Enlisting in the Army
I enlisted in the Army at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonia, Texas; was enlisted for three days when orders came through to report to Primary Flying School at Visalia, California. During my third week the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After completion of primary I was transferred to Lamore Air Corps Basic flight training (I was in the first Class that was trained there) and upon completion was transferred to Luke Field, Phoenix, Arizona (graduated in Class 42-D). Then I was transferred to Myrtle Beach for gunnery training (in P-40F) days then transferred to Morris Field, Charlotte, NC. While there I plowed potatoes with a P-40 because it had been sabotaged by having acid applied to the carburetor heat control and my flight plan had me too far from the landing strip when the heat control came on full hot.

Joining the 41st Fighter Squadron
Hq Army Air Base, Morris Field, Charlotte NC, 20 Aug 1942, Special Orders #229 Par 1 ordered to Hamilton Field, California. I was put on board a B-24 to Hickim Field, Hawaii Island, hence to Christmas Island, New Caledonia, then Brisbane, transferred planes then to Townsville, stayed three day by a PBY aircraft then landed in the bay at Port Moresby then by 2 ½ ton GMC truck to Seven Mile Air Strip, Papua, New Guinea. This was the 5th Air Force, 35th Fighter Group, 41st Fighter Squadron, using yellow nose {P-39 (has a nose wheel) as our aircraft. All my training had been in aircraft which had tail wheel. Crew chief explained that P-39 took off at 110 instead of 78 and it stalled at 97 instead of 62 and I should fly it all the way in, not stall it in.

Richard Culton 1940

Richard Culton 2000