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Firstly A Chandelle "To Climb Around A Candle" It is a Low G Climbing Turn. To execute the Chandelle, bank to one side to start the turn, and pull the stick back gently to climb while you're turning. Once you have finished the turn, you will be at a higher altitude than you were, and at a different heading. It is a low G Maneuver that does not burn any high G Energy that is needed.

The Chandelle that i Use is the same but i continue to climb, spiraling up. How to use it in Defence and Attack:

I use tihis in a Mustang Mk III and is my Favourite Maneuver. When you are at higher speed than enemy and altitude but they are climbing fast under neath you, start the Chandelle, the enemy will try to turn with you resulting in a greater decrease in energy due to turn. they may try to follow through turn whilst climbing, it is unlikely for them to hit you in a burst, it is very unlikely for them to make a high deflection shot (rapidly decreasing E). inexperienced pilots that i have used this on have lost too much energy, less ammo, and a possible stall, this is when you turn on them, or Extend away, (Flat High speed climb away).

This can also be used to bait the enemy up to where your plane has the advantage and their lower E. You en-circle the enemy whilst they climb and position your self on their six for a boom and zoom. It is like a Vulture Riding a thermal around its prey

Disadvantage: White contrails can be seen even more clearly.
Enemy plane may have good acceleration and can recover from low E.
Tighter Turner, A6m

Let Me Know What You Think And If It Worked For You
I have had a high success rate with this, and scoreds a few kills from doing it.

Yesterday in the financial world the US backed 10 year Treasuries suffered the largest loss in yields in 5 years.
In an effort to ease my pain and yours and......

As someone who loves Mammaries and other Big Things.. this is a tribute to YOU!!



















and Finally.............







Riddle

[size=150][color=orange]F/O D. E. Ness (Can.) of 56 Squadron

I was flying Blue 2. When my section got into the melee I fired at three passing huns without result and then overtook one flying in my own general direction. I was doing about 300 (3500 revs) and overhauled the e/a steadily. He saw me and half rolled and the dived, but I was able to keep behind him although his initial acceleration slightly increased his lead. He dived through thin cloud. When we broke cloud he was at an angle of 20 degs to my line of flight about 300 yds in front of me, still diving steeply. I fired a quick burst without allowing enough deflection. I then closed to about 100 yds and fired a 3-second burst, angle of 10 degs,

[size=150][color=orange]S/Ldr G. M Cotes Preddy 56 Squadron.

I was leading 56 Sqdn on a patrol in the Arnhem

Here's some pics found!

(The link is inoperative) /t3ez4.gif



here is a quick test ive done of a few Spitfire XIV images turned into an animated gif
much can be done using animated gifs including mini movies - they are good coz they go straight into forum area -

ive done them in 3 sizes the first being 800x600 & the 2nd 640x480 & 3rd 512x384 just to show you the load time differences

Reaper this would make the ideal way to present your Video's ect (instead of that butt ugly face lol :lol: ) If you need a good gif animator i can upload it to you. you could make create a nice short clip of your video & then convert it to gif animator where you could resample it to smaller res ect. also make them clickable.

best to make them about 800x600 max for slide shows like this & 640x480 or much less for movies

To anyone needing good detailed data of WWII ariel battles/campaigns ect - i have a vast libary of most battles throughout the world war 2 - including details of kills, losses aircraft types pilot names ect ect... just ask me for a particular area & i will post you as much info as i can put together here

im wondering if we should start a kind of information database for mission builders as ive not really come across anything like that anywhere else

[color=orange][size=150]See below (bottom of page) for details[/size][/color]

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[color=orange]P-40F-5 41-14315 of 2Lt James E Reed, 59th FS/33rd FG, Operation Torch, Port Lyautey, Morocco, 11 November 1942
Reed picked up this factory-fresh aeroplane at Harrisburg on 29 September 1942 and delivered it to Philadelphia. On 21 October 1942, he flew it to Norfolk, Virginia, where pilot and aeroplane were loaded aboard the aircraft carrier USS Chenango with 76 other P-40s of the 33rd FG. While en route to North Africa, Reed passed the time by cleaning his aeroplane's six 0.50-calibre machine guns, and painting his girlfriend's nickname, HENEE, on the engine cowling. The American flag invasion markings also were added whilst at sea. He launched off the carrier for Port Lyautey, French Morocco, on the fourth .day of the Operation Torch invasion, 11 November 1942. Reed flew missions from Casablanca in this aeroplane for a month, before the P-40 was turned over to the Free French on 20 December 1942.

