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| USAAF 5th AF 49th FG 7th FS  Frank Anderson 1971   John Douglas 1997    Justin Taylan 2006  Brett Williams 2007 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Christ A. Props, O-727539 (KIA, BR) Sioux City, SD Crashed April 27, 1943 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Constructors Number 15782. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-40K-1-CU Kittyhawk serial number 42-45981. 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". Nicknamed "Swing It". Assigned to Captain Ray Melikian. The tail had squadron number / plane number 30 with a 5 below. The rear fuselage had a diagonal blue stripe near the tail. The nose had a nude Varga style girl. On the left side of the fuselage below the cockpit was the U.S. Army serial number stencil and above the pilot's name "Capt. R. Meikian" in capital letters and a scoreboard with five bomb markings indicating bombing missions flown and three Japanese rising sun flags indicating aerial victory claims by Melikian 1) July 30, 1942, 2) August 23, 1942 and 3) March 5, 1943. Mission History On April 27, 1943 took off from Horanda Airfield (Dobodura No. 4) piloted by 2nd Lt. Christ A. Props and climbed to an altitude of 18,000' to join formation for an escort mission to Lae Airfield. Returning to the Dobodura area, this P-40 fell out of the formation and went into a spin. There was no smoke, no apparent attempt to regain control and Props was not observed to bail out before crashing east of Hamburata village near the Ambogo River. Wreckage During September 1946 the crash site was discovered in a swamp. Inside the wreckage was the incomplete skeletal remains of the pilot. During late March 1965, rediscovered by a District Officer in Oro Province. During the middle of July 1965, Investigated by a RAAF Search Team led by S/L Keith M. Rundell. More remains were discovered deliberately laid out on the wing. Evidence at the time suggested that parts and flight instruments were salvaged prior to the visit, probably by locals, who also laid the remains out as is their custom. The remains were recovered and delivered to the American authorities. The left side of the cockpit (with five bomb markings and three kill markings, and the name "Capt. R. Melikian') with the throttle quadrant was recovered (likely in 1965 by Rundell) and was donated to the Charters Towers Museum. According to Frank Anderson, 1971: "This Kittyhawk wreck is deep in the jungle. It appeared to have been shot down as there were bullet holes in the cockpit and it had hit the ground in a flat spin." During the late 1970s, Charles Darby photographed this tail section and published the photo in Pacific Aircraft Wrecks. Later, pieces of the cockpit were cut out and recovered. In the late 1980's the crash site was bulldozed during the planting of oil palm in the area. John Douglas visited the site in 1997: "The engine and both wings were there: one wing was OK, the other shattered, and the intact tail. Could see sections of the cockpit had been removed, the pilot's name, etc. The cockpit section was completely disintegrated." Recovery of Remains During September 1946, when the crash site was discovered, the remains of the pilot were recovered and later transported to the United States for permanent burial. Salvage Around 2000, the wing and tail section of this aircraft was recovered by Robert Greinert / HARS. The wing section was cut at the wing root with a saw. According to the landowner, the salvager paid 2,000 Kina to him. Afterwards, the wreckage was shipped to Sydney and until approximately 2002, stored at HARS at Sydney Airfield (Mascot). Display During 2002, the fuselage section was donated to the Pima Air & Space Museum (Pima Museum) and shipped to the United States. The wreckage was placed into storage and is not on public display. Memorials Props was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He is buried at the American Legion Cemetery (Mitchell) in Mitchell, South Dakota. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Christ A. Props USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-40K-1-CU Warhawk 42-45981 "45981 (49th FG, 7th FS) crashed at Gona [sic], New Guinea" 49th FG History, Frame 477 PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - P-40 Kittyhawk 42-45981 pilot Props Pacific Aircraft Wrecks (1979) page 44 (photos middle, right) Protect and Avenge (1995) page 141 (date of loss listed as April 28, 1943 and mentions investigation of crash) 5th Air Force in Profile (2008) page 61 (profile 61) FindAGrave - Christ A Props (grave photo) Thanks to John Douglas, Keith Hopper and PIMA Aviation Museum 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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