salt_air
Charter Member
Early morning ... Malita Airbase on Mindanao
As I hurriedly unpack the "Claude", before the supposed detachment of IJA troops return, a strong wind comes up and all of the camos covering the parked aircraft here are disturbed enough for me to see that what I thought were Zekes and Bettys to be repaired are actually USAAF and USN aircraft ... What the?
A closer look reveals a couple of Tigercats and an SBD ... huh?... Then a local bloke walks over with a jug of some "Homemade" and offers me a drink.
While I toss back a swig (or two) he begins to tell me what's happening ... not what I was lead to believe at all.
Turns out he's hustling abandoned aircraft .... both sides .... even has a Russian Yak.
He heard there would be quite a few aircraft of all sorts headed this way and probably just abandoned right here.
I asked him if he had seen any P-40's and he showed me one that he had just painted for a dude named "Joe" .... uh, huh .... so I told him what happened back at Santa Ana as we walked over to check for serial numbers.
Low and behold ... my P-40E sitting right in front of me, but what the heck is with this paint job ....
Okay bubba ... here's the deal, you put the paint back like it was and hide this plane off base til I get back.
If "Joe" wants to know what happened to it, just point to the "Claude" .... he nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile I'm gunna return this Harpoon
back to the Base Commander at Santa Ana ... hoping that will cover for my absence, then I'll need to find a way back to finally retrieve my P-40 .... whew!, lot's of flying!
Ya gotta have a story line, yeah?
As I hurriedly unpack the "Claude", before the supposed detachment of IJA troops return, a strong wind comes up and all of the camos covering the parked aircraft here are disturbed enough for me to see that what I thought were Zekes and Bettys to be repaired are actually USAAF and USN aircraft ... What the?
A closer look reveals a couple of Tigercats and an SBD ... huh?... Then a local bloke walks over with a jug of some "Homemade" and offers me a drink.
While I toss back a swig (or two) he begins to tell me what's happening ... not what I was lead to believe at all.
Turns out he's hustling abandoned aircraft .... both sides .... even has a Russian Yak.
He heard there would be quite a few aircraft of all sorts headed this way and probably just abandoned right here.
I asked him if he had seen any P-40's and he showed me one that he had just painted for a dude named "Joe" .... uh, huh .... so I told him what happened back at Santa Ana as we walked over to check for serial numbers.
Low and behold ... my P-40E sitting right in front of me, but what the heck is with this paint job ....
Okay bubba ... here's the deal, you put the paint back like it was and hide this plane off base til I get back.
If "Joe" wants to know what happened to it, just point to the "Claude" .... he nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile I'm gunna return this Harpoon
back to the Base Commander at Santa Ana ... hoping that will cover for my absence, then I'll need to find a way back to finally retrieve my P-40 .... whew!, lot's of flying!
Ya gotta have a story line, yeah?
