|
 |
|
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| USAAF 5th AF 49th FG 7th FS   Joseph H. King 1942 |
Pilot Lt. Lawrence "Larry" A. Hansen (survived) Milwaukee, WI Crashed August 23, 1942 Aircraft History Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Constructors Number 653. Originally intended for the Royal Air Force (RAF) with serial number ET192. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-40E-1 Warhawk serial number 41-24868. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 49th Fighter Group (49th FG) "Fighting 49ers", 7th Fighter Squadron (7th FS) "Screamin' Demons". Assigned to 1st Lt. Joseph H. King. Nicknamed "Mary Lucille" on the left side of the nose painted in white in a stylized font. Nicknamed "Spare Parts" on the right side of the nose in a white bubble style font. The tail had squadron number / tail number 14 in white with a yellow stripe at the leading edge of the tail. Mission History On August 23, 1942 in the morning took off from Batchelor Field near Darwin piloted by Lt. Lawrence A. Hanson on a routine patrol. At an altitude of 2,750' suffered a seized engine causing oil to cover the windscreen. Without the engine and unable to see, Lt. Hansen bailed out and landed with scrapes. This P-40 crashed into scrub grass roughly 15 miles from Batchelor Field. Fate of the Pilot After landing, Hansen was picked up by a jeep from his squadron and returned to Batchelor Field before a Japanese air raid that same day. Relatives Pvt David C. Hansen (brother) 27th BG, Prisoner Of War (POW) who died June 28, 1942 of dysentery while detained at Cabanatuan POW Camp. Memorials Hansen passed away December 31, 1987 at age 68. He is buried at Wood National Cemetery at CAA, 0, 95. References Note, some sources list the pilot's name as Hanson [sic Hansen]. NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Lawrence A. Hansen USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-40E-1 Warhawk 41-24868 "24868 (49th FG, 7th FS) crashed 15 mi NW of Batchelor Field, NT Aug 23, 1942 due to engine seizure. Pilot OK." Diary of Lt. Lawrence A. Hansen, August 24, 1942 "What a day. Seeing old 14 (41-24868 GRB) didn't do so good on the alert flight yesterday, I took it up on an altitude hop, about 9:30 AM today. At 2750 she shook herself to pieces and shot oil all over the ship. That was 20 miles north of our field at 3500 ft. At 2800 ft I left. Landed in a good sized field very well bruised & shoulder & my groin so sore I couldn't walk for an hour. That was about 10:10. I sat on my stern and waited till about 3:00 PM when Vodrey found me & sent Steere & Young out to buzz me. Capt B & the Doct and Vodrey came out and picked me up in a jeep about 5:30. I was very tired, sore and sunburned and thirsty as hell, but very happy to be alive. Its funny how easy it is to get out of one of them. Just trim it very nose heavy, unfasten the belt, open the canopy & let go of the stick. You just shoot out. I did three outside loops & then pulled the rip cord (which I still have) and went on down very easily except for the landing. Poor old 14 blew up a bundle. They all accused me of leaving it for a new plane. How about that. Could be?" Protect & Avenge (1995) page 50 (map Darwin), 70, 356 (index Hansen, L.) 5th Air Force in Profile (2008) page 56 (artwork) Oz@War - Crash of A P-40 Warhawk / Kittyhawk about 15 miles NW of Batchelor Airfield, NT on 23 August 1942 (artwork, photos) Harvest of the Grim Reapers: The Illustrated History of the 3rd and 27th Bomb Groups During World War II Volume I: Prewar to December 1942 pages 72-72 (letter home from hospital February 7, 1942), 511 index (Hansen, David C.) FindAGrave - Lawrence Albert Hansen (photo, grave photos) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated October 16, 2023 |
 P-40  Photo Archive |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
