Aircraft History
Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Manufacture Number 18764. Originally intended for the Royal Air Force (RAF) serial number ET889. Instead, assigned to the U. S. Army. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force, 49th Fighter Group, 9th Fighter Squadron. No known nickname or nose art. Squadron number "81" then changed to "82".

Mission History
On March 2, 1943 took off from Port Moresby. Crashed near Kokoda. This aircraft was condemned as a non-combat accident on that date.

Jason Cockayne adds:
"This aircraft is particularly interesting as it still has the "Texas Longhorn" artwork on the cowling, and the previous number 81 on the fin."

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Last Updated
October 23, 2019