Aircraft Videos and Images

[smurf-oly]

I didn't see this link posted anywhere in this thread.... many more photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/1146825...at=directlink#

[BadAim]

That's great, thanks for sharing. Too bad there is nothing in there to sqpecifically identify plane and pilot. I pray this treasure falls into the right hands.

[mazex]

Great images in that link... How about this:

Original image:


Edit to show the possible hints of HS-B


And a 260 sqadron desert P-40... Wrong type though (no Allison):


Speculation It definately is a B though... But we want the squadron letters and my HS feels more vague

He he, doing more web research, naturally someone did an IL2 skin for this AC:

http://asisbiz.com/il2/P-40-RAF-SAAF...0-Edwards.html

And someone restored it or painted another one


And it was scrapped in 1944 as I understand it More theories?

And in this thread at some forum more people speculate on HS-B (and the pilot "Stocky Edwards" is obviously still alive - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Francis_Edwards - someone got to ask him if he ditched a plane and forgot about it )

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?p=1882370

[Sternjaeger II]

well at least we know it's 100% a Hawk 87A-3!

Historians will have their good work to do, needless to say it would help to know the exact location!

*prepares lorry just in case...*

[taildraggernut]

I think mazex is prob right with the ID letters it really does look like HSB, theres a pic of a battery label with a date of 1941, could this be an HSB from before the referenced picture dated 1943?

[Sternjaeger II]

it's a bit of a long shot, they should have taken pics of data plates in the cockpit really.

[DroopSnoot]

Originally Posted by taildraggernut

I think mazex is prob right with the ID letters it really does look like HSB, theres a pic of a battery label with a date of 1941, could this be an HSB from before the referenced picture dated 1943?

That would make it a Tomahawk not a Kittyhawk then surely, As far as i know there were later versions of the IIb that had no nose mounted mgs which would correspond to that line of thought.

[ElAurens]

Originally Posted by DroopSnoot

That would make it a Tomahawk not a Kittyhawk then surely, As far as i know there were later versions of the IIb that had no nose mounted mgs which would correspond to that line of thought.

No.

An 87A series is a P-40E, which makes it a Kittyhawk. Just look at the thing. It's not a Hawk 81. The spinner, engine cowling, and wing gun locations are all totally wrong for a Tomahawk.

No Hawk 81s (Tomahawks in RAF service) were delivered with the nose guns deleted. What happend was that the RAF was having troubles with the change to the Colt manufactured .50 syncronised nose guns, so the training units that had the aircraft at the time often did not use them.

[Thee_oddball]

there's a chance(if that plane is from the 260th) that that plane we are looking at might have been shot down by a legend... Hans-Joachim Marseille

Opponents were Kittyhawks I from No. 260 Squadron RAF and Tomahawks IIB from No. 2 Squadron SAAF and No. 4 Squadron SAAF. These units had the following losses in this engagement: three Tomahawks and one Kittyhawk missing (one pilot later returned wounded), two Kittyhawks and two Tomahawks crash landed after aerial combat, and one heavily damaged and one lightly damaged Kittyhawk. On the German side I.JG 27 reported five P-40s, II./JG 27 three P-40s shot down. The combat reports indicate that Marseille's opponents were Kittyhawks from No. 260 Squadron RAF. His opponents were Squadron Leader Hanbury who crash landed and Sergeant Wareham who was killed in action.[

there are more 260th pilots listed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Joachim_Marseille

[BadAim]

I only would argue that this aircraft has no apparent battle damage whatsoever, and also that it was found some 200 miles from any known action. (I have a friend in the area) I'd rather suspect that the bloke got lost and ran out of fuel. Of course I admit that I'm only speculating and that the only way we will ever learn the true story is to identify the particular craft.

That said, you definitely have a sharp eye Oddball, I never saw that now quite obvious B on the fuselage.