P-40F-20 41-19944 of Capt John L Bradley, 59th FS/33rd FG, Thelepte, Tunisia, 1 February 1943
Bradley, assigned to the 33rd Pursuit Group directly out of flying school in May 1941, was one of the senior pilots in the unit when it commenced combat operations in North Africa. It is believed he was flying this P-40F, recently transferred in from the 325th FG, on the morning of 1 February 1943 when he shot down two Ju 87s for his first kills. Bradley's aeroplane was hit during the fierce dogfight, and he was forced to bail out when its engine quit. He landed safely ten miles south of Maknassy, and had returned to his base at Thelepte by the end of the day. Soon thereafter Bradley transferred to the 58th FS as its commanding officer, and he went on to score three more times to become the unit's only ace.

P-40L-5 42-10600 of Maj Levi Chase, CO of the 60th FS/ 33rd FG, Sbeitla, Tunisia, April 1943
Chase was the only P-40 double ace in the MTO, scoring ten confirmed victories between 18 December 1942 and 5 April 1943. After achieving two kills twice with the 58th FS, he was appointed commanding officer of the 60th FS in January 1943. Chase picked up this replacement aircraft at the end of a two-week leave in Casablanca on 27 February 1943. Rejoining his unit at Berteaux, in Algeria, on 2 March, he scored the first of six victories in this aeroplane two weeks later. As far as is known, Chase's P-40L carried no unit or personal markings, save the ten victory tallies (nine swastikas and one fasces! below the cockpit. He scored two further victories in 1945, flying a P-51 D with the 2nd Air Commando Group in Burma, and he returned to combat in Korea as commander of the F-80-equipped 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing.

P-40L-20 42-11094 of Maj Charles H Duncan, CO of the 59th FS/33rd FG, Licata, Sicily, August 1943
Duncan, one of the original Operation Torch pilots, scored four victories as operations officer of the 58th FS prior to assuming command of the 59th FS from 4 May 1943. The name on the aeroplane honoured Duncan's wife, Jane. During flight training, Duncan had picked up the nickname 'Dugan', which was soon shortened to 'Duge'. After he got married in January 19-12, Duncan's friends began calling his wife 'Little Duge'. Four Bf 109 silhouettes behind the name symbolise his confirmed victories, and the white tail stripe was a unit marking adopted by the 59th FS in the summer of 1943. The main and tail wheel hubcaps were white with a red stripe.

P-40L-5 42-10568 of Col William W Momyer, CO of the 33rd FG, Paestum, Italy, Autumn 1943
As commanding officer, Momyer led the 33rd FG off the USS Chenango to Port Lyautey on 10 November 1942. Between then and October 1943 he scored eight confirmed victories, including four Ju 87s on 31 March 1943. This, his last P-40 in the 33rd FG, borrowed its name- SPIKE-ana nose art from Momyer's own nickname. It also displayed the yellow tail stripe of the 60th FS, yellow wing bands and red-white-blue hubcaps divided into 'pie slices'. The location of Momyer's eight victory markers mid-fuselage was highly unusual. A career USAF officer, Momyer rose to command Tactical Air Command as a four-star general before retiring in 1973.

P-40L-5 42-10536 of Lt Ralph L Griffith, 58th FS/33rd FG, Naples, Italy, January 1944
Two pilots named Ralph L Griffith flew in the 58th FS. Typical unsung fighter-bomber pilots, both men earned air medals in recognition of their combat records, but neither had an opportunity to file claims for enemy aircraft destroyed in the air. One of the Griffiths flew this P^OL toward the end of the 33rd FG's tour in the MTO. It featured the red tail stripe of the 58th FS, a winged Petty girl nose art and the name Gerry on the engine cowling, plus a white ring around the hubcaps of the main landing gear.

