| Accession Number | P05303.003 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Australia: Northern Territory, Darwin |
| Date made | February 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
An American P40 Warhawk (known as Kittyhawk in the RAF and RAAF) of the 33rd (Provisional) ...
Description
An American P40 Warhawk (known as Kittyhawk in the RAF and RAAF) of the 33rd (Provisional) Pursuit Group, United States Army Air Force (USAAF). This aircraft may be the only American P40 Warhawk to have survived after the first Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942. The attacking Japanese managed to destroy nine of the ten P40s of the 33rd (Provisional) Pursuit Group, which was based at Darwin on the day. The sole surviving aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Robert (Bob) Oestricher claimed two of the four Japanese aircraft shot down during the raid. One of a series of photographs relating to the service of 5345 Norman Gaff. Born on 19 November 1899 in Queenscliff, Victoria, Norman Gaff enlisted on 11 August 1915 and served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during the First and Second World Wars. Seven days before the first Japanese air raid on Darwin, Gaff was posted to HMAS Melville, the (former) RAN shore base located there. He survived this event and subsequent raids on Darwin and was discharged on 2 January 1946.