P-38 at Castel Benito airfield, Libya

[Doug Norrie]

Hi everybody,

I am trying to find out the unit of a P-38F-4 Lightning Photo recce aircraft at Castel Benito airfield around 4 February 1943.

Aircraft has a black vertical rectangle on port side of nose. Also the number '99' on nose. No nose art, no armament, and the name 'My Caroline' written on the white star within the USAAF roundel (no bars). Serial on tail camouflaged over.

Aircraft could be from the 3rd or 5th Photo-Reconnaissance Groups but any info would be warmly welcomed.

Doug

[Buckeye30]

Doug. It must be 3PRG as the 5th. didn't arrive in Tunisia until Sept. 43 and operating; the 3rd was in Tunisia/Algeria in early 43. The black "rectangle " would be the F-4s camera port (usually more square) and it was common to put the last 2 numbers of the serial on noses (large) or occasionally 3 (smaller). It couldn't be 41-2099 or 41-2199.
There were 1 or 2 more F-4s in the 3rd with names over the star. The recon. squadrons were shuffled around but the 3rd. had the 5th./ 12th. / and 15th., these were Photo Recon. not Tac. Recon.

Sorry not more help.
Nick

[Larry deZeng]

A very minor point that's of little consequence to the discussion in this thread. Castel Benito was in Libya, I think:

Tripoli - Castel Benito (LIB) (a.k.a. Castelbenito, Idris, Bin Ghashïr)
(32 40 10 N – 13 09 24 E)
General: airfield in Tripolitania 24.5 km S of Tripoli and 3.75 km W of the village of Qaser Bin Ghashir.

[Doug Norrie]

Thanks Nick for your assistance.

Larry: For the WW2 era should the airfield be referred to as:
Castel Benito, Tripolitania and drop the Libya.

Doug

[Buckeye30]

Doug I don't think the 99 refers to the serial; only 119 P-38s were converted to F-4s, 99 F-4s and 20 F-4As. Only 2 serials end in "99", 41-2099 (salvaged 12 Feb. 1943) and 41-2199 (accidents in USA March and Sept. 1943). Not likely 2199 would have been returned to the US by March 4 ? both accidents were at Peterson Field CO (training).

If it's the plane number it's very high as the 3 Sqns. wouln't have many aircraft assigned at the time. Sometimes Group or Sqn. c/o's had a unique number though.
Is it possible to post the photo or link ?
Thanks
Nick

[Andy Fletcher]

Hi Doug,

'A' Flt 680 Sqn (part of 285 (Recce) Wg) was operating from Castel Benito at this time in the photo recce role. Pure conjecture on my part but it is possible that some 3PG F-4s were landing at Castel Benito for film processing or some such as the photo recce units allocated to Torch 4 PRU/682 Sqn and 3PG were suffering heavy losses and poor logistical support during this period.

Best regards

Andy Fletcher

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by Doug Norrie

Thanks Nick for your assistance.


Larry: For the WW2 era should the airfield be referred to as:
Castel Benito, Tripolitania and drop the Libya.


Doug

Yes, Doug, for February 1943 Allied maps, you would be correct.

"Italian Tripolitania was an Italian colony, located in present-day western Libya, that existed from 1911 to 1934. It was part of the territory conquered from the Ottoman Empire after the Italo-Turkish War in 1911. Italian Tripolitania included the western northern half of Libya, with Tripoli[1] as its main city. In 1934, it was unified with Italian Cyrenaica in the colony of Italian Libya. In 1939, Tripolitania was considered a part of the Kingdom of Italy's 4th Shore." [Wikipedia]

After 1934, it was considered a region or territory within Italian Libya.

L. deZ.

[Doug Norrie]

Thank you Andy and Larry.


Nick: PM me with your email address for more details on the the aircraft.


Doug