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| USAAF 5th AF 8th PG 35th PS  8th PG 1942 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Arthur "Art" E. Andres (survived) Newton, MA Force Landed April 30, 1942 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Bell in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-39D-BE Airacobra serial number 41-6930. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 8th Pursuit Group (8th PG), 35th Pursuit Squadron (35th PS). No known nose art or nickname. On April 30, 1942 took off from Garbutt Airfield near Townsville via Cairns Airfield and Horn Island Airfield before arriving at 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby. The flight was timed to arrive after noon, to avoid the possibility of being caught by an incoming Japanese air raid. Mission History On April 30, 1942 at 1:00pm took off from 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby piloted by 2nd Lt. Arthur "Art" Andres as one of eleven Airacobra led by Lt. Col Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner on a strafing mission against Lae Airfield. This was the first combat mission of the 8th Pursuit Group (8th PG) in New Guinea. At 2:37pm, the Airacobras strafed Lae Airfield targeting parked aircraft and seaplanes in Huon Gulf, then depart the target area. Near Salamaua, A6M2 Zeros of the Tainan Kōkūtai attack the formation. Andres' Airacobra sustained damage to its coolant system from anti-aircraft fire, and was observed streaming smoke south of Salamaua. Damaged, he forced landed roughly eighteen miles south of Buna near Eroro (Eraro). This Airacobra was officially condemned on November 30, 1944. Rescue Andres was taken to Buna and transported aboard the MV Eleveda to Samarai Island. Next, aboard the MV Matoma to Port Moresby arriving May 27, 1942. The next day and was shot down piloting another P-39 Airacobra and again returned to duty. Later, Andres earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for April 30, 1942. Memorials Andres passed away on December 2, 2015 at age 96. He is buried at Mosswood Cemetery in Cotuit, MA. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Arthur E. Andres USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-39D-BE Airacobra 41-6930 "6930 condemned Nov 30, 1944" PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - P-39 Airacobra piloted by Andres Attack & Conquer (1995) page 36, 46 Forty of the Fifth (1999) Profile #2 pages 7-12 FindAGrave - Arthur Edward Andres (biography, DSC citation, grave photo) Thanks to Edward Rogers for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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