P-40F-1 (serial unknown) 'White 01* of Col Frank H Mears, CO of the 57th FG, Muqueibila, Palestine, August 1942
Mears, commander of the 57th FG, flew this aircraft off the USS Ranger to Accra, on the African Coast, on 19 July 1942 to lead the first-ever deployment of a complete USAAF fighter group into a combat zone from an aircraft carrier. On first arriving in the combat theatre, the P-40Fs of the 57th FG displayed only aeraplane-in-group numbers and occasional personal markings. The deserl sand camouflage was sprayed over the aeroplanes' factory-applied Olive Drab top colour prior to their delivery to the group. The red diamonds on the nose were a carryover marking from the 57th's pre-war days. Mears, one of the original officers assigned to the group when it formed in 1941, led the 57th until December 1942, when he was posted to Ninth Air Force Fighter Command.

P-40K-1 42-46046 'White 13' of ILt R Johnson 'Jay' Overcash, 64th FS/57th FG, Hani Main, Tunisia, May 1943
Overcash started his combat tour as a member of the 66th FS, but scored four of his five aerial victories after transferring to the 64th FS in November 1942. This P-40K-1 was assigned to the 64th as a replacement aircraft when its supply of P-40Fs began to dwindle during the advance into Tunisia. It bears the squadron's 'Black Scorpions' badge on the nose and Overcash's personal skull marking below the cockpit, in addition to five swastikas denoting his tally of victories. This profile's fuselage number has been determined by a study of 64th FS combat reports. Overcash scored his final two victories in this aircraft on the afternoon of 26 April 1943.

P-40F-10 41-14596 'White 10' of Capt Arthur E Exon, CO of the 64th FS/57th FG, Scordia, Sicily, August 1943
Exon was one of the early replacement pilots to join the 64th FS, and he went on to assume command of the squadron in July 1943. He shot down a Bf 109 for his first aerial victory during the famous 'Palm Sunday Massacre' mission of 18 April 1943, then scored again nearly a year later flying a P-47. Following 64th FS tradition, Exon flew aircraft 'White 10' as the squadron commander. This fighter later served as a hack with the 461 st BG in Italy. Exon completed 135 combat missions for a total of 325 combat hours. His tour came to a premature end during a mission over Cecina, in Italy, in April 1944, when an exploding ammunition depot damaged his P-47 and he was forced to bail out. Captured by the Germans, Exon remained a prisoner of war until June 1945.

P-40F-1 41-13947 'White 46'of 1Lt Gilbert O Wymond Jr, 65th FS/57th FG, LG 174, Egypt, October 1942
Gil Wymond probably served longer in the 65th FS than any other pilot during the war. One of those who flew off the USS Hanger, he was named squadron commander in May 1943, and held the job for two years while flying 140 combat missions and scoring three aerial victories. This P-40 was his first of 16 assigned aircraft to carry the name HUN HUNTER. Oddly, it wears two swastika kill markers, although Wymond's first two victories were over Italian CR.42 biplanes on 27 October 1942. He featured prominently in the wartime documentary film Thunderbolt, which told the story of 65th FS operations over Italy in 1944 during Operation Strangle.

P-40F-1 41-14081 'White 43'of Capt Roy E Deke' Whittaker. 65th FS/57th FGr Hani Main, Tunisia, April-May 1943
Whittaker, top ace of the 57th FG, flew two similarly-marked Warhawks during his combat tour, and this was the second of them. The first was transferred to the 66th FS in December 1942 and renumbered 'White 96'. This aeroplane carries Whittaker's full score of seven victories, and it also displays the 65th FS 'Fighting Cocks' badge on the nose. As with Wymond's aeroplane, swastikas were used for all kill markers, although two of Whittaker's victims were Italian aircraft. His most successful combat mission was 18 April 1943, when he shot down three Ju 52/3rn transports and a Bf 109 during the 'Palm Sunday Massacre'. Miss Fury was lost in October 1943, several months after Whittaker had completed his combat tour.

