Though out warfare among the human race, there has always been men and machines which were destained to serve as "visiting angels" and this is a brief story of one of those machines, which is still flying today.
Capable of operating from short unimproved airstrips, the L-5 "Sentinel" delivered personnel, critical intelligence and needed supplies to the front line troops. On return flights, wounded soldiers were often evacuated to rear area field hospitals for medical treatment, providing a huge boost to the morale of combat troops fighting in remote areas. L-5's were used for many other important activities, such as aerial photography, controlling vehicle convoys, para-dropping food, medical supplies and ammunition, laying communication wire, distributing propaganda leaflets, spraying pesticide, transporting prisoners, and directing fighter-bombers to ground targets. The L-5 was also popular with Generals and other high-ranking officers for fast, efficient short-range transportation.
During the Battle of Okinawa, L-5 operated from an LST using the Brodie landing system which allowed a light aircraft to take off and land without a flat surface by snagging a wired hung between two booms. One of the L-5 that used the Brodie system off Okinawa is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution Aerospace Museum in Washington, DC.
A restored, privately owned L-5
The instrument panel of a restored L-5, note the modern radio installed just behind the stick, at the lower part of the instrument panel.
Five versions of the Sentinel were produced for the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF); the L-5, L-5B, L-5C, L-5E and L-5G. There was no official L-5A variant as is often reported because the designation was intended for a version of the aircraft that was never built. Nonetheless, many people in and out of the military still refer to the standard "observer" version of the L-5 as an L-5A. Like the L-5A, the L-5D was a planned version that was not adopted. A single L-5F was an L-5B equipped with an experimental low-noise "stealth" propeller and exhaust system for research purposes. An L-5H version was on the drawing boards at Stinson when the war ended, and it never reached the prototype stage.
The L-5 carried a pilot and observer in a tandem seating configuration, which was preferred by the military for observation work. The L-5B through L-5G models were modified to carry a litter patient or light cargo, or a rear seat passenger sitting in the normal position. The Navy and Marine version of the L-5 through L-5E were designated 0Y-1, and all these aircraft has 12-volt electrical systems. The 24-volt L-5G became the 0Y-2. Neither the L-5G nor OY-2 saw combat during World War II because production did not begin until July, 1945, just weeks before the war ended, but they were used extensively during the Korean War. The British RAF procured 40 L-5s and 60 L-5Bs, and designated them Sentinel Is and Sentinel II's respectively. These aircraft were used exclusively in the India-Burma theater of operations.
The USAAF, US Marines, and US Navy used this aircraft in the European, Pacific, and Far East theaters during World War II, and in Korea during the Korean War. The Royal Air Force operated 100 Sentinels in India and Burma.
After World War II, the Philippine Army Air Corps used this aircraft from 1945 to 1947. This aircraft remained in service after 1 July 1947 when the PAAC was renamed the Philippine Air Force. The Italian Air Force operated approximately 100 L-5s from 1946 into the 1950s. Many other countries also received L-5s after the war, particularly India which received 200. A number of these went to Pakistan after the partition of India in 1948.
After World War II, the L-5 was widely used by the Civil Air Patrol for search and rescue work. Today there are about 300 known examples left world wide and less than half are in flying condition. A restored, flying example of the 0Y-1 (L-5E) variant (VH-NOY) is located in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia. This example was built for the USAAF but was delivered directly to the US Navy instead, serving until 1949. A group called the Sentinel Owners and Pilots Association is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of this aircraft type. Post 1950, In India a lot of L-5s were used by Flying Clubs for hobby flying and to teach Student Civilian pilots. These were used till about 1973 when due to lack of spare wings the DGCA withdrew their C of A all over India.
Here is a link to the Stinson association which is a club of owners who work at preserving this great little aircraft, which played an important part in WW2.
http://www.sentinelclub.org/I would urge all to click on this link about this great little aircraft! It is a great web site!
