Most of these photos are a collection of images then Lt. Adair took with his Baldina Pocket Reflex Shoot while serving as a Flight Leader for the Burma Banshees.The Baldina would fit in the pocket of his A2 Flight suit.I am in the process of identifying as many people as I can so other Burma Banshee's and especially their family members can share these pictures. Most of them have never been published nor seen before. If you are a friend or family member of the Burma Banshees and would like a full resolution copy just let me know, I'll be happy to send you one.

A Little History:
Retired Air Force Colonel Philip R. Adair, a veteran of 30 years, spanning WWII from January 1942 through Korea, the Quemoy-Matsu Island struggle between the Red Chinese and the Chinese Nationalists in the Taiwan Straits in the mid 50s, Vietnam and the Cold War. As a lieutenant and flight commander during WWII, in the 89th fighter squadron in the 80th fighter group, he flew 139 combat missions in P-40 and P-47 aircraft in the CBI theatre.

The 80th fighter group, organized at Farmingdale and Mitchel Field in New York in 1942 , and trained in P-47s for assignment to the European Theatre. A change in priorities resulted in the 80th fighter group, consisting of the 88th, 89th, and 90th fighter squadrons being diverted to Karachi, India, where they were equipped with P-40Ns, and in mid 1943, deployed to the Assam Valley, where their mission was air defense of the 10th Air Force bases in the valley, engaged in the "Hump Airlift Operation". ATC, Combat Cargo and others staged out of these bases, flying supplies across the High Himalayas to the 14th Air Forces bases in China. Concurrently, a continuous combat patrol of 4 P-40s was initiated to protect the most vulnerable part of the route where the transports crossed the Himalayas on a northern route, where the Japanese fighters liked to sneak up the Irrawaddy and Salween river valleys to pick off unarmed transports as they struggled to cross the high mountain ranges.
By October 1943, a fourth squadron was formed from the group, the 459th fighter squadron. It was equipped with P-38Hs and assigned to the Chittagong area in the southern area near Calcutta where they were involved in frequent clashes with the Japanese Air Force in southern Burma.

October 1943 also saw the beginning of interdiction missions into Northern Burma by the 80th group, targeting airfields, supply depots, troop concentrations, and bridges, particularly railroad bridges on the Burma Railway. By early 1944, this part of the mission was greatly accelerated. One squadron was moved to Shingbwiyang in north Burma, beginning the leapfrog moves aimed at pushing the Japanese forces out of north Burma, and the construction ofthe Ledo Road, and capture of Myitkyna.

From February 1944 through May 1944, a Herculean effort was made by the 80th group, to support Merrill's Marauders, Pick's Engineers and Stilwell's composite forces, during their drive down the Hukawng valley to Myitkyna. Countless dive bombing, strafing and Napalm attacks were made, many as close as 50 yards from our own troops. Top cover missions for air drops were flown to protect the troop carrier planes dropping supplies. Many of these missions were combined top cover, followed by attack missions before returning to base. The 80th group P-40s had a deaths head skull painted on each side of the engine cowling, which was intended to send a message of terror to the Japanese ground forces. A belly mounted air siren was sometimes used, which created what we called the "Banshee Wail". The 80th Fighter Group picked up the nickname of "The Burma Banshees". We were in effect the flying artillery for the ground forces, who had great difficulty negotiating the treacherous Burma Jungles with heavy equipment. A particularly effective weapon we used was a land mine, which created terrific concussion, and when dropped on troops in the jungle was deadly for anyone near.

On the 17 th of May, our forces captured the airdrome at Myitkyna. This gave us an advanced base to operate from, with troop carrier planes flying supplies in from then on. Fierce fighting continued as the Japanese counter attacked from the south, including a massive attack by the Japanese Army, aimed at cutting the Bengal-Assam rail line, in order to deny supplies to the 10th Air Forces bases in the Assam Valley, for _e ]jump Operation. This attack was aimed at the British Forces in the Imphal-Kohim. The 80th group was called on for close air support to the British Forces and were instrumental in thwarting the Japanese from achieving this goal.

June 1944 marked the beginning of conversion from P-40 to P-47 aircraft, and by July, the 89th began operating P-47s from bases in Assam, attacking Japanese forces in the Bhamo, Loiwing and Lashio areas, which had been unreachable with P-40s. At the end of July, Lt Adair, acting as detachment commander took the first P-47s into a Burma Base, operating out of the 311 th group base at Tingkawk Sakan, equipped with P-51 s. He led 15 missions with P-47s in support of the British, some of which were combined with 31lth led missions, to see how the P-47s could operate from short gravel runways. Tingkawk Sakan was 4000 feet of gravel carved out of a 200 foot high teak forest with temperatures running well above 100 degrees. In the interim period, the 89th moved from Nagaghuli in Assam, to Myitkyna, which was about the same length as Tingkawk Sakan, and by September in full operation from Myitkyna. Air superiority over northern Burma allowed the airlift operation to fly further to the south, avoiding the high Himalayas, and shortening the route and increasing the payload.

The 80th group engaged in numerous air battles, destroying over 100 aircraft in the air, and probably more than that on the ground. The 459th scored most of the victories, with 6 pilots becoming aces. By January 1945, there were few lucrative targets left in north Burma as the area south from Bhamo to Lashio had been pretty well worked over. The Ledo road was continued past Bhamo, to join the old Burma Road, where overland traffic by truck commenced in February. Detailed accounts of individual air to air actions by P40 pilots in the 80th group as well as other units flying p-40s in the CBI can be found in a recent publication by Osprey Publishing, titled "P-40 Warhawk Aces of the CBI", by Carl Molesworth, ISBN 1-84176-079-x. Osprey website is WWW.ospreypublishing.com. _.

I am in the process of digging photos out of boxes and scrap books and getting my father to identify who is in them. I would say I'm about half way complete in finding photographs scanning them, getting them identified and posting them. If you are a family member feel free to contact me and I'll see if I can find anything on your Burma Banshee.