P-40F (serial unknown) 'White 47' of 1Lt Alfred C Froning, 65th FS/57th FG, Amendola, Italy, November 1943
As the 57th FG's last ace, Froning scored the first three of his six victories on P-40s, although none in this aircraft, which had the inscription HOT LIPS painted on its wings above the gun barrels, Joining the 65th FS as a replacement in January 1943, Froning was shot down by ground fire on his 11th mission, but landed safely and was able to rejoin his unit. He shot down two Ju 52/3ms on the Palm Sunday mission, and scored again on 30 April 1943 over the Gulf of Tunis. After a six-month dry spell, Froning downed two Bf 109s on 16 December 1943 during one of the 57th FG's first P-47 missions, and went an to claim his last victory a month later. He completed 117 missions with the 65th FS.

P-40F-1 (serial unknown) 'White 84' of 2Lt Dale R Deniston, 66th FS/57th FG, LG 91, Egypt, October 1942
Deniston was assigned this aircraft at Mitchell Field, New York, in June 1942, and he flew it off the USS Pangerwhen the 57th FG deployed to Africa the following month. Deniston completed 100 missions during his tour of duty with the 66th FS, but he never had the opportunity to agister an aerial victory. This aeroplane, however, was the one in which Jay Overcash scored his first kill on 26 October 1942. It was later emblazoned with the 66th FS's 'Exterminators' badge on the nose, and had the name Robin repeated in large letters on the upper engine cowling.

P-40F-1 41-13970 'White 95' of 2Lt William B Williams, 66th FS/57th FG, Gambut, Libya, November 1942
Williams was shot down by Bf 109s in this aircraft on 11 January 1943 while flying top cover for an armed reconnaissance mission - no trace of Williams or Count Pistof was ever found. As shown here, the aeroplane displays typical 57th FG operational markings for late 1942. Not visible are the large, white stars on its hubcaps or the non-standard fin flash on the right side of the tail, which displayed the colours red-white-blue left to right, not front to back.

P-40K-1 (serial unknown) 'White 71'of Capt George W 'Pop' Long, 66th FS/57th FG, Cape Bon, Tunisia, May 1943
The 66th FS received its first P-40K-1 replacement aircraft in December 1942, and this one was assigned to Long, who commanded A Flight. The two-tone upper camouflage is unusual for 57th FG P-40Ks, most of which were painted overall desert tan. The aeroplane also had white rings painted on its hubcaps. The nickname POP referred to the fact that Long's wife had been pregnant when he was ordered overseas, and she delivered their first child while he was serving in North Africa. Long destroyed two Ju 52/3ms and damaged a Bf 110 on the Palm Sunday mission.

P-40F-1 (serial unknown) 'White XOTof Lt Col Earl Bates, CO of the 79th FG, Causeway LG, Tunisia, March 1943
To Bates fell the difficult job of assuming command of the 79th FG in November 1942 after his popular predecessor, Lt Col Peter McGoldrick, was killed in action on his first combat mission. This P-40 was the first of three named Li/Joe (and featuring the 79th FG crest on the nose) that Bates flew in combat. The group used the 'X' prefix on its aeroplane-in-group numbers to differentiate its Warhawks from those of the other Ninth Air Force fighter units. Although he did an outstanding job as group commander, Bates scored no aerial victories before leaving the group in May 1944 to assume command of the 86th FG.

P-40F-5 (serial unknown) 'White X21' of Capt Samuel L Say, 85th FS/79th FG, Hani West, Tunisia, May 1943
Attached to the 64th FS/57th FG for combat experience when he first arrived in the combat zone, Say registered the first aerial claim by a 79th FG pilot when he damaged a Bf 109 on 8 December 1942 near the Egypt-Libya border. He went on to destroy Bf 109s on 30 April and 8 May 1943 while flying with his own squadron. Although this was his regularly assigned P-40, he scored neither of his victorias in it. The aeroplane wears the 85th's 'Skeeters' badge on its cowling. Say was very appreciative of his crew chief, S/Sgt Ken Corneaux. 'This aeroplane did everything it was supposed to and never missed a beat', he told the author years later. 'Comeaux was like a mother hen, and he maintained the smoothest engine ever flown'.

