French H-75A-4 aircraft

[Lucien]

As far as I know, when he did try to identify his a/c, Grey was misleaded by a couple of self-elected French "experts"... renowed in this country for their constant lack of knowledge... and their pig-headedness when wrong. What couls be then expected ? But who cares ? I am pretty sure that Stephen Grey knows very well that his beauty is not a H75 but who cares ? Let us enjoy it, I mean for those who can. Personnaly I live too far from where the action is and I do not think that I will have the opportunity to see it. I deeply regret it

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

Great Photos and grand to see the data plate.
Question - Were they built in sequence or not ?
Might a/c number 82 be 12881 and not 12879 ?

Indeed 12879 , X-881, Should have been a/c 82 by all accounts.
But if the a/c were out of sinc then could it be that
12881 was the 82nd a/c off the production line.
These things happened.

Also I think it is well reported that 12879 ws taken by the Germans and was passed to the Fins to become CU-568. She was involved in a crash on 1st July 1942.What happened after this, was she repaired or scrapped?
If indeed CU-568 was 12879 Then what happened to her ?

Is it possible that the wreck was sold off to the French for spare parts for their remaining few in North Africe ?

Or was 82 12881 and not after all X-883, 84.

Which ever she was she looks just great. Well done to all involved.

Thanks
Alex

[Juha]

Hello Alex
CU-568 was SOC 16.8.42 according to Keskinen, Stenman, Niska: Curtiss Hawk 75A P-40M (1975). I don't believe that Finns would have sold off the wreck to the French for spare parts. Finns have they own Hawk 75As to look after, after all it was one of their main first-line fighter types at that time even if LLv. 32, the user of Hawk 75As, was down to 12 CUs on June 1st 1942. In 1943 Finns bought 15 more Hawk 75As (ex-French) from Germans.

Juha

LATER ADDITION: CU-568 stalled in inverted position,went to a flat spin, hit the ground appr. 30 deg angle, was smashed and buried itself up to back bulkhead of cockpit into the ground. Pilot KIFA. This from Hyvönen's Kohtalokkaat lennot 1939 - 1944 (2001). So there were probably not very much useful left in the wreck.

[takata_1940]

(edited as this work is under publication)

[takata_1940]

(edited as this work is under publication)

[takata_1940]

My last point is about the work done by S. Grey.
This misidentification should not shadow the fact that she's an outstanding beauty and I'm dreaming sometimes at night that I could fly such a bird. This very kind and skilled guy is so lucky!
(I don't know him personnaly but every people I know who met him has said the same about his kindness).

I really hope that he won't crash her or being injured himself flying, as it would would be, in either case, a terrible loss for every warbirds lovers or historians. Let's just change this c/n to 13887 and pray that nothing like that would never happen and damage both of their skins.

Regards,
Olivier Bacca.

[Lucien]

One question : If no Curtiss were on board SS Champlain when she was sunk, a fact which I will not argue because, as I wrote it previously, I did take this info from Cuny & Beauchamp's book, on which boat were they loaded and where were they assembled ?

[takata_1940]

Hello Sir,
I've got your e-mal Lucien, I'll drop you something in your wanadoo mail-box later today.

Regards,
Olivier.

[Modeldad]

Alex:

I believe if you look up a few posts you will see a comment that the data plate is not original (apparently made to conform to the fiction).

I also would like to say that comment on the history of the aircraft is not criticism of the restoration. So relax. Just trying to separate fact from fiction. If we cannot try to determine the identity and history of this aricraft, then why bother with regard to any other aircraft?

[Bronsky]

Originally Posted by Lucien

One question : If no Curtiss were on board SS Champlain when she was sunk, a fact which I will not argue because, as I wrote it previously, I did take this info from Cuny & Beauchamp's book, on which boat were they loaded and where were they assembled ?

Lucien, I thought I had addressed this very point in my first post on this thread? If you mean those evacuated from St-Nazaire to Casablanca (still crated), I don't know for certain - it's on my to-do list - but the "usual suspects" were all present at the time to receive them (Indochinois etc).