https://youtu.be/YkKtkPbv3rw https://youtu.be/Y1Na-IU-RM0 (1) WW2 P38 Pilot Reunited With His Plane. Yes, Dad flew White 33, but not in combat. He and Tommy Lynch were charged, by Gen Kenny, to get them air worthy before letting the 39th Squadron pilots fly them. He and Tommy were the test pilots as the planes were put back together in Australia after they arrived from California. In the mission Dad talks about where he is protecting another pilot whose plane had been shot out from under him, occurred on 4 Jul 1942. He was flying a P39 Airacobra, not a P38. The other pilot was Frank Angier. (2) I do not know anything about the “blue nose,” sorry. I do not think specific planes were assigned to specific pilots. They flew what was available on any given day. Your grandfather was correct, if the planes could not fly again they were used for parts and then buried. In the case of White 33, after Ken Sparks flew it, it was repaired and flown again by the 39th and was then transferred to 433rd. At the end of the war, there was no way to bring all the planes and equipment back to the US. They were focuses on bringing 8 million troops home. They planes were dumped into holes, supposed to be burned, and then buried. In the case of White 33, it was buried but not burned. (3) The picture of White 33, was taken at the time Ken Sparks brought it back from the mission where he shot a Zero and then took another one out with the wing of White 33. A UU Army Air Corps photographer just happened to be there that day and got the “famous” picture. The signatures on the picture are: (a) Charles P. O’Sullivan, 39th Ft Sqdn (Your grandfather was his wingman on many missions. Dad flew his final combat mission with “Sully” O’Sullivan in Jul 1943 before returning to the State.) (b) Francis R. Royal, CO 39th Ft Sqdn (Was commander when the 39th went from Bellingham, WA to San Francisco, CA to Sydney, Australia in Feb 1942 on the USAT Ancon. He was also CO in Aug 1942 after Maj Berry was killed.) (c) Curran L. “Jack” Jones, 39th Ftr Sqdn (One of the eight officers that went to the SWAP on the USAT Ancon in Feb 1942.) (d) Jerry Gettler, 433rd Ft Sqdn (The last pilot to fly White 33.) I am not aware of any other pictures taken on Dec 27, 1942 at Doradura, New Quinea where Ken Sparks did his emergency landing. I hope you find this info helpful. It you think I can help further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Regards, Linne Royal Haddock 39th FSA Secretary/Treasurer L Haddock Thank yo for sharing the pictures. Looks like is was a very nice military service. If you do not have a copy of the “A History of the 39th Pursuit Squadron” Volume One, I have copies and can send one to you. It is $25 which includes shipping. In answer to your previous eMail, the flight log books belonged to the individual pilots. Some have survived, but they generally focused on the particular pilot’s activities. They may have a type of plane, but not serial numbers or other notations. They have details about the mission - when, where, how many kills and sometime the names of those they flew with. Yes, the 39th squadron did escort the bombers. The 39th FSA made copies of the “39th Fighter Squadron Diary” recorded by St Sgt Donald Elmore Thomas, for May 17 1942 to Sept. 6, 1944. It gives pilot names, but no aircraft details except what they were flying - P39s, P38s, P47s. By the way, the flight names/colors were Red, Blue, White, and Green. I think the flight color had to do with the mission order of “the day” rather than the pilots staying in a particular “flight.” According the what I just read in the diary, your grandfather flew in all four flights. I would think your grandfather has a copy of the Diary, at some point. Maybe someone in the family has it. I do not think the “blue nose” signified the flight. They flew whatever was available! I have not read the entire diary, but “color” order changed and the pilots identified in a particular flight changed, too. WestPac, the organization that restored White 33, did a LOT of research on White 33. It was painted in the colors most associated with it at the time Ken Sparks flew it. The “shark’s teeth” are not found on all P38s, for example. I suspect the “blue nose” falls into the same category. Good luck in find a specific plane related to your grandfather. Have you contact the Air Force Historical Research Agency? Here is the link: http://www.afhra.af.mil/index.asp Linne