Two this week, taken at Boxted.

A/C SERIAL NO.701152
HEINKEL He111 H
20/R1 701152/8471M
MUSEUM ACCESSION NUMBER 78/A/1033
1944
Built and delivered to the Luftwaffe. Built as a H20 variant to carry 16
paratroops and 3 crew. The seats and straps for the 16 paratroops in two
compartments remain on the aircraft today. Fitted with an electrically
operated EDL 131 dorsal turret and 1,750hp Junkers Jumo 213 E
engines.
1944/5
Luftwaffe use unclear. With the German surrender in May 1945 this
aircraft was initially allotted to USAAF Colonel H E Watson's collection
of German aircraft, and was flown to Cherbourg on the French coast for
shipment to the USA for evaluation. Shipment did not occur due to the
lack of space on the allocated vessel, HMS Reaper, which sailed for
Newark, New Jersey on 20 Jul 45 carrying 38 of the 50 German a/c
originally selected (`Watson's Whizzers',)
02Jul45
Ferried from Cherbourg to Boxted, Essex, home of the 56th Fighter
Group, USAAF, who flew P47M Thunderbolts. Flown by 56th FG crew
the 56th had been aiding Colonel Watson in his collecting so it is
appropriate that they acquired this surplus aircraft.
07Jul45
Noted at Boxted by Mr Roger A Freeman (see his letters, 12 Apr 76 and
13 Jan 77 in DoRIS Ref.B2705). Finished at this time in dark olive upper
surfaces and black undersides. Radio call letters on fuselage sides roughly
painted out, but black code NT visible forward of the cross with a yellow
H on the rear fuselage and the werke number 701152 on the tail. The
cross and swastikas were crudely painted out and crude US markings
painted over them. Colour photo in this state; 8th
AF News Volume 03
Number 03 December 2003 p.29. The original factory code NT + SL was,
and still is, carried on a plate over the radio operators' position.
28Jul45
Noted by Mr Freeman freshly painted in the same
colour scheme as that of the Thunderbolts of the 61st Fighter Squadron of
the 56th Fighter Group-matt purple!!!
black overall, with red (the group making) rudder, spinners and forward part of the engine cowlings. This
red paint was still visible below later black overpainting in 1977 at St Athan.


She survives at the RAFM London

Five this week featuring 110's of Zerst?rergeschwader 1.

Two this week of North American P-51B-10-NA Mustang 42-106703, PE-S, Lt. Francis Horne (5.5 Aerial victories), taken August 44, by which time only the under fuselage D-Day stripes remained - previously they had been applied to both lower and upper wings, and also the original canopy had by this time been replaced with a Malcolm Hood.

This weeks bonus.
Dissimilar air combat training in England, between A P-47 Thunderbolt (QP-W), of the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group and a captured German Fw 190, of the "RAFWAFFE".

RAFWAFFE LINK - http://www.axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?431

A day late .
Anyway a couple of photos of a P-38H & a F-4 nose to nose.
Really shows the exhaust staining.


edit - these are taken in the USA, so probably training birds.

One this week taken on 24th November 1947.
Of the first XF9F-2 Panther pictured on its maiden flight over Long Island with Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation test pilot Corwin "Corky" Meyer at the controls. Note the bare metal finish and panther painted on the nose.

Regards Duggy

This weeks bonus.
A battle-damaged F9F-2 Panther of Fighter Squadron (VF) 112 pictured after recovery on the flight deck of the carrier Philippine Sea (CV 47) operating off Korea. The pilot of the airplane was Ensign Edward D. Jackson, Jr,, who while strafing targets on the Hon River struck an aerial booby trap consisting of steel cables strung across the river. The cables damaged the starboard tip tank and cut into the canopy, shards of Plexiglas cutting Jackson's face and tearing his left cheek to the bone before knocking him unconscious. Regaining consciousness, Jackson found himself blinded, but with instructions given him over the radio by his wingman, Ensign Dayl E. Crow, and the carrier's landing signal officer, he was able to land back aboard ship.

Three this week.
Of Royal Air Force Handley Page Halifax Mark II Series I (s/n W7676, 'TL-P') of No. 35 Squadron RAF based at Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire (UK), being piloted by Flight Lieutenant Reginald Lane, (later Lieutenant-General, RCAF), over the English countryside. Flt Lt Lane and his crew flew twelve operations in W7676, which failed to return from a raid on Nuremberg on the night of 28/29 August 1942, when flown by Flt Sgt D. John and crew.

This weeks bonus.
Taken at Attlebridge in February 1944. A detachment of 22nd PRG F-5C's were based there for three weeks. They flew approximately 15 sorties during that time.
This is F-4C-1-LO #42-67114 "Maxine" buzzing Attlebridge. This was Lt. Malcolm Hughes a/c.
The 466th BG had just arrived and were still preparing for their combat missions which would start on 21 March 1944. (Chris Brassfield - 466th BG Historian)

Cool, that's quite a neat shot