18th Fighter Squadron || 20th Fighter Squadron || 21st Fighter Squadron

34th Fighter Squadron || 70th Fighter Squadron

39th Fighter Squadron || 40th Fighter Squadron || 41st Fighter Squadron

Hand-Me-Down

Ship #11, possibly from the 21st Pursuit Squadron, previously served with the 55th
Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group as evidenced by the 55th PS emblem shown in the
second photo below. I'm not sure how many of the 35th's P-40s came from the 20th PG.


San Diego Air and Space Museum (Charles M. Daniels collection) - Larger Image


Imperial War Museum (Roger Freeman Collection) - Larger Image

Boss Bird

P-40 #17 was flown by a squadron CO within the 35th PG, possibly the 21st PS, when
this photo was taken at Oakland in either late 1940 or 1941. Another hand-me-down,
this ship was previously owned by the 79th Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group.


San Diego Air and Space Museum (Ray Wagner collection) - Larger Image

The Boss

First Lieutenant William Edwin 'Ed' Dyess, CO of the 21st Pursuit
Squadron at Hamilton Field, California during the Summer of 1941.

Dyess went on to become one of the fabled defenders of the Philippines, was made a
a POW, and endured the horrors of the Bataan Death March. In April of 1943 he escaped and
eventually returned to the USA. 'Ed' was killed while test-flying a P-38 on December 22nd, 1943.

The ship shown in the photo, P-40 40-314, was destroyed in an accident on
January 14th, 1942 while serving with the 48th Pursuit Squadron, 14th Pursuit Group.


Original Image: Houston Chronicle - Larger Image

Future 'Yoxford Boy'

The photo below shows 2Lt. Hubert Egnes at Hamilton Field, California in 1940 or 1941.
As mentioned above, the 35th Pursuit Group inherited some P-40s from the 20th Pursuit Group.
So, if this ship was formerly from the 20th, the white spinner means that it may have come
from the 55th Pursuit Squadron... which would seem to jive with what looks to be an over-
painted '94' on the nose. But I don't know which of the 35th's squadrons it was from...
possibly the 21st; I haven't totally figured out the squadron colors or
plane-in-group number assignments for the 35th yet... so am kinda guessing!

Also, I'm not sure which squadron Egnes was with pre-war but, after the wholesale exchange
of the 35th PG's assigned squadrons in mid-January 1942, he flew with the 40th Pursuit Squadron.
On February 4th, 1942 he earned a Silver Star during an attack on a Japanese airfield near
Palembang, Sumatra, downing one defending enemy fighter after a successful run on the field.

You can read Egnes' Silver Star citation here. (Dead link)

Egnes would later rise to the rank of Lt.Col., command the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th
Fighter Group in the ETO, and become the Deputy CO of the 357th. Sadly, he was killed in
action on March 28th, 1944 while attacking a Luftwaffe airfield in Southern France.


Source: Defunct Website (View page via the Internet Archive) - Larger Image

Bounced!

The next three photos show a P-40 of the 35th Pursuit Group, possibly from the
70th Pursuit Squadron, which appears to have been 'bounced' by a flight of AT-6
Texans from Stockton Field, California. I'm not sure of the exact timeframe,
but it's most likely late 1941 or very early in January of 1942.


Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image


Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image


A closer look at the previous photo... note the light diamond-shaped patch forward
of the fuselage national insignia; an over-painted squadron emblem, indicating that
this ship previously served with the 79th Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group.


Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image


Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection) - Larger Image

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