459th FS, P-38 "Twin Dragons" in action video

On YouTube...

Another B&W video

On YouTube, again: On y voit les 8 pilotes de P-40 qui inscrivirent 18 victoires au palmarès du 80th FG,le 27 Mars 1944.

Pilot Lt. Raymond B. Mc Reynolds wrote to his family, on April 5, 1944:"Had to go down to headquarters about two days ago and pose for a movie or newsreel outfit. There was 8-P40 pilots that knocked down 18 Jap planes-in the little scrap we had-so they thought was good enough-to make a complete movie of it-as we were all afternoon-posing for the cockeyed thing. Guess it will take them six months or more before we will get to see what it looks like to be in a movie. Ha ! Some stuff."

Burma Banshees P-40 line-up

2 images du même alignement de P-40Ns permettent de se repérer un peu mieux, parmi les différents crânes et numéros individuels.

These 2 images allow us to better identify some P-40Ns & their "skull nose-arts". Among these are #43 and #49 from the 89thFS.

P-40N #43 (source: Fold3)

P-40N-5 #49 "Joanne" (from Sq/Signal in action)+ another earlier P-40N-1 #49 as seen on this screen shot.

Un P-40N #49 d'une version antérieure à celui vu dans le Sq/Signal in action, sur cette capture d'écran d'un film couleur.

Paul J. Eastman

Paul J. Eastman's story has been (well) written by Walt Shiel: ROUGH WAR / The Combat Story of Lt. Paul J. Eastman, a "Burma Banshee" P-40 and P-47 Pilot.

Walt Shiel a écrit le récit de la courte carrière de Paul J. Eastman, un pilote du 90thFS, qui pourrait avoir volé sur le P-40N #83.

He may have flown P-40N #83, as seen on this very bad picture...but it seems more likely that his assigned P-40 displayed #85, same as his P-47 later."Bunny" was his wife nickname, while "Lady Esther" was his mother.

"Bunny" était le surnom de sa femme, tandis que "Lady Esther" faisait référence à sa mère. Sadly, Walt Shiel passed away, back in 2016. RIP, Walt.

His book can still be found on Amazon or else.

P-40N-1 #60 "The Rough Cob"

Un autre P-40N-1 semble avoir été également utilisé par le Lt Philip Adair: le #60 "The Rough Cob".

Another P-40N-1 which may have been used by Lt Adair, is #60 "The Rough Cob", caught here by LIFE mag. photographer, William Vandivert.

Ce P-40 a une autre intéressante particularité: des flammes peintes près des échappements ! (et ici des flasques de roues grises)

#60 had some interesting features: flames painted aft of the exhaust stacks ! No red surround to the fuselage insigna.

Une autre vue du P-40N-1 #60 "The Rough Cob" montrant le design des flammes à droite, et la partie qui rejoint le cône d'hélice, rouge lui aussi. Une araignée rouge orne la flasque de roue.

Flames design on the starboard side, too + red spider painted on the wheel discs !

Une autre vue du côté gauche, avec Phil Adair assis sur le capot + 2 images de William Vandivert, montrant le #60 dont on refait le plein. 4 marques de missions (bombes) sont peintes à gauche, et le contour de la cocarde semble fraichement repeint.

LIFE photographer captured also #60 back from a mission. 4 "bombing missions" mkgs are painted on the port side and the fuselage insigna red surround seems to have been freshly overpainted.

2 more pictures of this P-40N from Bill Maegerlein. Thanks & merci, Bill !

80th Fighter Group COLOR + B&W footage !

Thanks to Robin Adair, here is some color footage from a VHS tape !

Ici, Ivan McElroy devant son P-40N #1. Merci à Robin Adair, le fils du Lt P. R. Adair, d'avoir partagé ces vidéos couleur sur You Tube ! Watch also parts TWO, THREE & FOUR !

Lt Philip Adair's first "Lulubelle" 42-104590

Le 1er P-40N-1 piloté par Phil Adair, et baptisé "Lulubelle" est bien couvert par les photos d'époque. Facile à identifier par la verrière du "premier type" moins panoramique, la déco des flasques de roues et l'oeil rond du crâne des Banshees.

Phil Adair's 1st "Lulubelle" was a P-40N-1. Tyres had white-walls painted by himself and the wheel discs displayed an eagle holding a bomb in its claws.

Thanks to the Adair family for sharing his huge pictures collection on the website !