44-24360
The view of the bombardier through the plexiglass nose of a Droop Snoot P-38 coming in to land. Note the bombardiers feet at bottom of frame. Roger Freeman Collection
Roger Freeman Photo.
On loan to No 5 Group RAF and utilised operationaly in the master bomber role during its stay. Flown by Sqn Ldr Owen and on the 15th Aug 44 Deelen raid, Wg Cdr Guy Gibson VC was the pilot. Returned to USAAF.
* The 'Droop Snoot' field conversion entailed the removal of the nose armament and associated equipment to make room for a prone bombardiers position with the installation of a plexiglass nose, a Norden bombsight, side windows and an emergency hatch. The theory was for a formation of P-38's to drop their bombs on the formation lead 'Droop snoots' signal with the precision of the Norden bombsight ensuring the accuracy of the formations bombing. An idea championed by Lt Col Cass Hough and Lt Col Dan Ostrander.
Connections
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Units served with
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Assigned |
6 August 1944 - 31 August 1944 | Assigned, on loan, to No 5 Group RAF, Conningsby. | |
Other Operational use |
6877 Deelen, Netherlands | 16 August 1944 | Flown by Wg Cdr Guy Gibson VC on Deelen raid as master bomber A/C. |
Other Returned |
England, UK | 31 August 1944 | Returned to USAAF. |
Manufactured |
Burbank, CA, USA | Built by Lockheed Aviation. | |
Delivered |
Long Beach, CA, USA | Delivered to USAAF. | |
Other Field modified |
Langford Lodge, Ireland | Modified to Droop Snoot* configuration with plexiglass nose, Norden bombsight and bomb aimers position in nose. |