While looking through my Fathers Scrapbooks I found a series of pictures he took, or had taken of him, in India from his time of service in the CBI. Any way I can find out the history of this plane? Unit? etc. View attachment 17863
Welcome to the forum! You might look up Transport squadrons for the CBI theater. (yeah I know there were a bumch) Might try www.cbi-history.com
Welcome to this fine place. Do you have any other pictures? They might help us narrow down your search.
Welcome Henryr10, I'll second Lou and ask for more pictures. Any with a tail number? If you know what bases your father was stationed would help too. Kind of slim pickin's with just a C47 and (5?)4 on the nose but you've gained a whole lot of help if ya can post a little more. This is the stuff we live for
Thanks for the Welcome! Quite frankly until about 2 hours before I posted here I didn't know the picture existed. I'm going thru some old albums so hopefully will find more plane shots. Back soon, Ric
Well I can say w/ certainty he was w/ the 915th Quartermaster Co. I found a unit photo marked 'G-1099-45)(8-31-43)DET. 915th Q.M.Co. AVN'. Amazingly Dad listed EVERYONE (Rank, Given and Surname) in the photo. That's 5 rows w/ 40+ guys/row. But that's a Thread for another time..... Here's a Tail Shot. Done on the same sized Paper as the first shot. So it 'may' be of the same plane. All the shots this size were done w/ the Camera he had in India. View attachment 17871 Plus this one on a different Paper which at first I thought said Baer Field but was wrong. Dad was too meticulous to make an error like that on his photos. So..... View attachment 17872 And last one for this evening.... The Stilwell Road.... View attachment 17873 Again Thanks! Ric
I agree that these are great pictures. I'm not sure of the plane, but this map of airfields in India during WW2 might help http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1940s/Misc/WW2Airfields.jpg
Thanks! Dad had a Brownie and a Minox Riga sub miniature Spy Camera, both of which I now have. The Sub-min he got from the Brits. Plus a portable darkroom w/ enlarger. He said he got his film from the guys who loaded the gun cameras. I'll start another thread soon w/ the other non-unit shots. Gives you a good idea of living conditions.
I have pictures from the Suez, Bombay and Calcutta. Good call on the Plane, Biak Dad is in the upper shot.... definitely not a pilot! But he did 'Kick' a lot of freight. I have his flight pants but the jacket, w/ of course his unit info, was stolen. View attachment 17886 Here he is at the 'The Windy Club! '. He's leaning on the sign. View attachment 17887
Found an other 'Windy Club' photo listing it as in Burma. Last two this evening. View attachment 17889 'Boarding C-54 FROM cHINA' That's Dad on the Ladder. View attachment 17890 I have a 4 day weekend coming so I hope I can gather up some more shots from his files. Files being boxes of photos... numbering in the hundreds. Just have to find the right box.....lol! Ric
The photos are great. The notations on them are a big help. Keep them coming with as much information as you can get. They will help with identification.
The C-47 was used on The Hump to China, but the C-46 replaced it because it had better capacity. The C-47 served in troop carrier and air supply roles with units like the 10th Combat Cargo at Dinjan in Assam and in Burma. Many C-47s were part of the Air Transport Command and not assigned to specific squadrons. Check out the site on the 10th Combat Cargo. The single engine aircraft is the North American T-6, a trainer. It would have to have been shipped by sea to the theater. The shot of the GIs with full kit including gas masks suggests cold weather. I'm surprised it is labeled India. My own father was a C-46 pilot out of Chabua in '44 and '45. Have you posted a query on http://www.armyairforces.com?