees
pushing forward on the yoke to maintain level flight. Considered flying
out over the ocean and leaving by parachute. Wore a backpack. Finally
decided to pickle off the remaining willie petes, take it back to Phan
Thiet, then land it. Phan Thiet's runway was PSP . The runway began at
the edge of a vertical cliff about 300 feet above the water. Flew the
thing home with my knees, made an uneventful landing, taxied to the
revetment and shut down both engines. The crew chief, SGT Salley, stuck
his head in through the door and asked if I had any write-ups. Told him
the bird had runaway trim. He disappeared and I continued filling out the
781 form. Less than a minute later SGT Salley reappeared with a huge smile
on his face. "You don't have a runaway trim -- you got a bullet through
the elevator and trim tab!" First clue I had as to causality.

Scott, I just now saw your offer. Let me write somethings down, review it and let you know when to call. Thank goodness, because I just changed phones because I moved.

I have some funny stories not all about myself, but some about others I was with during the war.

Camel meat anyone?

Scott,

I have written a book about my father's exploits as a WWII fighter pilot based on actual letters written home throughout his flight training career and then from his memoirs of his time in the CBI flying P-47's and P-38's in the 60th FS of the 33rd FG. No publisher yet but he has a great story about crash landing on a sand bar in the Ganges River while going for booze for the Officer's Club. Interested in that, let me know and I'll forward it to you.

I was able to talk to one of Dad's crew chief's many times before he died recently and the forward for my book was written by one of his four best buddies throughout training, John Dinnou, author of "Faded Wings, Fading Glory". Pretty cool stuff to find two survivors who actually knew my Pop during those times.

Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks and thanks for the forum!
Scott

_________________
"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

i read scott dennison's book, & it's a page turner!! great 1st person account of an ordinary flyboy fighter pilot doing his duty.

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Scott,

Sorry I missed this post until now, I would definatelylike to see it. Thanks.

_________________
Scott Rose
Editor-In-Chief/Webmaster
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The BBC in the UK have been doing a project similar to this for a while, called "Peoples War", which may well have something of interest.

I only know about it as my own fathers exploits are posted on there. Not that he was a flyer, but it has a little aircraft content later on.

Shows me what a truly strange and random business war is.

Its a long read, but worth it. (though I may be biased!)

Part 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 6895.shtml

Part 2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 6921.shtml

Part 3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 6958.shtml

Part 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 6976.shtml

And he´s 90 in a couple of weeks!

cheers
James