Groundhog Thread Part Deux - P-39 Fantasy and Fetish - The Never Ending Story (Mods take no responsibility for head against wall injuries sustained)

[FLYBOYJ]

Where dos the cannon fit into this? Anyone have any pics? Wiki's kakking out on me.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

That's one mighty small ammo feed.

 

[33k in the air]

He clearly only replies when he thinks it offers him an opportunity to advance his agenda.

To put this thread into paraphrased movie line terms:

P-39 Expert: "P-39, Cadillac of the skies!"
The Forum: "Why do you say this to us when you know we will debate you for it?"

 

[SaparotRob]

More like (from the Princess Bride): "I don't think this means what you think it means."

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

To put this thread into paraphrased movie line terms:

P-39 Expert: "P-39, Cadillac of the skies!"
The Forum: "Why do you say this to us when you know we will debate you for it?"

Trollery though it is, I appreciate that them who know more base their replies on good, sound footing, which allows those of us less-informed to learn better how to sniff out sloppy stuff.

 

[tyrodtom]

Nanette was fiction, Angels Twenty was fact based on the same location and time period. From the book: "We (two planes) started our takeoff run before the first element (two planes) was off the ground. They began their turn, a wide gentle swing. Wingman and I were able to turn easily inside them and so put the flight in proper formation. By the time we were on course for the coordinate Blue Flight was with us, all in position." That was only two flights (eight planes, half a squadron), but the process was very quick and simple.

Park was no friend of the P-39, but in the other book he made it clear that the biggest fault was too much weight, coming mainly from the wing guns and too much armor plate. In neither book did he say that the plane was difficult or dangerous to fly and was particularly easy to take off and land.

I thoroughly enjoyed both books, finding them at times laugh out loud funny at the situations he and his squadron mates found themselves in both in combat and on leave. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of day to day life on a forward base in NG during a time early on when the AAF was on the defensive. I recommend both books as very entertaining for someone interested in WW2 aviation.

Nice twist P-39 Expert, Nanette is fiction, Angels 20 is the truth, and nothing but the truth.
Strange that the forming up procedures revealed in Nanette fits within known accepted SOP, and your take from Angels 20 does not.

Nanette is about the middle period, and moves into the late period at Port Moresby, and it's nearby airfields , not the early period.
He mentions P-38s being present from the beginning of his account, and also N model P-39s.

 

[SaparotRob]

GregP was elbows deep in an actual, honest to glory, no fooling' around P-39. His pals restore, repair, rebuild, fly actual P-39's. They actually take stuff out and put stuff back in to REAL P-39's. I'm sure some of these guys have some FAA mandated qualification. They say you can't PHYSICALLY do it.

"You canna' change the laws of physics."
Lt Cmdr Montgomery Scott

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

GregP was elbows deep in an actual, honest to glory, no fooling' around P-39. His pals restore, repair, rebuild, fly actual P-39's. They actually take stuff out and put stuff back in to REAL P-39's. I'm sure some of these guys have some FAA mandated qualification. They say you can't PHYSICALLY do it.

"You canna' change the laws of physics."
Lt Cmdr Montgomery Scott

You done did it, introducing science-fiction into this already-absurd tale from beyond.

 

[SaparotRob]

You done did it, introducing science-fiction into this already-absurd tale from beyond.

and I didn't even read the manual.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

and I didn't even read the manual.

Yabut do you play a doctor on TV? Or perhaps stayed recently in a Holiday Inn Express?

 

[nuuumannn]

"Dogs and cats living together..." LMAO!

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

"Dogs and cats living together..." LMAO!

One way or another, Bill Murray belongs in a Groundhog thread.

It's almost as if his monomaniacal movie portrayals portended this thread.

 

[GrauGeist]

And in the ads below...

Perfect!

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

And in the ads below...

View attachment 634602

Perfect!

This pretty much sums up this thread...

 

[GrauGeist]

Great, so now that the "Never Ending Story" has entered the loop, we need to know the CoG of the Luck Dragon...

 

[Stig1207]

Stig, the Eagle Squadrons were so designated (4th FG).

The 31st FG had 307,308 and 309FS, all organized into 31st FG in May 1942. You can find the 39th, 40th and 41st in the 35th FG. My father commanded the 35th in Japan - we were at Johnson AFB. Jeff Ethell's father Irv was a 39th FS CO during our time there.

Yeah, I wrote that in a bit of a hurry, and got the squadrons of the 4th and 31st mixed up.

 

[Stig1207]

Rolf Gunther Hermichen was in the LW at the start of the war, served in the French campaign, The Battle of Britain, on the eastern front before returning to France in 1942. He claimed a Hurricane at the end of July which was a Hurricane, a Spitfire on the 18 August, another Spitfire on the 19 August plus another he claimed as an Airacobra. This was his 18th claim 5 previous claims for Spitfires. He must have had reasons to think it was a P-39.

Focke-Wulf 190s Over Dieppe

From the link:

At around 11:30, FW 190s appeared in great numbers over the beachhead, resulting in the fiercest combat of the day. Rolf Hermichen of 3./J.G. 26 claimed destruction of a P-39 at 11:38 (a case of mis-identification).

Oops, I see you already addressed this in post #3414 (!!!). So many postings in this thread, I can't keep up.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Great, so now that the "Never Ending Story" has entered the loop, we need to know the CoG of the Luck Dragon...

Obviously tail-heavy. It was, after all, dragon its tail.

I'll show myself the door.

 

[buffnut453]

You done did it, introducing science-fiction into this already-absurd tale from beyond.

I knew there was a reason I liked you! Madness, one of my all-time favourite bands. Saw them live in Birmingham (NOT Alabama) in 2004. Fantastic concert - place was rocking!