RAAF Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk IV returns to base with much of its port wing missing in 1944

[hw97karbine]

Flying Officer T.R. Jacklin with the damaged wing of his No. 75 Squadron RAAF Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk IV "SVENGALI" that made it back to base flying more than 300 kilometers after a direct hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire on August 9th 1944

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Hooo boy.

 

[SaparotRob]

Ditto.

 

[Snautzer01]

Tritto

 

[MIflyer]

Just like the famous artwork, "Lope's Hope" Except it was an Oscar and not an AAA hit. The Oscar got the worse of it. Lopez made it home to base.

 

[Wildcat]

Actually the damage is the result of a mid-air collision over Cape Sansapor.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Actually the damage is the result of a mid-air collision over Cape Sansapor.

Whence the damage doesn't impress me as much as the fact that that pilot put on the ground on his three wheels. The airmanship involved in bringing that home is to me impressive.

 

[PhantomBoss]

A very good book that details much of the RAAF Kittyhawk action in the pacific theatre in WW2 is 'The Missing Man' by Peter Rees. It details the life and war history of Australia's first Aboriginal fighter pilot Len Waters, who flew 90 operational missions in his P40 called 'Black Magic'. On one flight he felt a thud and realised he'd been hit by an anti-aircraft round which by miracle didn't explode. He returned very carefully to base and did what he described as 'the smoothest landing I'd ever done', taxiing to the far end of the airfield and waving the ground support crews away. They discovered the round had lodged just behind the pilots seat and was still stuck in there. If it had exploded as usual he wouldn't have survived. A great read and an amazing man.

 

[Wildcat]

Whence the damage doesn't impress me as much as the fact that that pilot put on the ground on his three wheels. The airmanship involved in bringing that home is to me impressive.

Agreed - Skill and bravery on show for sure. Here is a picture from NOEMFOOR ISLAND, DUTCH NEW GUINEA. 1944-08-09. 405738 FLYING OFFICER T. R. JACKLIN OF MACKAY, ...

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Agreed - Skill and bravery on show for sure. Here is a picture from NOEMFOOR ISLAND, DUTCH NEW GUINEA. 1944-08-09. 405738 FLYING OFFICER T. R. JACKLIN OF MACKAY, ...

View attachment 831714

Dude's got no ailerons, maybe no flaps depending on hydraulics, all damage on the one wing. Pilot skill and some luck got that down without a cartwheel or other such ugliness.

 

[Barrett]

I'm slightly surprised that nobody posted
"That will buff out."
Which seems obligatory on so many web sites!

 

[SaparotRob]

It's not like no one here wanted to.

 

[Gnomey]

Good one!