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PostPosted: Fri Nov 19, 2021 8:48 pm 
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Below a Grumman OA-9 Amphibian w/ D-Day Stripes, England 1944.
The OA-9 was mainly used as a transport and air-sea rescue plane for the United States Army Air Forces. 26 were ordered in 1938, supplemented by five JRF-6Bs under the same designation.

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 2:08 pm 
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Superb, Mark. Thanks for posting. I never knew that the USAAF had at least one in England and in D-Day stripes as well! Wish I knew where the photo was taken.


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 4:06 pm 
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More proof that we threw everything we had at the enemy during that war. I love it!
It would be interesting to see photos of other "non-combatant" aircraft that were used in the war zones. I'm thinking of C-45s, Norsemans, Staggerwings, and other types that I don't know about.


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 4:17 pm 
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http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/ ... ntent=OA-9


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:34 pm 
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The caption in the original post indicates possible ASR duty during the invasion.
Considering the USAAF had OA-10s (PBYs) which were better suited to North Sea (or even Channel landings, I can't imagine a Goose would be very valuable.

So perhaps they used it as a transport? After all, the C-47s were busy.
I agree with Mark's interest in civil type warbirds.
All I've seen are some shots of Cessna T-50s (UC-78), L-4s, C-45s and a few Staggerwings in wartime 8th AF photos.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:43 pm 
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How do you know it's an Army OA-9 as opposed to a different model? The markings are quite generic and AFAIK the Army OA-9's were not delivered with spinners, or ever painted silver... but Coast Guard JRF-2's and early Navy JRF-1's and -5's had spinners and silver paint schemes.

Just consulted Fred Knight's book The Grumman Amphibians and of the original OA-9's only 5 or 6 survived through 1942 and all seemed to be assigned to units in Panama, Brazil, the Caribbean, etc. I'll have to review the 5 JRF-6B's to see where they were assigned...

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:43 pm 
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Rajay wrote:
How do you know it's an Army OA-9 as opposed to a different model?.

I don’t know! It’s what was captioned on the back of the photo.

That being said, I expect a full report on my desk in the morning.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2022 8:44 am 
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One thing is for certain now that I have reviewed some engineering details. It is NOT an Army OA-9. The early civilian models G-21A and Army OA-9's (Grumman design no. G-31) had the original type, SMALL right-hand side emergency exit hatches. The Goose in this photo has the later style LARGE right-hand emergency exit hatch that was developed for the Navy's models JRF-1 through JRF-5 (and the British JRF-6B's too which were essentially JRF-5's without the integral belly camera hatch.)

As you can see in this photo, the forward edge of the emergency exit hatch meets the aft edge of the last cabin window - both at Hull sta. 23. There is just a small piece of extruded channel structure between them. On the smaller, earlier-style hatch, there was actually 10 to 11 inches of skin in between them - the distance from Hull sta. 23 at the aft edge of the cabin window to the frame at the forward edge of the emergency exit hatch at Hull sta. 24.

Of course, in theory, it could still be one of the JRF-6B's that were built for the British, 5 of which were retained by the Army Air Corps - and which were identified as OA-9's in Army service, but which in reality actually differed from the original Army OA-9's in terms of technical details like this. (I still haven't gotten around to reviewing the history records for those 5 aircraft yet.)

I really wish there was any kind of unique, identifying number or marking on it other than the generic national star and invasion stripes.

Since I don't have my copy of the Fred Knight Grumman Amphibs book with me right now, I checked Baugher's serial number lists. The 5 British JRF-6B's that were diverted to the US Army Air Corps as OA-9's were Grumman serials 1155 - 1159 and were assigned Army serials 42-106979 through 42-106983 respectively.

Serial 1156 (42-106980) crashed in Colombia in 1943, so that's not it. Serial 1157 (42-106981) apparently never left the CONUS during it Army service, being WFU in Georgia in 1945. It is now a museum restoration project at the Tongass Historical Society in Ketchikan, AK. Serial 1158 (42-106982) also crashed in 1943 in Miami, FL, so it too is not the one pictured here. That leaves me to have to check the records for serials 1155 and 1159.

