Posts Tagged ‘aviation accident’

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10th Air Force Activity – Jan/Feb 1944

26 Jun 07

According to the official USAAF daily mission reports for the Tenth Air Force in the CBI, P-40s kept busy attacking enemy positions throughout Burma in January and February 1944.

11 Jan: 36 A-36’s, P-51’s, and P-40’s pound an encampment containing about 4,900 troops and a large quantity of
supplies, causing considerable damage by accurate bombing and strafing.

13 Jan: 27 P-40’s attack a communication center and dumps along the Kamaing-Mogaung road.

21 Jan: 11 P-40’s score near misses on the Loilaw bridge and strafe Budagon nearby, starting several fires.

22 Jan: 11 P-40’s severely damage the Namkwin railroad bridge.

23 Jan: 16 P-40’s hit Myitkyina Airfield, railroad cars at Pidaung, and a railroad bridge at Loilaw.

9 Feb: B-25s, P-51s, P-38s, P-40s, and A-36s carry out 75 attack sorties against Seinnyinba, bivouac and supply areas in the Mogaung-Loilaw area, bivouac and buildings at Pyindaw, camps at Kumnyen and near Maingkwan and Shingban, and storage area and bivouac on the Mogaung-Kamaing road near Sawnghka; a bridge over the Namtamng River near Maingkwan also is destroyed.

12 Feb: 8 P-40s hit the town of Ransa and motor convoys S of Sumprabum

15 Feb: P-40s, P-51s, and A-36s hit targets in Burma, including rice mill and radio station at Waingmaw, targets of opportunity along the Hukawng-Walawbum road, motor pool and dumps in the Kamaing area, troops and supplies at Padi Ga and a canal bridge at Ye-u; P-40s also drop land mines on Nampaung.

22 Feb: 70+ B-25s, P-51s, and P-40s again hit a variety of targets in Burma; bridges are severely damaged or put out of use at Zawa, Tindeinyan, Ye-u, Namkwin, and Loilaw; warehouses and supply dumps are hit at Segyi and at Chantha, and the Pahok road and railroad junction are blasted; also hit are targets of opportunity at Kawlum and along the Walawbum-Kamaing road.

10th AF B-25
Tenth Air Force B-25 taking off from
unidentified Assam airstrip

24 Feb: P-51s, A-36s and P-40s attack bridges, radio stations, supply dumps, bivouacs, troop concentrations, railroad by-passes, AA positions, and other targets at Seton, Sinkan, Ye-u, Kawlin, Loilaw, Namkwin, Shaduzup, and the Mogaung-Kamaing area.

28 Feb: P-51s, A-36s and P-40s attack bridges, radio stations, supply dumps, bivouacs, troop concentrations, railroad by-passes, AA positions, and other targets at Seton, Sinkan, Ye-u, Kawlin, Loilaw, Namkwin, Shaduzup, and the Mogaung-Kamaing area.

29 Feb: 40+ P-51s, A-36s and P-40s hit a supply area S of Seton, camp and stores near Mogaung (at Pagoda Peak), and railroad station at Myitkyina.

10th AF P-40 wrecked
Tenth Air Force P-40 following an
“eventful” landing

Posted in 10th air force, aviation accident, combat mission, p-40 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

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P-40 Accident Delays Paul

16 May 07

Paul and his P-40 classmates expected orders to North Africa on graduation. Everyone except Paul wound up in that campaign and, as Paul told his family later, many of them did not survive long.

Paul, however, had a medical delay after fracturing his wrist in a taxi accident. Another P-40 pilot ran into Paul’s P-40 from behind.

Aftermath of P-40 accident
Aftermath of Paul Eastman’s taxi accident.

2nd Lt Carl E. Hardy, Jr (the other pilot) stated in his official report:

While taxiing behind H-91 on the taxi strip to runway No. 13 my plane chewed into H-91’s tail. Although I was S’ing my ship, I was taxiing faster than usual to catch up with flight which was taking off at the time. H-91 was parked and at a complete stop when I first noticed it. Immediately upon seeing him I started easing on my brakes but my plane started to nose up and I let off. Then I attempted to ground loop and again apply brake pressure but I could not get around or stop in time and my propeller ate into H-91’s tail.

Paul’s official report states:

I was scheduled for a ground gunnery mission in P-40K-10CU, AAF No. 42-10249, with Lt Selkregg as flight leader. We taxied out to the take-off position at runway No. 13 and stopped. I was last man in the flight. We then proceeded to check our propellers and magnetos. I had checked my propeller and right magneto and was reaching for the left magneto when the ship gave a violent lurch and the stick threw my hand against the instrument panel. I immediately cut the ignition switch and climbed out of the cockpit. Ship No. J-28 had taxied into the tail of my ship and his propeller had damaged the entire empennage section. There was minor injury to myself and no damage to private property.

That “minor injury” turned out to be a broken wrist. It delayed his graduation and resulted is orders to the CBI instead of North Africa. Naturally, the cause of the accident was “pilot error” on the part of Lt Hardy.

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