Pacific Wrecks

Missing In Action (MIA)

Prisoners Of War (POW)

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Chronology

P-40E Warhawk Serial Number ? Tail 31

USAAF
5th AF
49th FG

Stan Gajda 1982

Pilot 2nd Lt. Burt Rice (survived)
Crashed February 19, 1942

Aircraft History
Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-40E Warhawk serial number unknown. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force, 49th Fighter Group. Tail number 31. No known nickname or nose art.

Mission History
On February 19, 1942 took off from Darwin Airfield during the Japanese air raid against Darwin. Shortly after take off, shot down by A6M2 Zeros. Pilot Rice survived.

Wreckage
This P-40 crashed near Yarrawonga.

Stan Gajda visited the wreckage in 1982:
"Impacted on hard ground at Yarrawonga near Darwin. I found the complete rudder off this one about half a mile away that was shot off during the attack. I recovered parts of the engine cylinder head and crankshaft for WAAM."

References
Thanks to Stan Gajda for additional information.

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Last Updated
March 30, 2024

P-40

Interviews & Oral Histories