Recent content by junkman3353

Not to go off on a tangent but I've never understood the mixed armament idea. Two differing guns of differing diameters, with differing trajectories, and differing aiming points. And in this case differing projectile characteristics. 20mm=exploding projectiles vs .50 cal=solid...

434th AAFBU (a twin engine fighter replacement unit) based at Santa Rosa Army Airfield, now Sonoma County airport (STS) California. In the background are TB-26s and an RB-34A of the local tow target flight.

A very detailed examination of an important PAF Squadron. It does only cover a very limited amount of time (about 18 months) from April 1945. It wasn't expensive and I've enjoyed it. If you're into models there is a complementary and separately available decal sheet from Model Maker.

Thanks, that makes sense.

Here's what I'm referring to. All photos taken post VE Day, all painted in the then current scheme for the parent units (yes, the 4th operated P-47s but not with red noses), all unarmed, all war weary. Every attribution says they were turned over for transition to P-47Ns prior to redeployment...

I can see (and appreciate) the big picture in all this but my main question pertained to why so many ETO fighter groups equipped with Mustangs were going to be issued P-47N's prior to transfer to the Pacific. Was it to spread the production out between defense plants, was P-51 production maxed...

After VE day there were plans in the works to move many fighter groups from Europe to the Pacific in anticipation of invading Japan. It had progressed so far as the 8th AF command structure having already moved to Okinawa before VJ day. To that end a number of 8th AF groups (4th, 359th, 364th...

Not lying: the source: https://i.imgur.com/lEluFzs.jpg

354th FG 355th FS. I've seen that photo before and thought it was a reversed image (victory markings on starboard) until I looked at the canopy opening. I wonder if it might have been re-marked for some publicity shots. I also have a photo of that same sharkmouth with the squadron codes of...

Fort Bragg and the crash site are 50+ air miles apart. Also not the only instance of such a crash in Mendocino County. 5 months earlier a near duplicate crash. Pan Am Flight 1104 - Wikipedia No one talks about scrounging at the crash site. Its in a part of the county that you REALLY don't...

If you want to go direct to the source for IWM Mustang photos you can use this: https://tinyurl.com/2p89srfb

I've got a number of them. Wright Patterson Field airshow 1947 82nd FG 96th FS summer 1948 NACA 130 Moffett Field, CA mid 1950's

Also note the black spots on the wing leading edge are just painted on, those weren't gun ports. No guns were mounted at first.

354th FG 356th FS 44-63673 AJ*T side codes flown by Maj Richard Turner. Flew planes named "Short Fuse Sallee" during his first tour (his girlfriend) but Sallee didn't wait before moving on thus the missing "Sallee" on this plane from his second tour.

100% agree. Unfortunately their search function at the American Air Museum website has been down since June for a major upgrade, there are still any number of searchable items available at this one: Find an object | Imperial War Museums For instance, with just a little filtering you can search...