P-40F-20 [serial unknown] 'White X17' of 1Lt Robert J Duffield, 85th FS/79th FG, Capodichino, Italy, February 1944
Duffield's successes against enemy aircraft came late in his combat tour, when he scored victories in this well-worn Warhawk on 25 January and 7 February 1944. Note how the fighter's serial number has been painted out on the rudder, and the half-hearted effort made to add bars to the fuselage national insignia without disrupting the aeroplane-in-squadron number. The name Lee's Hope was left over from a previous operator, and Duffield later changed it to Speedy Edie. As he told the author, 'She died on her 91 st mission'.

P-40F-15 41-19735 'White X48' of 1Lt Wayne E Rhynard, 86th FS/79th FG, Hani West, Tunisia, May 1943
The P-40F-15 was supposed to be a cold-weather version of the Merlin-powered Warhawk, but that did not stop them from finding their way to North Africa, as did Rhynard's Lucifer's Ghost. Rhynard served as D Flight commander in the 86th FS, completing 84 missions between March and September 1943. He shot down one Bf 109 and damaged a second during a swirling dogfight near Tunis on 30 April 1943. Rhynard returned to combat in 1944-45 with the Eighth Air Force in England.

P-40F-20 41-19936 'White X83' of 1Lt Paul G McArthur, 87th FS/79th FG, Hani West, Tunisia, June 1943
McArthur has the distinction of being the 79th FG's only ace. On 10 June 1943 he shot down four of the 14 enemy fighters claimed by the 87th FS in a wild dogfight over Pantellaria Island, then bailed out of 'White X83' over the sea - a British destroyer rescued him the following day. McArthur's last victory came on 13 August 1943, when he shot down a Bf 109 during a dive-bombing mission over Sicily No photographic record of 'White X83' is known to exist, but its serial number was determined by cross-checking P-40 airframe history records. An Alabama native, McArthur returned to combat during the Korean War as a B-29 pilot, and then became a lawyer after retiring from the USAF in 1966.

P-40F-15 41-19746 'White X81' of 1Lt Charles 'Jazz' Jaslow, 87th FS/79th FG, Causeway LG, Tunisia, March 1943
Jaslow scored his lone confirmed victory in 'White X81' on 2 April 1943 during an escort mission over the Akarit line. Bounced from above by a flight of Bf 109s, Jaslow turned into his attackers and opened fire, then watched as one of the Bf 109s continued diving straight into the sea. Jaslow completed 80 missions with the 87th FS and returned home to the US in November 1943. His fighter had a checkerboard pattern painled on its hubcaps in yellow and black.

P-40L-15 42-10855 'White A33'of ILt Robert W Deiz, 99th FS/79th FG, Capodichino, Italy, 27 January 1944
The all-black 99th FS identified its P-40s with Lhe prefix 'A' ahead of the aeroplane-in-squadron number. Deiz, an early Tuskegee Airman, was flying 'White A33' on the morning of 27 January 1944 over the beachhead at Anzio when his formation was attacked by Fw 190s. He scored one of the five confirmed victories awarded to 99th FS pilots for the mission, the unit's first major success in air-to-air combat after eight months of operations. Deiz scored again the following day in another P-40L. After returning to the US, Deiz volunteered to return to combat in the B-25-equipped 477in BG, but the unit was still at Tuskegee when the war ended.

P-40F-1 41-14282 'White Y20' of 2Lt MacArthur Powers, 314th FS/324th FG, El Kabrit, Egypt, February 1943
Powers, a New Yorker, joined the RAF in 1941 and scored 2.25 victories flying Spitfire VBs with No 145 Sqn in North Africa. He transferred to the USAAF in January 1943, and was made B Flight leader within the 314th FS in order to make the most of his combat experience. Powers encountered enemy aircraft only once more, but that was all he needed to become an ace. He was leading the 314th FS in this aircraft on 18 April 1943 -the famous Paim Sunday mission -when he shot down four Ju 52/3m transports and a Bf 109 over the Gulf of Tunis. He remained in the USAF after the war and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1963.

