Warbird Information Exchange

... the rest have to be at least twins.

This was an interesting gathering. Location was obviously statesite at an Army Airfield somewhere. The date must have been late 1944 or 1945 by the addition of the Douglas A-26.

Nice to see a (C?)B-23.
Also, note the C-45 in the background.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

The B-17 & B-24 in the middle row are lacking their upper turrets.

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45-47=-2

To me it looks like Wright Field. Would also explain the wide array of aircraft types.

Perhaps the "B-24" is a C-87?

Imagine the 23 was used as a trainer or transport by then, perhaps as a UC-67.

Could be all sort of things- war bond set up, tour by the brass....

Perhaps the "B-24" is a C-87?

Imagine the 23 was used as a trainer or transport by then, perhaps as a UC-67.

Could be all sort of things- war bond set up, tour by the brass....

Survivor! http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b23regis ... 90047.html

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Going by the registry then McChord AAF base in Wa. is the location assuming the B-23 was a static instructional airframe? This picture shows a potential location for the wartime photo - the apron in centre with the parked C-!7's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McChord_F ... rd_AFB.jpg

That would explain the presence of that lone P-39.

"McChord also had large maintenance facilities for Air Technical Service Command during the war, serving as a P-39 Airacobra modification center April 1944 – May 1945 for lend-lease aircraft being sent to Russia via the Alaska Territory."

And the area had a couple of P-38 bases...
The Lightnings were used to protect the area against the Japanese balloon bombs (and also provide cover for Boeing in Seattle, the Hanford nuclear facility and perhaps Grand Coulee Dam).
One of the P-38 units had a couple of AT-9s assigned for multi engine proficiency training.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Mark, that’s a superb picture of the ramp and buildings (and of course of the P-38s) at Redmond. Do you have any more wartime pictures of the Redmond or Madras, Oregon airports?

I’ll see what I have and what I can find Larry.
The link below also has some interesting information.

https://www.142wg.ang.af.mil/News/Featu ... rogram-of/

Thanks Mark, that’s a very interesting link. I worked for Butler Aircraft flying tankers for 40 years and the founder and all around great gentleman Cal Butler learned to fly P-38s flying from Redmond. That was convenient as he was a Redmond native. He was probably already a POW in a German Stalag by the time the picture was taken. He was shot down while strafing a German troop train and broke his back baling out of a P-38 at low level. He told me that if he’d been flying an A-20 he would have made it home.

On the first strafing run they shot out an engine. That made him mad, so he made a second pass and they got the other engine. Even though the Germans hospitalized him and more or less repaired in back he still refused to buy a German car. I happened to buy an original copy of the book “The Interrogator” and it had a picture of Cal’s entry in the interrogator’s guest book. He admitted that Hanns-Joachim Schaffer was okay for a German and Cal actually went to a reunion of sorts that was held in California featuring Herr Scharff and a number of former POWs. Cal’s attitude changed after that, but he continued buying Japanese cars.

A docent at the Madras museum told me a couple years ago they're looking for photos of B-17s that served there - hope you can find some!

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)