Son of Sandor
Damaged Airacobra P-400/P-39 'Pat' 175 35th Fighter Group
I know this is the 35th Fighter Group but I'm not sure where this is. Seeing how the men are dressed in jackets, in this series of four photos, I believe it to be some where in Australia and not New Guinea. But when I tried to identify the P-39 the facts get a little thin. All there is to search with is the name 'Pat' and a little cartoon man with a sling-shot on the nose. Also nose number 175, which is seen on an engine panel leaning against a tree, in another photo. A tree limb is covering the tail number. I've only been able to find one P-39 named 'Pat' and that was flown by Lieutenant Eugene Wahl, but references I've found list it as 'Wahl Eye II/Pat' with a shark mouth painted on the nose. Could this P-39 be the first 'Pat' or 'Wahl Eye I'? I can't find any reference of a P-39 nose number 175. I welcome any one with information about this.
My Dad's first combat deployment as a Master Sergeant was with the 41st Squadron of the 35th Fighter Group in Port Moresby, New Guinea from July 1942 until the 475th Fighter Group was formed in May 1943. The 35th Fighter Group was only one of two Fighter Groups available to defend Australia against the Japanese advance in early 1942 and was the first to use the P-38 Lightning in the Pacific. The 35th Fighter Group flew P-38 Lightning's, P-39/P-400 Airacobra's,P-40 Warhawk's, P-47 Thunderbolt's and P-51 Mustang's. The 35th Fighter Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations for outstanding performance in the line of action during WWII with 397 Japanese aircraft shot down and with 20 Aces produced. The 35th Fighter Group's, 39th Squadron was the first combat home for USA's greatest Ace of all time, the 'Ace of Ace's' and Medal of Honor recipient, Maj. Richard Bong. With 40 kills in the P-38 Lightning, the first five while in the 39th Squadron. The P-38's of 39th Squadron would later be absorbed into the 475th Fighter Group in November 1943. Major Bong died test piloting a new jet fighter, the P-80, on Aug-6th-1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
My Dad was then assigned to the 433rd Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group 'Satan's Angels', formed May 1943, until March 1944 when he got his orders to 'go home'. The 475th Fighter Group flew the Lockheed P-38 Lightning out bases from New Guinea to the Philippines during WWII. In just two years they flew 3042 missions, 21,701 sorties and shot down 551 Japanese aircraft while only losing 56 of their own in combat and was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations for outstanding performance in the line of action. By the end of the war the 475th Fighter Group had produced 38 Aces and was home of USA's second greatest Ace, Maj. Thomas McGuire, with 38 kills. The Major was KIA over Los Negros Island on January 7th 1945 and received the Medal of Honor posthumously. Charles Lindbergh also flew over 20 combat missions dive bombing, strafing and two combat victories, with the 433rd as a civilian 'observer'. Amazingly he did it with out even the President's or anyone in Washington DC's knowledge.
www.acepilots.com/usaaf_mcguire.html
www.acepilots.com/usaaf_bong.html
www.charleslindbergh.com/wwii/
Damaged Airacobra P-400/P-39 'Pat' 175 35th Fighter Group
I know this is the 35th Fighter Group but I'm not sure where this is. Seeing how the men are dressed in jackets, in this series of four photos, I believe it to be some where in Australia and not New Guinea. But when I tried to identify the P-39 the facts get a little thin. All there is to search with is the name 'Pat' and a little cartoon man with a sling-shot on the nose. Also nose number 175, which is seen on an engine panel leaning against a tree, in another photo. A tree limb is covering the tail number. I've only been able to find one P-39 named 'Pat' and that was flown by Lieutenant Eugene Wahl, but references I've found list it as 'Wahl Eye II/Pat' with a shark mouth painted on the nose. Could this P-39 be the first 'Pat' or 'Wahl Eye I'? I can't find any reference of a P-39 nose number 175. I welcome any one with information about this.
My Dad's first combat deployment as a Master Sergeant was with the 41st Squadron of the 35th Fighter Group in Port Moresby, New Guinea from July 1942 until the 475th Fighter Group was formed in May 1943. The 35th Fighter Group was only one of two Fighter Groups available to defend Australia against the Japanese advance in early 1942 and was the first to use the P-38 Lightning in the Pacific. The 35th Fighter Group flew P-38 Lightning's, P-39/P-400 Airacobra's,P-40 Warhawk's, P-47 Thunderbolt's and P-51 Mustang's. The 35th Fighter Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations for outstanding performance in the line of action during WWII with 397 Japanese aircraft shot down and with 20 Aces produced. The 35th Fighter Group's, 39th Squadron was the first combat home for USA's greatest Ace of all time, the 'Ace of Ace's' and Medal of Honor recipient, Maj. Richard Bong. With 40 kills in the P-38 Lightning, the first five while in the 39th Squadron. The P-38's of 39th Squadron would later be absorbed into the 475th Fighter Group in November 1943. Major Bong died test piloting a new jet fighter, the P-80, on Aug-6th-1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
My Dad was then assigned to the 433rd Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group 'Satan's Angels', formed May 1943, until March 1944 when he got his orders to 'go home'. The 475th Fighter Group flew the Lockheed P-38 Lightning out bases from New Guinea to the Philippines during WWII. In just two years they flew 3042 missions, 21,701 sorties and shot down 551 Japanese aircraft while only losing 56 of their own in combat and was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations for outstanding performance in the line of action. By the end of the war the 475th Fighter Group had produced 38 Aces and was home of USA's second greatest Ace, Maj. Thomas McGuire, with 38 kills. The Major was KIA over Los Negros Island on January 7th 1945 and received the Medal of Honor posthumously. Charles Lindbergh also flew over 20 combat missions dive bombing, strafing and two combat victories, with the 433rd as a civilian 'observer'. Amazingly he did it with out even the President's or anyone in Washington DC's knowledge.
www.acepilots.com/usaaf_mcguire.html
www.acepilots.com/usaaf_bong.html
www.charleslindbergh.com/wwii/