#1

This P-40 is done up in the colors and nose decorations of the planes that flew with the famous Flying Tigers in WW II. Prior to the U.S. entering the war after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Japanese forces were on a rampage in China, parts of India, and Burma. In an effort to aid the Chinese Govt., the U.S. sent planes and personnel to the area under the command of retired U. S. General Claire Chennault. All of the pilots in the effort were officially assigned to the American Volunteer Group ( AVG ) and they all were actually volunteers looking for excitement. Some were released from duties in a branch of the U.S. military, others came from varied walks of life. Most were chasing money. They were paid $500 for each enemy plane they shot down.

Most people with an interest in WW II aviation have heard of Greg " Pappy " Boyington, who flew the F4U Corsair with the Marines in the Pacific Theatre of operations. He gained notoriety as the leader of the famous Black Sheep Squadron. Prior to the fame he earned there, he had been a flyer with the Flying Tigers. When that group disbanded, he joined the Marines. He was shot down and was a prisoner of war until the war ended.

#2

I'm often asked what was the reason why broad black and white stripes were painted on American planes fighting in the European Theatre. You see those stripes on this beautiful P-51. They were painted there as a means of self preservation. All of the fighters and some other types of planes that were to be in the air when ( and shortly afterward ) the great D-Day Invasion of France occurring June 6, !944 had these on them. It was to make them easily identified as good-guy planes so itchy ground gunners didn't mistake them for being enemy aircraft. Simple as that.
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#1

This P-40 is done up in the colors and nose decorations of the planes that flew with the famous Flying Tigers in WW II. Prior to the U.S. entering the war after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Japanese forces were on a rampage in China, parts of India, and Burma. In an effort to aid the Chinese Govt., the U.S. sent planes and personnel to the area under the command of retired U. S. General Claire Chennault. All of the pilots in the effort were officially assigned to the American Volunteer Group ( AVG ) and they all were actually volunteers looking for excitement. Some were released from duties in a branch of the U.S. military, others came from varied walks of life. Most were chasing money. They were paid $500 for each enemy plane they shot down.

Most people with an interest in WW II aviation have heard of Greg " Pappy " Boyington, who flew the F4U Corsair with the Marines in the Pacific Theatre of operations. He gained notoriety as the leader of the famous Black Sheep Squadron. Prior to the fame he earned there, he had been a flyer with the Flying Tigers. When that group disbanded, he joined the Marines. He was shot down and was a prisoner of war until the war ended.

#2

I'm often asked what was the reason why broad black and white stripes were painted on American planes fighting in the European Theatre. You see those stripes on this beautiful P-51. They were painted there as a means of self preservation. All of the fighters and some other types of planes that were to be in the air when ( and shortly afterward ) the great D-Day Invasion of France occurring June 6, !944 had these on them. It was to make them easily identified as good-guy planes so itchy ground gunners didn't mistake them for being enemy aircraft. Simple as that.
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Hey, Jim. \

You broach an interesting subject. In a nutshell, by almost any measure, the P-40 was definitely inferior to the Zero.
The pilots in the AVG were a pretty good bunch of air warriors. But so were the Japanese....they had been kicking butt in China...they were top rate pilots.

The reason the Flying Tigers prevailed was mostly due to General Chennault. He was a warrior of sorts himself. He ran a tight ship and demanded the top performance from every pilot flying for him. He understood the true nature of the pilots: A partying group,real loose on dress decor, and such. He allowed a rope to the guys but when it came to flying and fighting, you do it his way.

He had one mandate to his pilots that was inviable...." you never, ever, dogfight with a Zero, if you do you're likely to get killed ". The plan of action was this: You attack the enemy from an advantageous position. You fly directly through the group of enemy, shooting at anything you can hit, then you run like hell. you stay around to fight and you probably won't get home. The Japanese eventually left Burma.

Another great set Tom which I always enjoy. Pictures are always first class and I really appreciate the research on the history of your subjects. I would offer an alternate rationale for the bold stripes on the Mustang. Contrary to identifying them as the "good guys" it would do just the opposite and camouflage them. Prior to radar, aircraft detection/identification was done visually. Aircraft silhouettes were a common means of identifying friendly and foe. Anything that would break up that silhouette would tend to lead the observer away from seeing an aircraft. You may recall that the navy used this technology to disguise aircraft carriers in the Pacific by painting bold patterns on their sides. This practice carries on to this day as far as aircraft are concerned. PS. My first model airplane was a 15" stick and paper P40 Warhawk.