Author Topic: F4U-1A, 777 - VMF-214 or VMF-212 1st lt Phillip Delong, USMC Ace 11 kills  (Read 681 times)

Offline whiteman

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Found this one and it had a field applied repaint seen on -1's. Also it looks like the US insignias were done in field with different versions on it. Not unusual for that time and place. Like a lot of the USMC corsairs in the Solomon's this one was shared with pilots from multiple squads. Originally everything I'd seen said VMF-214, most likely because the Black Sheep name is known but USMC Ace Phillip Delong was the only one confirmed to have flown it.

I thought the insignias that were outlined were in a blue but i found pictures of Delong signing prints with the red emblems so i went with that.

The only picture of 777 is after it rolled over after landing December 1943 at Bougainville. This would have been before he would have his first kill, so what to name it is a coin toss.

777 red3 by whitemanLS1, on Flickr

777 red2 by whitemanLS1, on Flickr

Offline JimmyD3

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Very nice Whiteman!  :aok
Kenai77
CO Sic Puppies MWK
USAF 1971-76

Offline Devil 505

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Very nice.

I would name it whatever closest matches the reference you used.
Kommando Nowotny

FlyKommando.com

Offline lyric1

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Offline oboe

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Great-looking weathered Corsair, Whiteman.

Offline Greebo

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Very nice Whiteman, the weathering is really good.