Redhawk Squadron on Victory over Japan Day

A fine study of a 35th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, “G” Flight Lockheed F-5E Photo Lightning at Yunnanyi, China. George Flight deployed to Yunnanyi in mid-September, 1944, and in late October made a short move over to nearby Beiting Airfield, perhaps where this picture was taken. It shows the distinctive original Redhawk emblem on the nose, a mountain symbol for the flight from India over “The Hump” (Himalayan Mountains) into China and 32 photo recon mission symbols (the number of which suggest this photo was possibly taken in 1945 before the flight’s next move in February) and the three-digit aircraft number, 810, assigned to this aircraft. The aircraft was produced as Lockheed P-38J-15-LO Lightning fighter, serial number 43-28610 and then converted at Dallas, Texas into an F-5E-2-LO photographic reconnaissance version of the famous fighter plane before being shipped to India, reassembled and flown over the Hump to China in September, 1944. It flew through the squadron’s time in China, with a last known photo recon mission recorded on July 28, 1945. (142nd Wing History Archive)