Hi Dave,

I have a small book (48 pages) about NX665, that the MOTAT was selling a few years ago (maybe they still have some), and that was sent to me by my friend Phil Furner, who is a volunteer in this museum.

Anyway, in this book, there is no mention about the spar being cut, and there are pictures of the plane dismantled on both occasion (1964 and 1978), and each time the outer wings seem to have been removed the right way.

The book also gives some details about the planes NX665 is painted after:

PB457/SR°V was lost in the night of 23/24 February 1945 on a mission to the industrial area of Pforzheim, on a low level mission of 386 planes, of which 10 were lost. (The 1945 volume of Bomber Command losses says that the SR°V lost that night was serialed PA237….)

ND752/AA°O was lost on the night of 20/21 July 1944, on a mission against the oil refinery of Homburg, in the Ruhr. The plane crashed in Holland after it was hit by flak on the way home. The pilot and a gunner were killed. The rest of the crew survived.

I hope someone will have more details.

HTH,

Laurent

It’s a SNCASE SE1010:

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=1040&ID_CONSTRUCTEUR=1144&ANNEE=&ID_MISSION=&MOTCLEF=

Laurent

Any more photos from that day Laurent? I can see something else hiding behind the Spitfire there :rolleyes:

Something like that…….

They also took the NC900 (AKA FW190) out that week.

Another one of RR263:

Laurent

Hello,

Looking carefully at your picture, it seems that the tail has been painted yellow (and the serial number repainted black, along with the WW-war weary- on the rudder).

We can assume that it belonged to one of the four B-17 groups that had full yellow tails:
94th, 447th, 486th and 487th.

http://www.94thbombgroup.com/

http://www.447bg.com/

http://www.486th.org/index3.htm

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1393/

Other groups used yellow, 390th had a yellow rudder, and 452nd, 306th, 401st had yellow bands painted on their tail, while the 379th had a yellow bordered triangle.

HTH,

Laurent

Hello,

In fact, one Mustang (or possibly two) had previously flown with a 5 blade prop (lightweight prototypes XP-51G), and I have read somewhere (but unfortunately cannot remember where) that the prop fitted on the Whittington brothers’ was coming from this plane.

Anyway, 43-43335 was on of the two XP-51Gs protototypes that were both fitted with the Rolls Royce 14.SM engine, and the condition to have those engines was to give one the RAF one of the two prototype, fitted with a five blade prop. One was installed for 335’s fifth flight, and test pilot Bob Chilton reported that the plane was directionally unstable with that new propeller. Nevertheless, the plane made a total of 37 flight so equiped. The second plane, destined for the RAF, made a total of 54 flight before being delivered to the RAF , in February 1945 as FR410 (originally 43-43336). Information comes from the excellent book “Mustang Designer” by Ray Wagner.

A factory shot of 43-43335, from NAA archives:

Does anyone has picture of FR410/43-43336 with a 5 blade prop? I gave a quick look in my Mustang books, but could not find any (just one with a 4 blade prop).

Regarding the P-51Hs, they were all fitted with a 4 blade Aeroproduct Propeller, and one was destined for the RAF KN987), but it seems she never left the U.S.A.

Laurent

Hello,

you are probably refering to this wesite:
http://www.b24bestweb.com/

the nose art list is at the bottom of the page, I gave it a quick look, but it seems there’s no Poochie there 🙁

I also have the book “B-24 Nose Art Name Directory” The only Poochie recorded is 42-40491, 380th BG, 528th BS. No picture there again.

Laurent