I think a sensible way to do things, pilots had to get used to where they were and how things were done, plus they had to get used to new types, maybe not a great idea to do them both at once.
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I think a sensible way to do things, pilots had to get used to where they were and how things were done, plus they had to get used to new types, maybe not a great idea to do them both at once.I mentioned the P-39, because I recall reading that many groups stateside (the 99th included) were assigned P-39s and P-40s as "work up" ships.
Has absolutely zero to do with the pilot's color.
FWIW. and I make no claims to expertise in the matter of the 332nd, all the pictures I've seen of them were in either P-40s or P-51s, and zero pics of any Bell products. I have not, nor do I claim to, have seen any photos of them with the P-39s. I know they got their P-51s after trading in their old P-40s, which they used to great effect in ground support missions. The photos I've seen have shown them training stateside in P-40s, after moving on from various trainers. The Bell? Not that I've seen.
What kind of misinformation is this? P-39s not competitive with contemporary Axis aircraft? Who writes this stuff?No pictures but there is this...
....from this book...
Sometimes people get so afraid of saying the wrong thing that they are afraid to say anything. I happen to believe that the essence of racial or ethnic stereotyping is not so much noticing a generalization as it is assuming that the generalization must apply to every individual.Eyesight is eyesight, if you are proposing there is a racial element to that, show some proof.
Exactly. He just got his whole plane so close that he couldn't miss. 40 times.Bong was a gunnery instructor because of his high gunnery scores. Bong himself claimed he wasn't a very good shot, "....yet his squadron mates stated that he hit whatever he fired at 90 percent of the time. Bong said one secret of his success was a policy of getting close enough to "put the gun muzzles in the Jap's cockpit."
Pretty sure the P-40 was better armed than the P-39, too...What kind of misinformation is this? P-39s not competitive with contemporary Axis aircraft? Who writes this stuff?
According to Doug Bader, guys with no legs make better fighter pilots.Can you imagine what would happen if someone said white people make better fighter pilots?
Well people who eat carrots make the best night fighters so maybe there is something in it? This was the 1940s version of an internet fact.Taffy Jones in his book tiger squadron mentioned he thought blue eyed people made better fighter pilots brown eyed was more suited to bombers
Well they made the best gamblers and gunfighters so its an obvious truth.Galland said sigar smokers are the best fighter pilots.
Dave - for sure in training, still not sure about combat ops but neither 33rd or 324th or 86FBG flew P-39Bill, didn't the 99th first start out with P-39s?
Good catch. The timing is curious for two reasons. First, the 100th, 301st and 302nd were intact within 332nd FG, and my records indicate that they converted from P-40 to P-47s in April, 1944. The second curiosity is the Very large disparity in the MACR number appears to be a year apart, namely April/May 1944 and April 1945.
Probably 43rd, as he didn't reminisce very often. With the 19th, he traveled to Australia on the Queen Mary after her first run after conversion to troopship. He recalled there were 12 bunks to a room that in peace time held two. He showed me the compartment tag from the door. Not being Naval personnel, the troops didn't like the idea of not having escort and not zigzaging being reassured they were too fast for submarine attack. When he was in the mood to talk, I had to listen fast and ask no questions as it derailed the conversation. The photos he showed, I remember, was flying near Mt.Fuji in B-29 formations. Most of his remembering was of B-17 incidents.As a bit of off topic trivia, my former father in law (19BG B-17 crew chief/top gunner) told of an occasion while going on leave to Australia, they often took a load of P-38 pilots along. On one flight, one of the crew came up to tell the pilot that one of the P-38 pilots was going to be sick if he couldn't see out. The pilot said, "That must be Bong." A space was made for him behind the pilot and he was fine. Bong got airsick if he couldn't see out.