USAAF
5th AF
Ray Fairfield 1965
Mission History
Crashed near Lea Lea west of Port Moresby.
Wreckage
Scattered wreckage remained until the late 1960s, including engine, propeller, one door.
Ray Fairfield adds:
"There was a road running north towards Lea Lea. There is, or was, a track leading off this east into the ridges. Still on the flat ground was the P-39Q. Assumed to be shot down, one door unaccounted for so maybe he got out. I had a data plate from this, punched the rivets out with a .22 pistol, but must have passed it on to someone. As you can see the wreckage was in a bad way, and I don't remember battle damage. Battle damage doesn't produce neat little groups of holes. I've noted my print as 'P-39Q' so I would have got that from the data plate I had. The throttle had been closed, see state of the prop, and one door missing, indicating bail-out. In that area a belly-landing would be preferable to bailiing out given an engine failing."
P-39
Photo Archive