P-4QF-1 (serial unknown) 'White Y10' of Maj Robert F Worley, CO of the 314th FS/324th FG, El Kabrit, Egypt, February 1943
The original commanding officer of the 314th FS, Worley flew this aircraft until he was shot down by a Bf 109 over Cape Bon on his squadron's first mission, on 13 March 1943. Wounded, he belly-landed 'White Y10' in enemy territory and succeeded in making his way back to Allied territory on foot. A superior pilot, and well respected by his men, Worley continued to lead the 314th until he completed his combat tour in February 1944. He flew 120 combat missions with the unit, but made no claims for aerial victories. Worley made a career in the USAF and rose to the rank of major general, but he was shot down and killed flying an RF-4C Phantom over South Vietnam on 23 July 1968.

P-40L-1 42-10436'White IT of Capt Bruce E Hunt, 314th FS/324th FG, Cercola, Italy, November 1943
This Warhawk started life in the 325th FG as the mount of aue Capt Ralph Taylor. It then went to the 314th FS when the 'Checkertails' transitioned to P-47s, and was assigned to Hunt, hence the fresh Olive Drab paint on the tail surfaces and mid-fuselage covering its previous markings. The name and Petty girl on the nose were carried over from its time with Capt Taylor. Hunt joined the 314th FS fresh out of flight school in July 1942 and moved up through the ranks as assistant operations officer, C Flight commander, operations officer and finally squadron commander. In 172 combat missions he destroyed one Bf 109, plus one probably destroyed and one damaged.

P-40L-5 42-10653 'White 01' of Col William K 'Sandy' McNown, CO of the 324th FG, Cercola, Italy, December 1943
McNown transferred from the 33rd FG to form the new 324th FG in July 1942, and he built it from a paper organisation into one of the top fighter-bomber groups in the MTO. He flew this distinctively-marked Warhawk late in his combat tour, before relinquishing command of the 324th FG on Christmas Day 1943 to become executive officer of the 64th FW. Note the distinctive 324th FG crest on the nose. A participant in the Palm Sunday 1943 mission, McNown elected to fly in a wingman position that day and received credit for shooting down two Ju 52/3ms.

P-40F-15 41-19740 'White Y10' of 1Lt Richard T Conly, 315th FS/324th FG, Kairouan, Tunisia, May 1943
Conly, 315th FS operations officer, only had about a week of combat experience when he shot down a C.202 for his squadron's first aerial victory, and probably destroyed a second one, on 29 April 1943. His unit's mission on this day was to provide top cover for a flight of P-40s from the 86th FS/79th FG that was dive-bombing in the Cape Bon area, This aircraft, named for Conly's wife, had yellow hubcaps with beer steins painted on them. Conly registered one more claim, for a Bf 109 damaged, on 25 January 1944.

P-40F-20 41-19988 'White 42' of ILt James Kirkendall, 315th FS/324th FG. Cercola. Italy, Autumn 1943
Although he scored no aerial victories, Kirkendall was one of the most highly regarded pilots in the 315th FS. He was serving as the unit's commander in July 1944 when he led the squadron's last P-40 combat mission - this aeroplane featured a white ring on its hubcaps. A career officer, Kirkendall was given command of the 40th FS/35th FG, at Yokota Air Base, Japan, in March 1949. When the Korean War started, his squadron was one of the first ordered into combat. While in Korea, from 1950 to 1951, Kirkendall fiew 104 combat missions. He retired from the USAF as a major general.

