Something Cool for Christmas

I found this photo on eBay of all places. It probably means little to most people but to me it is like gold. This shot shows planes from the 26th fighter squadron being loaded onto the USS Ranger on April 14th, 1942. There is a 6 in 64 chance that one of these planes is my father's. His squadron was one of the few groups of P-40s to be launched into WWII from a carrier. They took off from the carrier deck only once, to disembark on their way to Africa, the Middle East and eventually India and China where they fought in defense of Chinese supply lines.

I can tell these are planes headed to the 26th because of the light-colored band on the cowliings. For car buffs, I am told that the vehicles on the dock are a 1942 Chevrolet "Woody" Station Wagon with a 1940 Buick Roadmaster behind it.

History references to the 26th fighter squadron are almost non-existent. This is a crucial bit of my evolving research project.

Merry Christmas to all