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FAA Corsair IV pilot


Plumbum

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I am working on the old Revell 1/32 FAA Corsair with the clipped wings. I am doing it as a Corsair IV late in the war and need to know the pilot's flight suit color, helmet color, and life vest color. It will be done in overall gloss sea blue. I can't get the FAA archive site up on my computer, it keeps "timing out". Thanks---John

CorsairII1_zps75dce0d4.jpg

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Hi John

It may well be 'where' as well.

dress in the tropics will be different to the North Atalantic...

Hellcat pilot in BPF

FAAhellcat-pilot-FarEast.jpg

This poor chap got show down ion a raid, captured, and was beheaded on Changi Beach at the end of the war by his Japanese captors!

Temperate dress

sheppard_Don.jpg

life jacket painted yellow, brown leather helmet, flying jacket is brown, with off white wool

FAA uniform in colour,

7563058688_639d939c83_h.jpg

edit

flying helmet

http://heritageflightgeardisplays.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/raf-raaf-c-helmet-ww2/

20100604_8846.jpg?w=280

that enough to go on?

cheers

T

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Thanks Troy. I am thinking its the poor chap that was beheaded who has the correct outfit, it would have been late in the war, June to August 1945 near the Japanese mainland so the light colored flight suit looks the best pick.---John

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Now you've opened a can of worms...what colour is the Hellcat in the first picture?

FFA temperate, overall blue, or 3-colour USN style? Looking at the edge of the tailplane on which he's resting, it looks like it's a light-coloured undersurface?

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Now you've opened a can of worms...what colour is the Hellcat in the first picture?

FFA temperate, overall blue, or 3-colour USN style? Looking at the edge of the tailplane on which he's resting, it looks like it's a light-coloured undersurface?

No can of worms

Temperate Sea Scheme, EDSG/DSG over Sky, in British specified colours, as built by Grumman, not equivalent colours, just well sun faded on wing, and plenty of grubby hand prints by hand grip and around front panels.

part of a series of colour shots

Hellcat-FAA-SEasia.jpg

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No can of worms

Temperate Sea Scheme, EDSG/DSG over Sky, in British specified colours, as built by Grumman, not equivalent colours, just well sun faded on wing, and plenty of grubby hand prints by hand grip and around front panels.

part of a series of colour shots

Hellcat-FAA-SEasia.jpg

Shame...I wanted a USN style tri-colour version to use on one of my Eduard Hellcats

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Thanks for that Ian.

I remember discussing this with you, but not in that depth.

Fascinating to get all the details of this oft seen photo but usually anonymous pilot

I thought of this shot for the OP as it colour and shows what I presume is typical flying wear in the tropics.

Haberfield claimed an Oscar shot down during Operation Lentil on 4.1.45 in R5P:FN432, which is the aircraft in the photograph.

As the photo of the plane with the deck crew lying on the wing is 'R' I presume this is the other side of plane?

Do you know the story /date of these, I'm guessing a LIFE set ? Are there more from this series, I know of colour shots of FAA Avengers on a land base

This looks like another from this series

3375795516_bd284b7b6f.jpg

and this

3355755071_07d273b465_z.jpg?zz=1

the Avenger shots are these

2833232302_2bde8d0a2a.jpg

3458450483_c5cc22f7ef_b.jpg

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Troy,

I think that the two photos you originally posted are official Admiralty photographs, I'm not sure about the source of the others. The other Hellcat picture could be the other side of Haberfield's R5P, but equally, it could be any 1844 or 1839 Hellcat as they would all have been coded R forward of the rounded on the port side (this was the Fighter Wing code). Without knowing more about the position of Haberfield relative to the island, it is impossible to say.

There is also a colour photo of a group of seated aircrew in front of Indomitable's forward director, which I believe was taken around the same time as the two operation 'Lentil" photos.

Ian

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  • 6 years later...
On 13/11/2014 at 17:22, Troy Smith said:

Hellcat pilot in BPF

FAAhellcat-pilot-FarEast.jpg

This poor chap got show down ion a raid, captured, and was beheaded on Changi Beach at the end of the war by his Japanese captors!

I had added details in the Flickr comments,  but this got posted 3 days ago on Flickr, 

 

"That photo isn’t Lieutenant John 'Jack' Haberfield.

It’s Charles Lavender from Enfield, in North London.

He was one of the original members of 1844 Squadron until April 1945 when relieved and replaced by my Grandfather.

Source: Heaven High Ocean Deep by Tim Hillier-Graves.

1839 Squadron in which Haberfield served....
and 1844 Squadron in which Lavender served....
Both were on HMS Indomitable and flew the F6F Hellcat.
The pilots lived and worked together as one unit, sharing the same cabins, taking shore leave together and flying the same missions along side each other. Lavender (pictured) and Haberfield (not pictured) would have know each other well.

HERE IS WHAT Lt./J HABERFIELD RNZNVR actually looks like
https://navymuseum.co.nz/explore/by-themes/aviation/we-remember-t-slt-a-john-haberfield/
N.Z local newspaper shows it very clearly...."

 

I'll @iang who may know this already, but if not perhaps may be worth following up any leads.

 

cheers

T

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15 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

I had added details in the Flickr comments,  but this got posted 3 days ago on Flickr, 

 

"That photo isn’t Lieutenant John 'Jack' Haberfield.

It’s Charles Lavender from Enfield, in North London.

He was one of the original members of 1844 Squadron until April 1945 when relieved and replaced by my Grandfather.

Source: Heaven High Ocean Deep by Tim Hillier-Graves.

1839 Squadron in which Haberfield served....
and 1844 Squadron in which Lavender served....
Both were on HMS Indomitable and flew the F6F Hellcat.
The pilots lived and worked together as one unit, sharing the same cabins, taking shore leave together and flying the same missions along side each other. Lavender (pictured) and Haberfield (not pictured) would have know each other well.

HERE IS WHAT Lt./J HABERFIELD RNZNVR actually looks like
https://navymuseum.co.nz/explore/by-themes/aviation/we-remember-t-slt-a-john-haberfield/
N.Z local newspaper shows it very clearly...."

 

I'll @iang who may know this already, but if not perhaps may be worth following up any leads.

 

cheers

T

Since I bought that book I have long meant to go back and add the comment.  Thank you for that @Troy Smith.

 

BTW SLt Douglas Smith?

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The name of the author of THAT book may be familiar to some who have tried to research FAA Diaries and combat reports in TNA, found them to be missing and then noted the sheet of paper stuck in the front of said records advising the poor reader of the lamentable reason for their absence. One reason I flatly refuse to buy it. Also penned the Dickie Cork biography under the nom de plume 'AH Wren'.

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