Serial 1155 (42-106979) survived the war and was WFU in 1947. Serial 1159 (42-106983) on the other hand, crashed Oct. 18, 1944, but that does not preclude it from having served in the ETO with invasion stripes previously.

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Natasha: "You got plan, darling?"
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2022 3:12 pm 
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These are the history records for those last 2 JRF-6B's that were diverted to the Army as OA-9's. Neither saw service in Europe, so it's very doubtful that the Goose in the photo is an OA-9 - contrary to how it was labelled. It may be simply that the photo was taken by an Army photographer and held in an Army archive - and to them it was an OA-9 even though it's actually a different model of Goose in a different branch of the service.

1155 Built for Great Britain as JRF-6B with the intended serial FP505. Re-allocated to the US Army Air Force and re-designated as an OA-9 with serial 42-106979. Accepted at New York (Bethpage?) 30Nov42 for use by military attachés in the Caribbean theatre: Guatemala (6th AF) 01Apr43; British Guiana 03Nov43; returned to USA 01May44; Venezuela 08Jun44; at Panama Air Deport, France Field as of 03Nov44 for radio equipment change. Condemned 6th AF (CAC) 09Feb47 and salvaged for parts 28May47.

1159 Built for Great Britain as JRF-6B with the intended serial FP509. Re-allocated to the USAAF and re-designated as an OA-9 with serial 42-106983. Delivered and accepted at New York (Bethpage?) 27Nov42 for use by military attaches in the Caribbean theatre: Haiti 20Feb43; Military Attaché Bogota, Colombia 04May43; in work at the Panama Air Deport, France Field from unknown date until Sept. 1943; returned to the US from Haiti 11Mar44; Peru 11Apr44; Cuba 30Jun44. Destroyed in hurricane 18Oct44 (“reduced to junk.”)

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“To invent the airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything!” - Otto Lilienthal

Natasha: "You got plan, darling?"
Boris: "I always got plan. They don't ever work, but I always got one!"

Remember, any dummy can be a dumb-ass...
In order to be a smart-ass, you first have to be "smart"
and to be a wise-ass, you actually have to be "wise"


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 10:53 am 
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Last night, I read through the military service record card data for all of the military variants of the Goose that Fred Knight and Colin Smith documented in their book The Grumman Amphibians - Goose, Widgeon, and Mallard and I found only 3 that made any mention whatsoever of being operated in the UK during the war or in any kind of temporal proximity to D-Day such that they would have carried "invasion stripes." Here are their histories as recorded in the book:

B-58
Built for US Navy as JRF-5, BuAer. Serial 37805. Acc 08May44 and del. 09May44; FAW-5 Norfolk; records missing but allocated to Hedron 7, FAW-7 Plymouth, NAF Dunkeswell 04Jly44 having been shipped to the UK as deck cargo on USS Albemarle (AV-5) Allocated to Commander, US Ports and Bases, France 12Aug44 (records show location a/o 31Aug44 as ‘unknown’); Hedron 7 FAW-7 Plymouth/NAF Dunkeswell 30Sep44; ComNavEu RAF Hendon July45; ComNavEastLant RAF Hendon Mar47; Pool NAS Norfolk May47 until at least Aug48; records missing; NAS Norfolk by Jan50 (storage); Pool BAR Bethpage 11Apr50 for overhaul; NAF Annapolis 18Sep50. To BAR RD&DE College Point, NY 08Jun51 for bailment to and modification by the EDO Corporation to test twin hydro-ski concept; to NATC NAS Pax River 11Jun53. Terminal damage in flying accident circa 24Oct55 and SOC at Pax River 25Oct55 for parts/scrap (TFH: 880 hrs.)

