First High altitude P-51Bs in China

Max Noftsger

When I arrived in China in June 1 943 All our Squadrons had the P-40 which was a rugged plane but was not as fast as we would have liked. Also it was a low level plane. The Japanese Zero was faster on the straight and level and could gain altitude faster and go higher.

In October1943 the 76th received some used P-51A planes. these were powered by the Allison engine and gave us the speed we wanted but still was essentially a low level fighter.

On February 12 the 14th Air Force ordered 1st Lts. Edward W. Burbank, Richard J. Templeton, Glen B. Beneda, and me Max Noftsger to proceed with Col. Casey Vincent, our Wing Commander to Karachi, India to pick up our first P-5 lBs.

Arriving in Karachi, Col. Vincent said he had some friends to meet and asked us to check ride his plane for him when we checked ours and we would meet when it was time for us to fly back. He

also said they would take good care of us while in Karachi. Some one must have missed his orders because we stayed in tents, something we never did in China.

The P-5 lB with the Merlin engine, built by Packard in the U.S. flew beautifully and we knew the Squadron would be pleased. The 76th now would have a plane that could look down on the Zeros if we wanted to.

Karachi was a pleasant change for us. We had American food in the mess halls, there was a theater we could attend, and all in all it was a nice change. One day we ran into Col. Vincent in the PX. He was buying stars for his uniform. He said he thought he would make B. General the next go around. He did and at 28 became the youngest General in the Air Corps.

Flying back across the hump we had a chance to use our new high altitude P-5 lB and found it easy to go over the thunderheads that built up over the mountains. When we arrived in Kunming, Col. Vincent thanked us for going with him and opened his ammunition trays and gave each of us a bottle of Scotch. He said he filled his ammunition trays with Liquor and foods for his friends and knew if the Zeros jumped us we would protect him. I think we were afraid to tell him we had done the same thing.

For a little while we had a mixture of planes, but soon had all high altitude P-51Bs, the first squadron in China to get them.