P-40F-20 (serial unknown) 'White 49' of 1Lt David L Giltner, 315th FS/324th FG, Pignataro, Italy, Spring 1944
Giltner, a replacement pilot who joined the 315th FS in April 1944, flew this much-travelled Warhawk before his squadron converted to P-47s. The aeroplane began its operational career in the 64th FS/57th FG as 1 Lt Bruce Abercrombie's Ginger, which explains the name on the upper cowling. Next, the Warhawk went to the 315th FS, where it picked up the red diamond marking on the lower cowling. 'White 49' was initially assigned to Capt Art Marks, the squadron's operations officer, who called it Christel. When Marks completed his combat missions, the fighter was passed on to Giltner. He renamed it Marge on the left side and Judy on the right, after his wife and daughter. It also had white-ringed hubcaps.

P-40F-15 41-19736 'White Y76' of Lt W S 'Buck' Buchanan Jr, 316th FS/324th FG, Cape Bon, Tunisia, June 1943
Buchanan was one of the original pilots in the 316th FS, known as the 'Hell's Beiles'. He flew this Warhawk from the beginning of his tour until 8 July 1943, when it was severely damaged by a C.202 during an air battle over Sicily. Buchanan nursed 'White Y76' back to his base at Cape Bon with its engine barely running and a huge hole in the upper fuselage behind the cockpit. The rudder cable snapped when he touched down, so Buchanan had to steer the aeroplane with its brakes to get it back to the line. He was unhurt, but the Warhawk never flew again. Buchanan went on to fly 101 missions before returning home in February 1944.

P-40L-5 42-10664 'White 70' of Maj Paul T O'Pizzi Jr, CO of the 316th FS/324th FG, Cercola, Italy, Spring 1944
O'Pizzi first saw action with the 314th FS, scoring two victories over Sicily in July 1943. He transferred to the 316th FS several months later, and assumed command of his new squadron in January 1944. O'Pizzi scored his third victory on 16 February 1944 when he shot down an Fw 190 over the Anzio beachhead while flying this aircraft. Another hand-me-down from the 325th FG, this Warhawk had originally been assigned to group CO Lt Col Gordon Austin, who called the aeroplane Lighthouse Louie. Note how its former fuselage number 'White 44' and checkertail markings have been painted out. The hubcaps on its main landing gear were red.

P-40F-20 41-20006 of Lt Col Robert Baseler, CO of the 325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, September 1943
Baseler scored his first five victories in this specially-modified Warhawk before it was repainted in this striking scheme and taken off operations. The two outboard guns were removed, along with the radio and other non-essential items, to lighten the aeroplane in the hope of making it capable of reaching high-altitude German photo-reconnaissance aircraft. Although its performance was much improved, Baseler never did catch one of the high-flying raiders. The aeroplane originally carried the name MORTIMER SNERD on the right side upper engine cowling, but it is not known if the name survived the repainting. Baseler added one more victory while flying a P-47 to bring his total to six.

P-40L-5 42-10866 'White 59' of Capt John C A Watkins, 325th FG HQ, Mateur, Tunisia, September 1943
Watkins, the 325th FG operations officer, was a former staff officer for Gen H H Arnold, chief of the USAAF. He is credited with obtaining permission for the 325th FG to adopt its distinctive checkertail markings. Watkins scored three kills during the summer of 1943, including two Bf 109s over Sardinia en 28 August. The fuselage number 'White 59' of this, his third P-40, indicates it was maintained by the 318th FS. Watkins had the unusual circumstance of serving with his brother in the 325th FG. Sadly, Fit Off William Watkins was killed in December 1943 when he and two other pilots crashed their P^7s into an Italian mountain in bad weather.

P-40F-10 (serial unknown) 'White 28' of 1Lt Herschel H 'Herky' Green, 317th FS/325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, August 1943
Green, top ace of the 325th FG, scored the first three of his eventual 18 kills while flying P-40s. This was his third Warhawk, and it is shown here as it appeared when first assigned to him. The fuselage number was soon changed to 'White 11', and it probaoly had the group's trademark black and yellow checkers applied to its tail surfaces as well. His initials HHG appear in the emblem on the nose. It's likely that Green scored a Bf 109 probably destroyed on 28 April 1943 while flying this P-40. He scored ten victories in P-47s and his final five in P-51s.

