44-23482

French countryside, photographed through the nose of a P-38 Lightning of the 367th Fighter Group on landing. Image stamped on reverse: 'Not to be published 30 Aug 1944.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 31 May 1945.' [stamp] and '354528 .' [censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'P-38s over the Seine. No.1 of a series of pix taken through the nose of the P-38 as it comes in to land. Scherschel LIFE.'

media-456843.jpg FRE 10110 French countryside, photographed through the nose of a P-38 Lightning of the 367th Fighter Group on landing. Image stamped on reverse: 'Not to be published 30 Aug 1944.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 31 May 1945.' [stamp] and '354528 .' [censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'P-38s over the Seine. No.1 of a series of pix taken through the nose of the P-38 as it comes in to land. Scherschel LIFE.'

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.

Object Number - FRE 10110 - French countryside, photographed through the nose of a P-38 Lightning of the 367th Fighter Group on landing. Image stamped on reverse: 'Not to be...

Built as P-38J, field modified to 'Droop Snoot*' configuration.

"Loaned to RAF at Coningsby for target marking technique development. Transferred to US 5th AF Sep 1944 and W/O in accident 9th Apr 1945".

* The 'Droop Snoot' field conversion entailed the removal of the nose armament and associated equipment to make room for a prone bombardiers/observers 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

Base Air Depot 3

Places

A P-38 Lightning (CL-K) of the 338th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group fitted with a "droop snoot" for bombing missions.

Langford Lodge

Site type: Airfield

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Crashed		9 April 1945	Written Off in accident. DBR.
Manufactured	Burbank, CA, USA		Built at Lockheed Aviation.
Delivered	Long Beach, CA, USA		Delivered to USAAF.
Other Field modified	Langford Lodge, Ireland		Field modified to 'Droop Snoot*' configuration.
Other Loaned to RAF	R A F Station, Raf Coningsby, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN4 4SY, UK		Loaned to RAF at Coningsby for target marking technique development.
Other Transferred			Transferred to 5th AF USAAF.