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BUILT
42-105128, P-40N-5, 2Lt. Philip R. Adair, 89
th
FS, 80
th
FG, Nagaghuli, India, early 1944
Philip Reed Adair enlisted in military flight
training after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
He served with the 80
th
FG for eighteen months
in 1943 and 1944 and flew 139 combat missions.
The most remarkable of these took place
on December 13, 1943, when he fought alone
against a formation of 24 Japanese bombers and
40 fighters. He was credited with one confirmed
kill and three other aircraft as damaged, but
most importantly, he managed to break up the
enemy formation and disrupt the bombing of his
own base. He himself was hit several times in
this combat and received the Silver Star for his
bravery. During this mission, he flew his first
Lulu Belle, which was a P-40N-1 Warhawk. The
second aircraft of the same name, shown here,
was already a P-40N-5 version. Adair received
it in early 1944 and on May 17, again fighting
against superior forces, he shot down two
Oscars. In June 1944, he and the entire group
began retraining on Thunderbolts, but he did
not achieve any further kills. The 80
th
FG was
called the Burma Banshees, and most of its
aircraft were decorated with a skull on the nose.
None of them were the same, although they
sometimes differed only in details. The primary
role of the group was to provide air cover for
bases involved in air supply operations to units
in China via the Himalayas (Hump operations).
Later, from October 1943, the group was tasked
with providing air support to units in northern
Burma. Philip Adair died at the age of 97 on May
13, 2017.
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November 2026

BUILT

42-105128, P-40N-5, 2Lt. Philip R. Adair, 89 FS, 80 FG, Nagaghuli, India, early 1944

th

th

Philip Reed Adair enlisted in military flight training after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served with the 80 FG for eighteen months in 1943 and 1944 and flew 139 combat missions. The most remarkable of these took place on December 13, 1943, when he fought alone against a formation of 24 Japanese bombers and 40 fighters. He was credited with one confirmed kill and three other aircraft as damaged, but most importantly, he managed to break up the enemy formation and disrupt the bombing of his own base. He himself was hit several times in this combat and received the Silver Star for his

th

bravery. During this mission, he flew his first Lulu Belle, which was a P-40N-1 Warhawk. The second aircraft of the same name, shown here, was already a P-40N-5 version. Adair received it in early 1944 and on May 17, again fighting against superior forces, he shot down two Oscars. In June 1944, he and the entire group began retraining on Thunderbolts, but he did not achieve any further kills. The 80 FG was called the Burma Banshees, and most of its aircraft were decorated with a skull on the nose. None of them were the same, although they sometimes differed only in details. The primary

th

role of the group was to provide air cover for bases involved in air supply operations to units in China via the Himalayas (Hump operations). Later, from October 1943, the group was tasked with providing air support to units in northern Burma. Philip Adair died at the age of 97 on May 13, 2017.

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November 2026

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