| Posted | Message |
|---|
Jackie Sharp Sheflin
12/8/2009 1:37:51 PM | I have been going through boxes and boxes of old papers and photos and I found a photo I am very curious about. 🙂
My Dad is not in the photo, but the photo is in front of a plane that looks to me as if it crashed. There are 4 men in front of the plane and I have no idea who they are. Now on the back it looks like a note was sent to Dad perhaps in a letter..it says remember Bob Johnson in the Pacific ? The only name I can read for sure is: possibly G. S. Cohen.
The rest of the names I am not sure of at all as the writing is very hard to read.
I have no idea if this group of men was attached to the 401st or not. very little of the tail letters/numbers can be seen. Any body want a copy to see if they can figure it out? If so send me your email privately and I will send you a copy.
Jackie
|
donaldbyers
12/8/2009 1:52:11 PM | There is a G.H. Cohen in the 612th but that was all I could find. And R.E. Johnson in the 614th, nothing to make a conclusion on.
Can you make out a serial number on the plane or can you send me a scan,
Don
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
|
Jackie Sharp Sheflin
12/8/2009 2:52:28 PM | Don,
Only the bottom few inches are visible...I keep hoping I will find a better photo, but nothing so far...My feeling is that it is connected to the 401st somehow..but I have no way of knowing. I enhanced the photo as much as I could as it is old....could mail you a hard copy to check with an address...not sure a scan would help
Jackie
|
Paul Bellamy
12/8/2009 6:47:12 PM | Here's Jackie's photo:
It would appear to be a C-47, serial number 42-2xx22, somewhere in a warm climate.
Checking the relevant serial number ranges, gives us these results:
42-20022 Bell P-39Q-5-BE Airacobra
42-20322 Bell P-39Q-5-BE Airacobra
42-20622 Bell P-39Q-10-BE Airacobra
42-20822 Bell P-39Q-10-BE Airacobra
42-23022 Republic P-47D-11-RA Thunderbolt
42-23322 Douglas C-47A-1-DL to RAF as Dakota III FD822 Apr 1, 1943. India May 31, 1943 - 194 Sqdn. To government of India Jan 30, 1947.
42-23622 Douglas C-47A-30-DL to Navy as BuNo 12427
42-23822 Douglas C-47A-35-DL to RAF as Dakota III FD917. Sold to Indian government Jan 30, 1947
42-26022 Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt
42-26322 Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt
42-26622 Republic P-47D-25-RE Thunderbolt
42-26822 Republic P-47D-27-RE Thunderbolt
42-28022 Republic P-47D-23-RA Thunderbolt
42-28322 Republic P-47D-26-RA Thunderbolt
42-28622 Republic P-47D-28-RA Thunderbolt
42-28822 Republic P-47D-28-RA Thunderbolt
Chopping out the obvious wrong-uns, leaves:
42-23322 Douglas C-47A-1-DL to RAF as Dakota III FD822 Apr 1, 1943. India May 31, 1943 - 194 Sqdn. To government of India Jan 30, 1947.
42-23622 Douglas C-47A-30-DL to Navy as BuNo 12427.
42-23822 Douglas C-47A-35-DL to RAF as Dakota III FD917. Sold to Indian government Jan 30, 1947.
Out of those three, 42-23622 did serve with the USAAF before being transferred to the USN, so the photo is probably of that one.
All the best,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
|
donaldbyers
12/8/2009 7:55:05 PM | Yep I agree Paul.
Don
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
|
Paul Bellamy
12/9/2009 8:18:34 AM | Silly me, I forgot to include the number 5 in my search..... 🤦
Ignoring the Airacobras and Thunderbolts that including the number 5 adds to the list above, there is one more C-47, which may well be the one in the photo.
42-23522 Douglas C-47A-20-DL with 60th TCG. Lost over Sicily, Jul 13, 1943. Home base El Djem, Tunisia. MACR 1237
All the best,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
|
Jackie Sharp Sheflin
12/9/2009 12:38:58 PM | Paul,
Thank you so much, now to figure out how to identify the men in the photograph...this may be a silly question, but how and or what was the transportation to and from England, Germany etc...or could this be some other destination around the same time. I am not as good as you guys with all this history...
Jackie
|
win-win
12/10/2009 1:53:33 PM | 'Always love a good mystery - and this photo is really intriguing.
- - Your serial numbers seem logical: the 1st & last two being '2'; and the middle two possibilities "3,5,6,8,9s".
(Enlarging further to pixel-boxes, the 3rd digit sort-of looks like a '3' or '5', while the 4th, more like a '6','8' or'9'...sort of)
- - The A/C really does look like a C-47/Dakota - big cargo doors, big tail-wheel assembly, 'angle' on rudder;
- - It also looks like it's 'junked' - Now a 'parts-bin' being stripped of parts for other A/C;
The 4-men pictured are interesting, too:
- - Footwear varies from nothing to moccasins (but no 'regulation' lace-ups);
- - None of them wear dog-tags;
- - Could they be civilians or British (Australian or New Zealanders)?
- - They all look suntanned - like they go shirtless a lot (no 'T-shirt' tan).
I'm also curious about the A/C paint (but can't discern) colors:
- - The fuselage looks 'camo' color like early B-17s (not 'silver-y like the later ones)';
- - The 'field' area of the rudder looks to be a darker color (except around the edges); and
- - The serial number (color) looks about the same as the fuselage color - and not the 'yellow' on early 401st A/C which appears in photos as more 'white-ish' or 'brite-ish' than this.
Jackie - would there be any negatives among the papers you have (that might show beyond the printed area?)
Regardless, what a great photo. A treasure.
|
Paul Bellamy
12/10/2009 2:14:30 PM | Guh, I forgot about the 9 as well as the 5..... 🤦
One valid C-47 number only: 42-23822 Douglas C-47A-35-DL. No accident report, MACR, transfer or other records found for this aircraft.
All the other combinations come out as either P-39s, P-47s or B-17Fs.
TTFN,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
|
Jackie Sharp Sheflin
12/10/2009 6:18:35 PM | Unfortunately...no negatives at all. After my father died a certain family member who I will not name...parked a dumpster in the driveway and literally threw away tons of things just because they had no idea what they were and did not care. I will not repeat what I said as no one had permission to do anything like that!
My Dad would literally roll over in his grave....not only were precious photos, books and papers thrown....but papers important to our family genealogy as well....so much history lost in so many areas. I will let you know if I find any more. One of the photos I treasure the most is one I think Cody sent me of my Dad's plane in the air on a mission. That is a treasure..wish I could identify the other 2 planes as they were also the 401st...
Jackie
|