Hobbs Update

[terveurn]

Hobbs H-72 42-29599

Crashed 25 August 1943 - 10 KIA

42-29599 bb Hobbs 72.JPG

[Chris Brame]

Very dramatic photo - looks like the inspiration for the "Fortress on the Plains" sculpture at the former Hobbs AAF site.
AAIR lists the date as September 5th at Lake Cormorant, MS, with a previous cat. 3 accident at Hobbs on August 25th. (Do you have the accident photo for that one?)
Coincidentally Bobby Lee Silliman had an article published last month in the Hobbs News-Sun with a new-to-me shot of the second #72 (the NMF one we don't have a serial for yet):

[terveurn]

Just looked at Osborne at 42-29951 -- she looks like assigned to Wright Field / Eglin for some type of gunnery testing / mods.

Interesting history - Mines Field is now LAX - -and home to North American Aviation, you have Patterson and Wright fields (Testing and mods), Eglin -- testing of these mods and Orlando - Group Think on how to fight the war.

Dave

[terveurn]

Found the H-72 photo in a PDF dealing with Sioux City AAF

[terveurn]

42-6154 H-28

42-6154 Hobbs H-28.JPG

[Chris Brame]

Two accidents listed for #28 - this looks like the landing accident due to mechanical failure on January 25, 1944.

How often do these reports list the plane number?

[terveurn]

Rarely do they post field numbers -- get me mad that they will post a lot of crap, but some of the important information is missing....

Very happy when they have a tail shot.

[terveurn]

H-37 42-31609 - Tail shot.....

H-37.JPG

[Chris Brame]

Odd to see one without the H anywhere.

42-31609 Del Denver 29/11/43; Ass Soxo 15/1/44; RetUS 4136 BU Tinker 4/7/44; 3017 BU Hobbs 14/8/44; 3021 BU Las Vegas 26/9/44; 3022 BU Indian Springs 2/10/44; 3021 BU Las Vegas 19/3/45; 2126 BU Laredo 29/3/45; RFC Walnut Ridge 11/1/46.

Note this accident per AAIR was on April 3, 1944; looks like another discrepancy? And what is "Soxo"?

[terveurn]

SOXO is England.

Another mistake in Osborne book -- aircraft never sent overseas (card states DOM 75)

Looks like she went right from Denver (Continental Mod Center) to Hobbs.

We know she had this accident and she was sent to Tinker for repairs (4 July 44) -- this also could be a 200 hours inspection.

When she was returned to Hobbs after being repaired, the card then self corrects... (a lot of the AAF cards did not show the April 1944 change to the AAFBU system)

42-31609 card.JPG

[terveurn]

H-52 42-31850

H-52.JPG

[terveurn]

another Hobbs ship on ebay -- H-55 42-5452

42-5452 BB Hobbs 55.JPG

[Chris Brame]

Hate to disagree, but this looks much more like B-17E 41-2542 at Hendricks? We had B-17F 42-5452 IDed as #95.

[terveurn]

Agree...

H-55 is still missing

41-2542 gg.jpg

[terveurn]

Possible Hobbs 44

From Training Film "Ditch at Sea and Live in a Boeing B-17"

Hobbs 44.JPG