Curtiss P-40 top ten ace list

[Jim Oxley]

As a suggestion Michael, in listing the P-40 aces is it worthwhile to break them down by Theatre?

Doesn't affect the Soviets or British as in their Theatre of Ops (Russia and Western Desert respectively) they always faced the same enemy ie Germans, over basically the same country.

But there is quite a difference with the Americans. They flew the P-40 in greatly varied circumstances each unique ie MTO, CBI and SWP. Each of the four Americans you have mentioned all fought in the CBI.

In the SWP the top scoring P-40 pilot was Robert deHaven with 10 victories. In the MTO it was Levi Chase, also with 10 victories.

[knusel]

Good morning Jim,

interesting consideration.
Currently, I'm trying to prove that the P-40 scored kills on all five continents:

• Europe: Nikolai Zelenov & Co
• Africa: Clive Caldwell & Co
• Asia: David Hill & Co
• Australia & Oceania: Robert DeHaven & Co
• America: John Cape shot down a Zero over Umnak Pass in a P-40E on 4Jun42

In Germany we associate Hawaii with Oceania rather than with America, that's why I'm not inclined to count George Welch's Pearl Harbor kills as "America kills".
I think I need a proof that Umnak Pass and the Aleutian Island belong to America geographically.

Michael

[Frank Olynyk]

Michael,
Umnak Pass is a strait between Umnak Island and Unalaska Island, in the Aleutian Islands chain. To my knowledge, there is no "Aleutian Island". They are a mostly volcanic extension of the Alaska Peninsula. I have credits for 40 victories for the 11th Air Force, based in Alaska. This includes claims by P-38s, P-39s and P-40s in the period June 1942 to April 1943. It also includes one claim by S/Ldr Boomer, CO of No 111(F) RCAF Squadron.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[knusel]

Good evening Frank,

typo: accidentally I omitted the "s" in Aleutian Islands.
My ADAC atlas indicates that geographically the Aleutian Islands should be assigned to America, not to Asia or Oceania.
Thus, all aircraft types that have scored there are candidates for the title five-continent-fighter.

40 kills of the 11. Air Force in Alaska ?
This website shows only 33,5:
http://www.cieldegloire.com/bataille..._us_alaska.php
the top scorer being the P-38 pilot Frederick Moore.

Can you tell if the P-38, the P-39 or the P-40 had the largest share of the 40 kills ?

Best greetings from rainy Brandenburg,

Michael

[knusel]

Good morning Gentlemen,

I've just finished working through "Tomahawk and Kittyhawk Aces of the RAF and Commonwealth" by Andrew Thomas. It's the fourth Andrew Thomas book that I've read and I enjoyed it very much.
Few questions remain:
1. Clive Caldwell faked his birth certificate to become a fighter pilot. What is his correct date of birth and what was his faked date of birth ?
2. How many combat missions did Caldwell fly in WW2 ?
3. There's a vivid description of a combat of Witold Urbanowicz against a Japanese plane. Urbanowicz's guns jammed but the Japanese slammed into the ground at high speed. I would call that a manoeuvre kill. Why isn't it included in his kill list ?

Cheers,

Michael

[Nick Hector]

Correct date of birth: 28th July, 1910.
Faked date of birth not given by either source, but there are two stories:

Stewart Wilson said he discharged from the RAAF when he discovered that his intake were going to be instructors. Re-enlisted ANZAC Day, 1940.

Kirsten Alexander, his biographer and an acquaintance of mine wrote that he was judged too old for fighter pilot training and THAT was the source of his re-enlistment. She gives a call-up date of 27 May, 1940 and an arrival at initial training commencement of 10 June 1940.

Sources: Spitfire, Mustang and Kittyhawk in Australian Service by Stewart Wilson, Aerospace Publications, 1988

Clive Caldwell, Air Ace by Kristen Alexander

Here is the listing for the former publication in ABE books

https://www.abebooks.com/products/is...&afn_sr=impact

Here is the listing for the book depository for the latter publication, it is out of stock, mind you:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Clive...9000147&sr=1-1

[Nick Hector]

Regarding the number of missions Caldwell flew, I messaged Kristen and this was her reply:

According to his flying logbook, caldwell carried out 496 operational sorties, equating to 1116 hours. I don't have the time to check those figures, nor to determine if he counted things like gun tests etc as sorties. The log book is in the AWM private records area if you are ever in canberra and want to check. Best wishes, Kristen