World War II Military Aircraft

[RandyRFJP]

World War II Days: Dellwood Park; Lockport, IL - 2016-09-10

I took these photos of military aircraft flyovers at a World War II battle reenactment. I am uncertain of the "types" of planes these are. I think the plane (#1) with the fixed landing gear was used for reconnaissance flights, and the US Navy plane (#2) might be a P1-Douglas SBD Dauntless. I've had no success even obtaining a tentative ID for the US Air Force plane (#3), which was releasing smoke as it flew by. Any help in identifying these aircraft would be appreciated. As always, C&C will be most appreciated.

Plane #1:


Plane #2:


Plane #3:

[Saorsa]

I can't help you with the first one but it appears to be a Cessna or Piper Observation model. I cant read the civilian registration number on that one but if you have another shot where it is clearer you can use google to check it out. It is the series of numbers that begin with 'N' just behind the USAF emblem on the fuselage.

The Navy aircraft is an SNJ Trainer and the US Airforce one is a T-6 Texan. Interestingly they are the same aircraft under different military designations. If either of those aircraft had been painted in RAF colours it would have been called a Harvard.

I could read N9805C on the navy model just below the elevator and FlightAware gives me this page. Pull that up and you can enter the registration of the observation aircraft.

[Tronhard]

Hi the first one looks like a Piper L4 Cub...

[Saorsa]

Hi the first one looks like a Piper L4 Cub...

Yep, here is a page on one.

[Shadowman]

Nice shots.

[John 2]

Nice series. The high wing designs always remind me of the model aircraft that I lusted after as a teenager. Now it's smart phones, tablets and gaming consuls.

[JBW]

World War II Days: Dellwood Park; Lockport, IL - 2016-09-10

I took these photos of military aircraft flyovers at a World War II battle reenactment. I am uncertain of the "types" of planes these are. I think the plane (#1) with the fixed landing gear was used for reconnaissance flights, and the US Navy plane (#2) might be a P1-Douglas SBD Dauntless. I've had no success even obtaining a tentative ID for the US Air Force plane (#3), which was releasing smoke as it flew by. Any help in identifying these aircraft would be appreciated. As always, C&C will be most appreciated.

Plane #1:


Plane #2:


Plane #3:

2 & 3 look like trainers that were called 'Harvard' in Canada.

[Saorsa]

2 & 3 look like trainers that were called 'Harvard' in Canada.

The T6/SNJ was built under license all over the world. Those in commonwealth countries were named Harvard.

[pendennis]

As an aside, in the 1970 movie, "Tora, Tora, Tora", numerous highly modified T6/SNJ's and BT13'swere used instead of the Japanese B5N "Kate", and the D3A "Val" aircraft the Japanese used.

Great photo array!

[RandyRFJP]

I can't help you with the first one but it appears to be a Cessna or Piper Observation model. I cant read the civilian registration number on that one but if you have another shot where it is clearer you can use google to check it out. It is the series of numbers that begin with 'N' just behind the USAF emblem on the fuselage.

The Navy aircraft is an SNJ Trainer and the US Airforce one is a T-6 Texan. Interestingly they are the same aircraft under different military designations. If either of those aircraft had been painted in RAF colours it would have been called a Harvard.

I could read N9805C on the navy model just below the elevator and FlightAware gives me this page. Pull that up and you can enter the registration of the observation aircraft.

Thanks, Brian, for providing all of the very useful identification information in your several posts regarding the aircraft. I didn't know of the FlightAware website and that if you have a plane's registration number, you can get so much specific information regarding it. I truly appreciate all of the help you provided.

[RandyRFJP]

Hi the first one looks like a Piper L4 Cub...

Trev, many thanks for the ID of the Piper L4 Cub. Both your input and that of Brian Grant were invaluable in identifying the planes.

[RandyRFJP]

Nice shots.

Thanks, John. As you probably are aware, these are not the typical, nature-related, photos I usually take. I attended the event last year, too, but didn't get any "keeper" photos of the planes in flight. The photos in this post were the only ones that I felt were worth showing this time.

[RandyRFJP]

Thanks, John2, for your kind comment. I, too, assembled model aircraft kits as a teenager. Today in the Chicago area, and probably throughout a large portion of the world, it would be next to impossible for a teenager to purchase the glue that was commonly used back then to assemble the models. Times surely have changed.

[RandyRFJP]

Thanks, Brian, for confirming the IDs of planes 2 & 3.

[rpcrowe]

Very nice captures... I agree with the identification of these aircraft.

Besides being training aircraft the SNJ/AT6 were armed and used in a variety of conflicts, including the Mau Mau insurrection in Kenya and early in the Vietnam Conflict.

http://www.t6harvard.com/T6_harvard_in_combat.html

I did quite a bit of air to air still and motion picture photography from the rear seat of Navy SNJ-5 aircraft but, did not like this plane as an air to ground photo platform because the low wing obscured much of the ground forward of the aircraft when shooting from the rear seat...

[RandyRFJP]

Very nice captures... I agree with the identification of these aircraft.

Besides being training aircraft the SNJ/AT6 were armed and used in a variety of conflicts, including the Mau Mau insurrection in Kenya and early in the Vietnam Conflict.

http://www.t6harvard.com/T6_harvard_in_combat.html

I did quite a bit of air to air still and motion picture photography from the rear seat of Navy SNJ-5 aircraft but, did not like this plane as an air to ground photo platform because the low wing obscured much of the ground forward of the aircraft when shooting from the rear seat...

Thanks, Richard, I'm glad you liked the photos. I never thought of it, but your comment about the difficulty for a photographer in the rear seat of low-wing plane to get good air-to-ground photos of anything forward of the aircraft makes perfect sense. Such things are only learned through experience. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

[madcrow]

Do know much about aircraft, but I do know your images are very sharp with great detail.

[RandyRFJP]

Do know much about aircraft, but I do know your images are very sharp with great detail.

Thanks for the kind comment, Maurice. As you can guess from all of the help I received from other members who kindly identified the planes, I also do not know much about aircraft.

[Tronhard]

As a bit of an aviation enthusiast I thought you might like to know that the Harvards are often horrendously noisy because their prop tips rotate around the speed of sound, so you often hear them coming well before you see them.

Modified versions of these were used in the film Tora! Tora! Tora! to depict both US and Japanese aircraft for the film. As we have just had the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour, I would recommend it as a old but really good film on the subject that offers a balanced view of the events around the attack.

[RandyRFJP]

As an aside, in the 1970 movie, "Tora, Tora, Tora", numerous highly modified T6/SNJ's and BT13'swere used instead of the Japanese B5N "Kate", and the D3A "Val" aircraft the Japanese used.

Great photo array!

Thanks, Dennis, for the kind words about the photos, as well as the information about the Japanese planes used in "Tora, Tora, Tora." If my memory is correct, I saw the film years ago, probably shortly after it came out. I'll have to watch it again, now that I know a little about the aircraft of that period.