Henderson, 13AF, Yamamoto, P-38s - help needed

[Jaxon]

Hi all,
Sunday morning I found an email in my inbox, with a very intersting story, I...

A) want to share and
B) need some help to get the story sorted some more.

So here it is:
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Hello Mr. Reimer,

My 92 Year old father recently passed away.
He was in the US Army Air Force at Guadalcanal, Major Allan Moore. He flew there and in all the battles up the island chain. He was very highly decorated. Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, and so forth.
He would not talk about the war much. We new some sketchy facts but it wasn't until after the funeral when we discovered some pictures hidden away that were taken of him and his cohorts in the Solomons.

Your web page came up when I Googled the P38 Nose Number (143) in one picture and came up with your page.
It is interesting that your page had the plane in the 13th Army Air Force, 18th Fighter Group. Our pictures show that he was in the 12th Fighter Squadron. He bunked with the the famous "Dirty Dozen."
We think he also might have been the "Unknown" Commander of the 12th.
I am sending along some pictures to clarify my facts.

We also know of a P38 #153 that he also flew. This bird was bellied into New Guinea by an unknown pilot (my dad), found and restored by a Museum in Adelaide, Australia.

I also note you have your #143 as participating in the Yamamoto Raid, but not assigned to any pilot. It is my belief the pilot was my dad. This is because on several occasions, Dad referred to his being a part of the raid in the High Flight "Decoy" group. He may have been flying #43. I don't know how to verify this any other way. The pictures are below.


Randy Moore

XXX

Sacramento, CA XXXX
XXX
XXX

(Full adress known to me)

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Here is what I puzzled together so far, Check fo an overview:

http://www.michael-reimer.com/CFS2/CFS2_Profiles/PTO_Allies_13_USAAF.html

[Jaxon]

The pics were directly fitted to the text.
I can`t put them in the post directly, so I load them up together with some questions.

Here are the first, showing Moore on several occasions.
Many pics refer to the 12th Fighter Squadron - the 'Dirty Dozen' of the 18th Fighter Group.

Please note the late war (1944+) bare metal P-38 type behind the group. It has some very interesting stencils under the wing.
To me they looks similar to Japanese Letters found under an RAAF Aircraft, which should tell remaining Jap soldiers still fighting that the War was over. Could this be the case here too?

[Jaxon]

Next, we have a bunch of P-39 Airacobra pics.
Due to the badge painted on the doors, these belong to the 12FS for sure, we should agree.

Please note, that one has 6 - but at least one other 12 Exhaust pipes.
So I guess, some are P-39D, other later types or even P-400 ex RAF planes.
What do you think?

The 12 FS flew them before switching to the P-38, I guess.
The 1942 style marking (star roundel only, no red dot, no later bars) underlines my idea, I think?

Can anyone read the nickname painted to the first one?

"Innocent ...imopene" is my best guess..

[Jaxon]

Now the first big Question.

Here we have Mr. Moore sitting on the wheel of a P-40.
Notice the white stripes under the wing and on the tail of the ones in the back (lower left corner).
These were Allied markings over the Solomon Isl. area, I have seen similer ones on NewZealand P-40s fighting in that area as well.

Note that later, the whole tail was painted white!
This should limit the timeframe, this pic was taken.

From my sources, the 12th did not fly the P-40 - that is why I placed it under the 44th Squadron on my site.
Further, the plane features sharkmouth.
But then, the 347 FG was also at Henderson these days - and I have seen several planes from this group (at least two squadrons) with just theses sharkmouth painted on them.
So it could also be of the 68th FS of 347th FG, I guess.

[Jaxon]

And now ot the last and probably most interesting:

Here we have Mr. Moore on an OD colored Lightning.

According to the little know details of his dad, his son assumes, Mr. Allan Moore took part in the famous mission, that shot down Yamamoto.

Now, is that true?

The pic shows #143 - probably an early P-38F or G type, I think.
BUT: this plane looks like being from 339FS/347FG, who was the only unit having flown the P-38 this early.

Could it be, Mr Moore was part of this unit earlier, before joining the 12 FS, when they switched to the P-38??

The source I quote, notes a 'Joe' Moore taking part in this mission.
Now, the question is, if Allan Moore is that unknown 'Joe' Moore - like I have already written under the pic of #143.

BTW: A skin of the earliest days of CFS2, made by Easykill.
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Notice that on this P-38, the color around the gaps of the cowling is worn off.
I read somewhere, that these gaps were sealed with tape, when the planes were brought by vessel to the front, were they were made ready to fly and fight, and this tape was then just ripped off.

[Jaxon]

Finally we have another OD P-38, given 153.

My guess is, this one is also of the 339FS, just like 143.

