On 2012-07-16 04:13:07 -0700, Joseph Testagrose said:


image

This P-40E was originally given an RAF serial number ET603, but never
delivered. It ended up assigned to Captain Andrew Jackson Reynolds of
the 9th FS, 49th FG in Darwin in 1942 & then on to Dobodura on New
Guinea. This was my father's squadron before they got Dick Bong &
P-38E, F,&Gs, wore them out, got P-47D's as a stop gap replacement in
late 1943, and finally P-38J's & P-38L's in March 1944. In their Darwin
days they were based at
Capt. Reynolds had 4 kills when he flew with the 17th Pursuit Sqn.
After he transferred to the 49th FG and the 9th FS he got another 5
kills by the time he finished his first tour in January 1943 in this
P-40E "Star Dust", three Zekes & two G4M "Betty bombers", all over
Darwin.
This P-40E was badly damaged by defensive fire from one of the G4M's he
shot down, and Reynolds had to make a dead stick landing on the Central
Cox Peninsula. The P-40E was recovered the following day. He returned
for a second tour with the Squadron and got one more kill in a P-38L
for a total of 10.

The other interesting part of Andrew Reynolds' story was, he was George
Preddy's 9th FS Flight Leader. He was the recovery officer after Preddy
had his mid-air collision with Lt. John Sauber, who was killed.
Preddy's injuries had him evacuated to the USA for hospitalization,
recovery and eventual transfer from the 9th FS to the 352nd FG where he
got his 26 kills in P-51's over Europe.

--
Regards,

Savageduck