Seeking Some Advice

[Ambaryerno]

Speaking of, does anyone have any information on the aircraft Rawie shot down? I know it was an A5M4 based out of Taroa, belonging to the 4th Kokutai. I'd seen the name of the pilot somewhere but can't find it right now, but I'd be looking for what markings it would have carried. I'd had a thought of doing a flight display with Rawie's F4F and the A5M. I could possibly do the Wildcat in the 1/32 kit with the A5M in a smaller scale for forced perspective.

 

[RWGWAG]

I actually thought of the doing the same thing with Gray's aircraft that day, presumably F-13/3920, that should've received quite a few holes. I need to find a VF-6 report that says which aircraft he was in that was damaged and landed last.

Anyways, I've seen some Chitose/4th Kokutai A5M4s on decals sheets in the past with conflicting info as to whether the aircraft were white or khaki/gray. Anyways, they had red tails and S-1xx on the tail, some with stripes. Honestly, I'm not that familiar with Japanese aircraft markings from the period. I'm also not sure how accurate the decal sheets are or if any of the aircraft are the actual ones in question.

 

[RWGWAG]

By the end of January 1942 VF-6 had 13 F4F-3A and 5 F4F-3. I would bet that one of those -3's was McCluskey's mount.

I would guess that McClusky's new mount was 3973. By looking at Lundstrom's "First Team", and the consequent BuNos for the lost aircraft on 7 December, I think 3973 was either F-1 or F-12. Anyone know of the second F-12's BuNo?

 

[RWGWAG]

This Navy photo shows an Enterprise Wildcat taking off on 24 February 1942, the day of the Wake Island raid. According to Lundstrom, McClusky was flying F-1 that day, and this photo shows an F4F-3 with a black 1 on the starboard side of its cowling. It also does not have the larger national insignia on the fuselage, but clearly has the wing insignias on the undersides of both wings. I would guess this aircraft was recently received since it's being brought up to VF-6's paint scheme standards. So, F-1 was an F4F-3 for sure, but it looks much more recently recieved than my prior guess, 3973 probably looked, since 3973 had been with VF-6 since December 1941 and there would have been plenty of time to bring it up to paint scheme regulations. Again referencing Lundstrom's excellent BuNos list per cruise in "The First Team", VF-6 received three new F4F-3s for the 14 Feb-10 March cruise comprising BuNos 4000, 4002, and 4017. 4017 is off the table because it was lost on 24 February and Lundstrom states that aircraft was F-2. So, if my hypothesis is correct and the photo date, then the evidence points to 4000 or 4002 being F-1, the aircraft McClusky scored a kill in near Wake.

Oddly though, the aircraft is carrying a bomb (as is the one behind it), which VF-6 did not carry for the Wake Island raid. Could this possibly be a photo from the Marshall Islands raid on 1 February? If so, then I guess 3973 is still on the table as a possibility.