lockheed

nla.gov.au/nla.obj-449744708/view?sectionId=nla.obj-47886... - this pic appeared in Pix on 5th August, 1944...in a feature article titled 'WAAFs Release Airmen for Assault on Japan' Pix's caption: 'Technicians ACWs Jean Gray, Isobel Mack, Joyce Tysoe and Constance Black step briskly along the tarmac on their way to begin day’s work at station in Australia where PIX took these pictures. This team of Waaaf technicians was the first to begin duty at station. None of the girls had experience of mechanics before joining up. Joyce Tysoe was a stenographer, now she is an aircraft rigger. Her job is to do maintenance work on airframes.' collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/9WZWwpzY - link to the Pix WAAAF series of pics at the SLNSW...a number of these pics also appeared in the Pix article.

I suspect these guys might be working on the motors from a Lockheed P-38 Lightning...the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk/Warhawk had a very different air intake, etc...I'm guessing, but I suspect they're USAAF rather than RAAF...possibly the 49th Fighter Group...someone who knows about their operational history might be able to confirm this or add info re a possible location...they were briefly at Darwin in 1942...

Pic 25 of this series shows a row of P-38's lined up...if you zoom in you can see the match-ups...

collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/YezElR29/gpLqLxERm44ye

www.flickr.com/photos/193158484@N02/51754273338 - couple of P-40's here...as you can see, they're a different animal...

🔥 😮 ~~

covid convict I'll update with a ? on the P-38s for the moment. Thanks for helping out.

Nice detail of a P-38 that looks like a good match - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning#/media/File...
And see main article - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning

I tend to agree with 'covid convict', the US 49th Fighter Group were equiped with the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk while stationed in Australia before moving to New Guinea in Oct 1942. In September 1944, the group was re-equipped completely with Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft, providing a possible date for the photo, and following the same train of thought, the location is likely to be Port Moresby. Although only a month later they were located to the Philippines - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49th_Fighter_Group

The other observation that may support covid convict's USAF ID is the head gear, Aussie aircraftsmen would probably be wearing the standard issue slouch hat not a baseball cap.

All looks plausible - I will update the entry and thanks for the links.

D-ALEM (C/N 4603), Wright R-3550-DA3 turbo compound engines Today, another L1049G has this registration, it is a displayed aircraft at the Munich Airport (former F-BHLM aircraft from Compagnie Air Fret (cn 4671)