P-40

A parachute forms a backdrop in this Chapel in Kunming in 1945. Father Charles F. Meeus celebrates mass. The Father's pulpit is the cowling for the P-40K "Little Flower" flown by Ray Kaiser (25th FS). "Little Flower" was St Therese from Lisieux, France. (Thanks JBarbaud) Notice the corrugated metal making up the lower area of the alter, also likely parts...

A P-40 fighter down hard on its nose at Panagar in early 1944. Photo by Frank Gregor.

P-40 "Idiots Delight" in the CBI during WWII.

T.T. Hale, S. Seidler, G. Feldman at Guilin (Kwelin) base, in Guangxi province, China, during the Second World War in front of a P-40. See another image taken at the same time here.

T.T. Hale, S. Seidler, G. Feldman and a Chinese soldier at Guilin (Kweilin) base, in Guangxi province, China, during the Second World War. See another image taken at the same time here.

T.T. Hale, S. Seidler, G. Feldman at Guilin (Kwelin) base, in Guangxi province, China, during the Second World War in front of a P-40. See another image taken at the same time here.

S/Sgt. Ed Toy of Chicago, Illinois, repairs instruments of Curtiss P-40s at an aircraft factory somewhere in China during WWII. The factory was fitted to rebuild P-40s for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) and the Chinese continued the same operations for the U.S. Air Force. January 1, 1943. Photo by 7th Photo Tech. Sqdn, provided courtesy of Tony Strotman.

May 24, 1944 A P-40 fighter plane is hoisted from the Liberty Ship, "John Dockweiler", which brought fifteen planes from the U. S. to Karachi, India. All of the planes were hoisted from the ship in slightly over an hour, during WWII. Photo by Tec Sgt Roy J. Yarnell.

A sketch of "Vurgie" done in China in 1943 by the artist and prolific Hollywood actor Don Barclay. James C. Vurgaropulos's nephew and brother in 2008. James C. Vurgaropulos lost his life after a crash in China as he strafed a ground target in his P-40 (serial no. 42-104941) on Jun 29 1944. Lt. Vurgaropulos was on a mission leading...

American P-40s parked in Guangxi province during WWII.