Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

I don't think the 10ABS was a component of the 23AB Group, their assigned units at Alaskan Air Base were HQ, 24AB Sqn. and 31 / 32 Material Sqns, at Elmendorf.
Actually there was a "P-37" at Elmendorf ( presumably one of the YP-37s for service testing---38-477 was at Ladd Field Dec. 1 1941). It wasn't there on April 1 1942.
Incidentally this is the AC Technical Training Cmd. insignia seen on Air Base sqns., on one of their Christmas menus.


Nick

https://picturingmeteorology.com/hom...christmas-1943

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

Hello,


Currently on ebay are a number of photos of USAAF aircraft


Among the more unusual are:


Douglas B-23 Dragon


https://www.ebay.com/itm/30433268188...IAAOSwXgZh7tL9


Sikorsky R-4B


https://www.ebay.com/itm/37390187845...4AAOSwnfRh7sk3


Also for sale are:



P-40,P-38 & F-5


https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?item...kw=P-&_sacat=0


Also P-39


https://www.ebay.com/itm/15481061926...0AAOSwJWBh7072



B-17,B-24,B-25,B-26


https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?item...kw=B-&_sacat=0






Regards,


Clint

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

Hello,


Currently on ebay are a series of photos of destroyed US aircraft presumably from the Philippines based on the types shown O-52,P-35 etc


https://www.ebay.com/itm/26662916236...wAAOSw575lrf0q


Regards,


Clint

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

Clint the only one I can definitely ID is the P-35A; these are the May 1940 designators many planes still carried in late 1941 ( they had started to be camouflaged as on the B-18s). "4MP" is the 4th Composite Group - M= Miscellaneous, P = Pursuit ( probably the 17th, their colour was white but black on unpainted as on the "A" Flight band). The 4th CG was disbanded in Nov. 1941 and aircraft dispersed.
The 17PS was known as the "Consolidated" Sqn. at this time no doubt due to the situation in the P.I. One of their O-46s was coded "4MP / 69".

Correction. More likely to be 34PS, they still had P-35s when the airfields were attacked. Apparently a shortage of spray guns on Luzon meant some planes not camouflaged. The high number "80" suggests the fifth Pursuit Sqn. in Group.

The O-52 would be 2nd OS, they probably still had a few O-46s. The old B-18s were used for various duties including transport, they seem to be in the process of camouflaging. There were some A-27s too, scheduled for Siam but kept for instrument training still in Siamese colours.


Nick

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

Hello,


Currently on ebay are a number of photos of early war aircraft from the collection of a US Marine named Hicks,although the majority of the photos are Army aircraft. Representative is this flightline of Boeing P-26


https://www.ebay.com/itm/39595281225...QAAOSw19VnShnu



All the photos can be found here


https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr...+hawii&_sop=10



Regards,


Clint

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

There is one obvious Navy aircraft in the collection, the Douglas R2D-1,9621, at Floyd Bennett, New York.

This aircraft entered service with the Marines in October 1938 and was dbr in an accident on 2 March 1940, so it is possible that Hicks was serving on the East Coast at that time, possibly moving to Hawaii in 1941.

The final photo, with the Grumman Hellcats, must be 1943/4.

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

The seller states all photos are from 1942-43 which obviously is wrong.

I am also surprised to see basically all aircraft carrying such old markings and wonder if most
of those are rather from the 1940-41 period? Or was Hawaii very late to implement the new
marking system?

Also George, do you have anything on the R3D coded 7?

Cheers
Stig

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

I wonder whether it might be a Hickam-based US Army DC-2?

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

Could be George

The seller says Hickam and very little of any markings are actually visible.

Cheers
Stig

Re: Photo USAAF Aircraft
 

Stig. the tail designators can date the photos; Nov. 1937 to May 1940 letters for unit role over a/c number eg. in the photos B-18 marked "BE" over 49 was a/c 49 from the 5th BG (E is 5th letter, B =bomber); A-12 marked "AR" over 54 was a/c 54 from the 18th Attack Sqn. (R = 18th letter). A-12 "KR" over 16 was a/c 16 from the 18th Air Base Sqn., "K" = ABS.
From May 1940 to camouflaging in 1941 a simplified system, ie. a/c number over unit and role; eg. P-26 no.41 over 18PG. in the photo = 18th Pursuit. Date 1940 with full command colours, stripes and Sqn. insignia, and not yet painted.

Some Army planes on Dec.7 were still not camouflaged.


Nick