Archival snippet

[bauple58]

The following antiquated designs, some of which dated from the 1920s, were all classified by the USAAF (in late 1944) as "combat types." The clear implication from CAS Arnold's letter (extract attached), is that some of these relics may have still been serving then with overseas units: Consolidated A-11, Consolidated P-25, Consolidate PB-2, Boeing P-26, Boeing P-29, Curtiss A-3, Curtiss A-12, Curtiss A-18, Curtiss P-6, Douglas A-33, Douglas O-25, Douglas O-31, Douglas O-38, Douglas O-43, Douglas O-46, Martin B-10, Martin B-12, Northrop A-16, Stearman A-21, and Thomas Morse O-19.

 

[Sabrejet]

Weird. Final extant example of the O-31 family in service was the single O-31B (s/n 32-231), which was at Fort Leavenworth until May 1942 when it was requested for shipping to the Rome Air Depot. Even then it's not guaranteed that it flew; more likely it was moved by rail. It was dropped from the inventory the same month and not resurrected. So it's possible (I guess) that the three training airframes still extant by mid-1942 might have been considered for a return to service in time of need?