AIrcraft History
Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-40N-1 Warhawk serial number 42-104823. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled.

Wartime HIstory
During July 1943, assigned to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as Kittyhawk serial number A29-410. Assigned to 2 Air Depot (2 AD). On August 10, 1943 assigned to No. 78 Squadron. On April 5, 1944 received by 11 RSU from 78 Squadron for an engine change and returned to the squadron the April 15, 1944. On June 3, 1944 this P-40 participated in last major RAAF air combat in the Pacific by 78 Squadron, piloted by F/O Geoff O'Halloran Giles, 417830.

Mission History
On June 13, 1944 took off from Hollandia piloted by F/Lt Colin R. Harvey as part of a four planes patrol over the area. In clouds, this P-40 tried to avoided a collision with another P-40 in the formation, and went into a spin. Pilot Harvey was forced to bail out, roughly 40 miles south of Cyclops Airfield and landed unhurt.

Rescue
The next day, he was spotted by an L-5 piloted by MSgt Eugene Salternik who dropped him food and a message that directing him to a river and follow it in his raft.  After 21 days of being dropped supplies by Salternik's L-5, he was rescued on July 4th by a RAAF Walrus flying boat from Lake Krau.

After the war, Salternik and Harvey remained good friends, and visited with each other in Australia and the United States.  In 1994 on the 50th anniversary of the event, Harvey presented Salternik with a plaque, with his RAAF flying wings and some of the notes he had dropped to him and sustained him on his long escape. Harvey passed away in the late 1990s.

References
USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-40N-1-CU Warhawk 42-104823
"104823 to RAAF as A29-410 Jul 1943. Crashed near Cyclops Jun 1944. Pilot bailed out."
ADF Serials - P-40N Kittyhawk A29-410
WW2 Nominal Roll - Colin Raymond Harvey
Thanks to Eugene Salternik for additional information

Last Updated
August 8, 2022