B-92
Built for US Navy as JRF-5, BuAer. Serial 84797. Acc 27Oct44 and del NAS New York 28Oct44; Hedron 7, FAW-7 Plymouth/NAF Dunkeswell Dec44; ComNavEu RAF Hendon July45; returned to the USA via USS Adria (AF-30) 27Dec46; unreported until Apr47 when with Pool BAR Bethpage; NAS Norfolk July47 until at least Aug48; records missing; awaiting overhaul NAS Norfolk by Jan50; NAS Quonset Point 22July50 for overhaul; 1st ND NAS Quonset Point 27Aug51; NAF Annapolis 10Mar53; NAS Quonset Point 07July53 for overhaul and allocated to MDAP 31Mar54. SOC for MDAP disposal to Japan 13May54 (TFH: 1,359 hrs.) Shipped to Japan where de-preserved by the FASRON-11 detachment at NAF Oppama; used for crew training and working-up at NAF Oppama. Transferred to the JMSDF and given serial 9011; formal handover to Second Kanoya Kokutai, Kanoya 18Oct55; relocated to Omura and thus to Omura Kokutai 01Dec56; no known accidents and assumed retired circa 1960 and thus would have returned to US charge. No known subsequent history and assumed to have been scrapped in Japan.

B-93
Built for US Navy as JRF-5, BuAer. Serial 84798. Acc 30Oct44 and del 09Nov44; Hedron 7, allocated to Commander, US Ports and Bases, France 22Dec44; ComNavEu RAF Hendon July45. Returned to the US via USS Adria (AF-30) 27Dec46; unreported until Apr47 when with Pool BAR Bethpage; VN8D5 NAF Annapolis July47; NavAirActSRC NAF Annapolis Aug47 until at least Aug48; records missing; NavAirActSRC NAF Annapolis by Jan50 and administratively to NAF Annapolis 24Mar50; NAS Quonset Point 11Jun51 for overhaul; NAS San Diego 09Mar52 for issue; FASRON-114 NAS Kodiak 02Apr52 (to re-work 27Sep53); NAS San Diego 05Oct53 for disposal in flying condition. SF Litchfield Park, 29Jan54; leased (under contract NOas 55-210-m) to Marine Airways Inc and Alaska Air Transport Inc. dba Alaska Coastal Airlines, Ketchikan, AK 04Mar55, with CoR N4774C, 10Mar55. CoA after converted to G-21A by Long Beach AIrmotive Inc. CA 22Apr55 at TFH: 2,851 hours. BoS US Navy to Alaska Coastal A/L, Juneau, AK 15May58 for $32,000, with CoR 12Jun58. Formally retired by US Navy 31May58 and SOC.10Dec58. Normally used as a freighter only with bucket seats installed. Accident 20Aug58; hit glassy surface and sank landing in Lynn Channel near Haines, AK, 65 miles NW of Juneau, AK. Capt. Dawson + 5 pax injured, 2 uninjured, but 1 pax later died. Aircraft sank in 150 ft. of water and salvage attempts were unsuccessful. Nominally regd to Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines, Juneau, AK 01Apr62. Noted as “no longer in use” Oct64 but nominal change of regn to Alaska Coastal Airlines in 1965. Cancelled from USCAR 23Jun70 as destroyed.

Of these 3, only the first one, serial no. B-58, was actually in service before D-Day and stationed in the UK at least soon after D-Day. The other 2 were not shipped to England until several months later, so my question now is... for how long after D-Day did they continue to paint "invasion stripes" on Allied aircraft? If the answer is "not for very much longer" then the so-called "OA-9" in the photo at the start of this thread is most likely JRF-5 serial no. B-58, US Navy BuAer. serial no. 37805. That's my best guess.

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“To invent the airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything!” - Otto Lilienthal

Natasha: "You got plan, darling?"
Boris: "I always got plan. They don't ever work, but I always got one!"

Remember, any dummy can be a dumb-ass...
In order to be a smart-ass, you first have to be "smart"
and to be a wise-ass, you actually have to be "wise"


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 2:52 pm 
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Outstanding research!!!! ...... thx kindly 8)


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