P-40N 13FG Ben Preston

[Krusty]

This is a skin progress thread for a P-40N I'm working on. I'm doing a small plane with bare metal because I need a control skin with which to learn the specularity mapping and bump mapping (nothing really tricky or special as far as bump/spec goes). That said, it still is a skin that's been on my list for a while. I brought it up with Lyric ages ago, so he may enjoy finally seeing this one being worked on.

 

There's one decent photo of it in one of the squadron signal books and you can find it online everywhere:



There's also a profile I've seen a number of places.



I'm still working on the BMF effect. I'm starting from scratch and using a different palette from my recent P-47N work. I'm taking inspiration from some new resources and WW2 bare metal photos, and so forth. I will post screenshots briefly

One question I have though...

If any of you are familiar with asisbiz it's got a lot of IL2 skins on it. They post an IL2 skin for this plane showing the above profile and picture (they can be found elsewhere, though), but on it they show stripes on one of the wings. The stripes are there on the fuselage to denote pilot rank and leader position, so it's plausible there might be something on the wing... but as of yet I haven't found any photos of the wing. Is this pure fantasy or is there reason to believe I should put stripes on the wing as well?

See here for the asisbiz example:

http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/P-40/P-40N-13FG-BP1-Preston.html

[Guppy35]

Any more background on this one?  I've seen the photo before, but there is no 13th Fighter Group as referenced in the Squadron Signal book and on the web.    I see one suggestion that it might have been with the 15th FG on Makin, but I can find no reference to Preston or the plane in their Group history.

Lyric you have info on this one?

[Krusty]

Squadron Signal No26, Curtiss P40 Warhawk. Has same picture with following caption below:

"The P-40N-30-CU flown by Major Ben Peston C.O. of the 13th Pursuit Group was natural metal aircraft trimmed in Black and Orange. Preston as a Colonel would later lead the 4th Fighter Group in the Korean War and become a Mig killer. (USAF)"

It doesn't discuss his history in the text, as it revolves more around the aircraft than individual pilots. It's just one of many photos in the book.

Other captions I've seen online include the one I'll attach to this post. EDIT: It's not the Squadron book, that's apparent, but I don't know where it's from I do admit. /Edit.

[Krusty]

Aircam Aviation, "Curtiss P-40D-N Warhawk, in USAAF-French and foreign service" has a slightly different profile with the following caption. Edit: It also has the same in-flight photo as well /Edit

It's possible the 13FG is a misprint. I found one modelling discussion forum that was wondering if it was really 13th Air Force, but otherwise I don't have a concrete unit yet.

[Krusty]

Well, plenty of time to figure out the origins of the markings, but I promised some screenshots. Bear in mind these are very preliminary results, and it is very much a work in progress.

[Krusty]

13th Army Air Force was stationed at Middleburg Island in 1944. It lists 67FS, 68FS and 339 FS here:

http://www.enter.net/~rocketeer/13thaaf/13thhist6.html#67thfs

as being attached to the 13th AAF. 339 history doesn't show it being on middleburg, but the other two do. However, the 67FS doesn't seem to have operated P-40s.

68FS did use P-40s along with a mix of others (P-39s, converted to P-38s in June 1944) so I would suspect at first inspection maybe that's where I should keep looking.

[Krusty]

More news!


From apparently Lt. Col Monroe Q. Williams (a P-47 pilot in WW2) answering questions at www.rcwarbirds.com, the issue of the "13 FG" or "13 Pursuit" comes up again. His response:


"Monroe: "Hello Barney, thanks for your question. After extensive research, I have decided you are correct. The caption on the P-40 picture you saw is in error. I assume you are referring to the "presentation" by Vincent Dhorne. See link :
http://storage.mfa.free.fr/profile/p40n3.html
Or, you could have seen the picture on condorsrc.com website that has about the same caption. Vincent Dhorne may have taken his information from this picture. See link:
http://www.condorsrc.com/Planes/P40/
In my research I find no reference to a 13th Pursuit Gp, other than one that was sent to France in 1918 during WW1.
It is my opinion that P-40N-30 S/N 44-7071 flown by Maj. Ben Preston was assigned to the 15th Fighter Gp....45th or 46th Sq located at Makin Island. As the S/N would indicate, 44-7071 would have been delivered sometime in 1944. As this link will show, the 45th and 46th Sq. of the 15th Ftr Gp received P-40N Aircraft in Jan and Feb 1944. It appears they were the only USAAF Gp. that was flying the P-40N at that time. Also note, there is no 13th Pursuit Gp listed at this time.
http://pacific.valka.cz/airunits/usaf_fs.htm
Here are some other interesting links you may like to look at:
http://www.kithobbyist.com/p40warhawk/Variants/P-40N.htm
http://www.pioneeraero.co.nz/p-40n_version.htm
http://www.glorene.com/aviation/15thfg/
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.....Thanks anyway for your question.>>>Monroe "

[Guppy35]

I have the 15th FG history and no mention in there.

[Krusty]

This google book preview of P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific

Shows the 46th FS in combat on Makin Island as early as January 1944. Not this particular plane, but seems the 46th was the more likely choice based on P-40N usage, and this puts them in combat at least. Still looking.

[FTJR]

Looking good Krusty

[Guppy35]

This google book preview of P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific

Shows the 46th FS in combat on Makin Island as early as January 1944. Not this particular plane, but seems the 46th was the more likely choice based on P-40N usage, and this puts them in combat at least. Still looking.

They had the coral gray P40Ns.  Again no mention of Preston either as a squadron or group commander in the 15th FG.  A one off scheme like that does fit for someone with the rank to have it done.  The PI code is connected to an a20 attack group.  I just wonder if it was a CO's "hack"


Gonna keep looking   

[lyric1]

Lyric you have info on this one?

Most of what I have is about the same as what Krusty has.

[Krusty]

If it does turn out to be a hack I won't skin it. There are a couple of other possible BMF ones (though FTJR took the second best one! THANKS A LOT! ) and I'll still get my main goals of doing BMF with all the new goodies.



P.S. I found an accident report in Florida in 1945 with a P-40N of the same 44-7071 code that was written off. Not sure if transfered back stateside after the war (honestly not sure if they'd have just bulldozed them into a hole in the jungle instead??) or if it was just some training unit that was stateside the entire time....

[Guppy35]

Hmmmm.  I'd have to speculate then that Preston had his own bird as CO of a training squadron in the states towards the end of the war and got the fancy paint job.  The 2 letter code without a third looks to be similar to other training command 2 letter codes.

Guess all we can do is keep looking.   

That it was involved in a stateside accident does point that way though. 

[Krusty]

Okay then. I think that it's pretty clear it isn't as it was advertised. I won't do state-side trainers, and from all the data so far that's what it looks like.

Here's another backup I had in mind. Anybody got any info on a P-40N-20-CU stationed in Italy in 1943 named "Tin Indian"?

Code 22A on the nose, tail 321221, white tail, nose, yellow rudder and H-stabs, OD extended past the canopy, and red outlines on star?

I literally have no clue other than I found this art profile of it yesterday when looking for info on Preston's plane.

P.S. Looks like Lt. Glenbolt, or Lt. G. Humbolt or something like that under the canopy.