WWII Aircraft and Vehicles in color

[Mister Fork]

Group CO, Col. Edward S. Chickering's airplane being started with the hand crank. July 1943 Airacobra training at Hamilton Field, CA, for 357th Fighter Group before shipping out of England to join the 8th AF in July 1943. Group CO Col. Edward S. Chickering's P-39 is being started by the ground crew the hard way---with the hand crank to get the inertia starter going.

[Puma44]

I went to ROTC Summer Camp there.  The large hangars on the left background are still there, even though the base is long closed.

[lyric1]

Few in this link.

http://www.ww2color.com/search/webapps/slides/slides.php

[Mister Fork]

I went to ROTC Summer Camp there.  The large hangars on the left background are still there, even though the base is long closed.

Wow, happy accident there. When did the base close?

[Puma44]

Wow, happy accident there. When did the base close?

According to this link, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Army_Airfield, 1973.  I was there the summer of 1972.  It was a beautiful base.

[Oldman731]

According to this link, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Army_Airfield, 1973.  I was there the summer of 1972.  It was a beautiful base.

Odd coincidence.  I was in AFROTC camp at Plattsburgh, NY that summer.  They had a wing of FB-111s and one of KC-135s.

Small world.  Not to mention that we just lined up three squad emblems.

- oldman

[Mister Fork]

Lol. 4th.  Here are some more


The Red nose: 4th Fighter Group P-51D of Lefty Grove is being run up by its crew chief at Debden, England, winter 1944. Capt. Francis M "Lefty" Grove, Glen Cove NY. 336th Fighter Squadron. P-51D 44-15375 VF-T. -RD


332nd BOMB SQUADRON, 94TH BOMB GROUP, 8TH AIR FORCE
Idiots' Delight ground crew painting another bomb symbol on her nose indicating another mission completed.




From now on, I'm going to try to reference the pilots, crews, and aircraft's history with every picture.

[RODBUSTR]

    The Aircobra was not being started by a hand crank. the crank runs an energizer to save on battery power and it powers the electric starter.  Have a blast.

[Oldman731]

    The Aircobra was not being started by a hand crank. the crank runs an energizer to save on battery power and it powers the electric starter.  Have a blast.

"Chickering's P-39 is being started by the ground crew the hard way---with the hand crank to get the inertia starter going."


...er...aren't you both saying the same thing...?

- oldman

[Puma44]

Come on now, Oldman. You know one has to be right and on has to be wrong, even if they are both semantically correct.  It’s the forums. 

[Mister Fork]

P-51D Serial# 44-14798 being finished in RAF dark green, ‘Butch Baby’ was the personal mount of Lt. Julian H Bertram and would finish the War unscathed only to be scrapped in June 1945 following a landing accident at its base at Leiston, UK.

[lyric1]

German.

Steyr RSO Raupenschlepper Ost

[Mister Fork]

Capt. George D. Green with his P-51D, mid 1944. Aircraft serial 44-14137 - P-51D - 335FS, 4th FG - designation was strangely 'WD-KK'. Capt. George D Green's plane, called 'Suzanne' and had a RARE extra 'K' designation. Due to allocation error.

Green is known for doing something brilliant and at the same time, completely reckless. Anyone remember what it was?

[Mister Fork]

Nooky Booky IV was flown by 357th Fighter Group ace Leonard K. "Kit" Carson. Unable to get into Leiston due to poor weather, several of the unit's P-51s landed at Wormingford on Christmas Day 1944 after escorting bombers over Germany. Nooky Booky IV was the 4th 'mount' of Major Carson. Serial 44-11622, designation 'G4-C'. Though a wonderful atmospheric photograph of this famous plane, you can see just how far along the fuselage the dirt and soot from the exhaust stacks would reach from pulling contrail at high altitude.

[MiloMorai]

"Though a wonderful atmospheric photograph of this famous plane, you can see just how far along the fuselage the dirt and soot from the exhaust stacks would reach from pulling contrail at high altitude."

Ugh???