P-40L-1 42-10436 'White 13' of Capt Ralph G 'Zack' Taylor Jr, 317th FS/325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, August 1943
Taylor, 317th FS operations officer, became the first ace of the 325th FG when he scored a triple victory - two C.202s and a Bf 109 destroyed - in this P-40 on 20 July 1943 near Decimomannu, Sicily. Some references suggest that P-40L-1s shared the short fuselage of the P-40F-1, but this aircraft provides evidence to the contrary. Taylor obtained the fighter in a trade with his friend 'Herky' Green after Green was shot up in it on his first mission. As noted in profile 25, this P-40 later flew in the 324th FG. Green made a career in xhe USAF, flying F-86s in Korea and retiring in 1971 as a major general.

P-40L-20 42-11050 'White 17' of Fit Off Cecil O Dean, 317th FS/325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, May 1943
Dean spent 14 months as an enlisted aeroplane mechanic in the Army before being accepted into flight school in 1941. Assigned to the 317th FS in September 1942, he began his combat career in this Warhawk the following spring. He was flying this aeroplane on 30 July 1943 when he shot down a Bf 109 for his first victory. Three successes in P-47s and two in P-51 s followed. On 2 July 1944 he collided with his wingman near Budapest and was forced to bail out of his Mustang. He was captured and spent the rest of the war as a POW. Dean stayed in the USAF after the war, and spent time in Strategic Air Command before retiring in 1964.

P-40L-20 42-11098 'White 30' of Fit Off William T Tudor, 317th FS/325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, June 1943
Tudor, like Cecil Dean, scored his first victory on Ihe 30 July 1943 mission. In Tudor's case, however, it was his only confirmed victory of the war. During the mission - a sweep over southern Sardinia - the 317th FS was jumped at 9000 ft by a large group of Bf 109s and C.202s. The P-40s quickly gained the advantage, and when the scrap ended the 325th FG pilots claimed 21 victories for the cost of one P-40 shot down. Tudor's Lady MacDeath was fitted with six wing guns, rather than the four found in most P-40Ls.

P-40F-15 41-19896 'White 25' of 1Lt Walter B 'Bud' Walker Jr, 317th FS/325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, August 1943
Walker was the top scoror of the 30 July 1943 mission over Sardinia, being credited with three Bf 109s destroyed and also being slightly wounded during the fight. This brought his score to five confirmed, and made him the 325th FG's third ace. Ten days later. Walker was presented with a Purple Heart by Hollywood movie star Frances Langford when she and comedian Bob Hope visited the group with a USO troupe. Walker completed his combat lour of 50 missions shortly thereafter with no further opportunities to add to his score.

P-40L-5 42-10664 'White 40' of Capt Joseph D Bloomer, CO of the 318th FS/325th FG, IVlateur, Tunisia, September 1943
Originally assigned to the 85th FS/79th FG out of flight school, Bloomer transferred to the 318th FS in September 1942. He scored four confirmed kills and rose to command of his squadron before completing his combat tour in the autumn of 1943. The colourful drop tank under the belly of TrIxie is actually a home-made firebomb, which reportedly worked quite effectively. The P-40 also displayed 43 mission markers below the windscreen on its right side, and it was one of the first to carry the 318th 'Green Dragons' badge on its nose.

P-40L-1 42-10476 'White 89' of Fit Off John W Smallsreed, 319th FS/325th FG, Mateur, Tunisia, 20-26 May 1943
Smallsreed was one of tne most promising pilots in the 319th FS during its early missions from North Africa. The Ohio native scored his first victory on 19 May 1943 over the Gulf of Cagliari, when the 325th FG claimed six Bf 109s destroyed for the loss of two P-40s. The next day, Smallsreed destroyed a huge Me 323 transport near Villacidro, and on 27 May 1943 he got his third victory - a Bf 109 shot down during an escort mission to Sardinia. Smallsreed failed to return from a mission flown 24 hours later. Bf 109s attacked the P-40s as they were escorting B-26s over Sicily, and no one saw what happened to the young pilot, who was listed as missing in action.[/color]