This plane was most probably also flown by Mr. Moore.

See the slim nacelles without the huger radiators of the J/H type beneath.

[Jaxon]

Quoting Moore`s son again:

We also know of a P38 #153 that he also flew. This bird was bellied into New Guinea by an unknown pilot (my dad), found and restored by a Museum in Adelaide, Australia.

I think, this plane was another one, by accident also numbered 153 in the same way.
But of the 5th USAAF, 347 FG.
---

That is all for now. I am eagerly waiting for your ideas / comments / replies!

Best regards,
Jaxon

[Bill Kestell]

OUTSTANDING ... the start of a great mystery quest??? Well, you've gotten my interest and attention!

Thanks to you and the Moore's!

[Devildog73]

In my book on Bong and McGuire there is mention made of the Yamamoto shoot down. I will have to look it up and see what it says and get back to you.

[Devildog73]

Major Mitchell selected Lieutenant Tom Lanphier to lead the flight of four P38s designated as the "Killer Section." Besides Lanphier, it included myself [Colonel Rex Barber] and Lieutenant Joe Moore and Lieutenant Jim McLanahan. All total, we had 16 P-38s---four for the "Killer Section" and 12 to fly top cover.

[Devildog73]

Speaking of P-38s, I found this.

I wish I had watched it BEFORE I started building Bong missions!

http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/P38.html

[msfossey]

Jaxon,

According to Donald A. Davis, the author of Lightning Strike, both the 12th and 339th Fighter Squadrons flew the same P38's out of Herderson on altternate days. In other words, because there were so few P-38s available, the squadrons were forced to share them. For the Yamamoto mission, it was decided to use 8 pilots from each squadron.

339th Pilots: John Mithcell (flight leader), Jack Jacobson, Doug Canning, Del Goerke, Tom Lanphier*, Rex Barber*, Joe Moore*, and Jim McLanahan.* (* Killer Flight)

12th Pilots: Lou Kittel, Gordon Whittaker, Everett Anglin, Bill Smith, Roger Ames, Larry Graebner, Albert Long, and Eldon Stratton.

This is a very interesting story. I hope this helps.

msfossey

[p14u2nv]

After enlargement it appears to me the name on the first pic of the P-39's is "Innocent Imogene" which was sort of a semi popular name during WWII era so you were pretty close!

[Jaxon]

Wow, sorry for replying so late. I have very limited time at the moment.

Thanks for all your help.
Imogene - I have never heard that before. But it makes absolutely sense to me.

About Mr. Moore: I think we need to know, if "Joe" indeed is that same Allan Moore, were all the pics are about.

I will ask Mr. Moore jr. if he knows more about that.

What wonderes me is the note of a "Decoy" flight in the Yamamoto mission?
Maybe misunderstood/wrong remembered?

I hope we can find out more!

[Devildog73]

Check this out:

http://www.aviationarthangar.com/ylaflpliavar.html

[Devildog73]

I wonder if his middle initial was J and that stood for Joseph?

Accident-Report.com - USAAF/USAF Accidents for Georgia (http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/slist/hunter.html)


... both minor and major aircraft accidents that occured ... MOORE, ALLAN J. A-20A. 40-99. RAINS, SC. 410522. TALLEY, THOMAS P. PT-17. 41-8037. HUNTER FIELD, GA ...
www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/slist/hunter.html - 106k - Cached (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geusD99BdL7ucAdItXNyoA/SIG=18ul5o1c6/EXP=1259947645/**http%3a//74.6.239.67/search/cache%3fei=UTF-8%26p=Major%2bAllan%2bMoore%2bP-38%26fr=yfp-t-701%26u=www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/slist/hunter.html%26w=major%2bmajors%2ballan%2bmoore%2bp-38%2bp38%26d=WrBYu929TygO%26icp=1%26.intl=us%26sig =PvIkKglMNJJvtsgt6N_YNg--)

410519MOORE, ALLAN JA-20A40-99RAINS, SC

[Devildog73]

also, this:

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/solomons/shortland/mission-3-29-43.html

Postscript: For their roles in their attack on the floatplane base at Faisi-Poporang, 1st Lt. Benjamin E. Dale, USMC, and 1st Lt. Joseph H. Moore, USAAC, received the Award of the Silver Star. Captains Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr. and Robert L. Petit, and 1st Lt. Rex T. Barber, USAAC, received the Oak Leaf Cluster to their previous Award of the Silver Star. 1st Lt. George G. Topoll, USAAC, received his official recognition posthumously. Topoll was killed in his Lightning as he attempted an emergency landing shortly after takeoff for an evening patrol on April 6, 1943.

This puts Joe Moore with Lanphier and Barber in P-38s on Guadalcanal.