Warbird Information Exchange

Sometimes real pilots and vets say or write stuff that is wrong, who knows why? Examples, James Goodson writes being out turned by a FW-190 and until he used his right hand to lower a notch of flaps in his Mustang; when in fact the flap lever is on the Left side below the throttle. Bud Anderson writes of once getting to fly an early Spitfire and how it was different because the engine turns the "wrong way". Of course, that is not true, all the Merlin engines turned the same way in Spits as they did in Mustangs.
Chuck Yeager wrote of how he left German tanks in flames after strafing in a P-51. I think it was Bud Anderson that gave the real story on this, that obviously Mustang .50 cal machine guns would bounce off a tank.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Just in the interest of accuracy...(or is it splitting hairs? )



The Marines didn't drop on Corregidor. It was the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team, a purely US Army outfit. Parts of the 24th Infantry Division (also an Army unit) performed an amphibious landing on the island at the same time.

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You are totally right. My interest was in the airdrop and not the ground troops. I should have done my own research on that. If I recall it right it was the 39th, 40th, 41st and 46th that were the Jungle Skippers that did the drop. The 39th and 40th did left hand racetrack patterns since the usable green light was like 6 seconds or they would drop off both ends of the island. the 41st and 46th did right hand racetrack patterns. It was the best way to de-conflict and get as much mass on the DZ in as short a time as possible.

I like splitting hairs on historical accuracy! LOL! Keeps us all above board...

A couple of basic points on research here. Firstly, the gentleman's name would almost certainly be the fastest route to showing at least if his records fitted the claimed career. (Not that I'm disputing that.) And also if there are accounts of the actions and stories, always start with the name. As a researcher, in a case like this, my starting position - no name, no play.

Which is why I asked the question right up front, but Agent86 hasn't yet returned to the thread.

Secondly, there's not point in getting too picky over terminology or non-critical details in a second-hand recounting of a story from some years ago. We all would add errors like 'brig' for 'stockade'. (For instance, I'd say 'glasshouse' anyway, that being the British term).

Regards,

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com