Dyess’ Warhawk makes final flight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman James Schenck
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  An honorary piece of Dyess history made its final flight home March 17.

A replica of Lt. Col. William Dyess’ P-40 Warhawk “Kibosh” was flown -- in the belly of a C-130 cargo plane -- from southern California to the base which bears its pilot’s name.

Because the original aircraft was destroyed in a 1942 crash while being flown by Lt. Jack Donnalson, who survived the crash, the Abilene Chamber of Commerce in coordination with Dyess commissioned the replica to be built for display just outside the main gate.

This plane, like the original, is painted as Colonel Dyess’ plane would have appeared in the 1940’s, adorned with olive drab paint and “U.S. Army” written on the undersides of its wings.

In 1942, Colonel Dyess was stationed in the Philippines with the 21st Pursuit Squadron and made a name for himself by leading an outnumbered and severely undersupplied group of aviators that terrorized the Japanese first from the air and then when supplies ran so low they could no longer fly, from ground operations.

It was during these months that Colonel Dyess flew his P-40, which earned him the reputation of “oneman scourge.”

By April 8, 1942, the unit was starving and could no longer resist the enemy; rather than abandon his men, Colonel Dyess ordered Lieutenant Donnalson to fly to safety in his plane “Kibosh.”

Then he and the remaining members of the squadron surrendered to the Japanese. Lieutenant Donnalson’s flight in “Kibosh” was equally disastrous as he was forced to crash land the plane on the island of Cebu in the south Pacific because the landing gear would not operate properly.

Colonel Dyess’ decision to surrender would ultimately force his participation in the infamous 85-mile Bataan Death March -- something he was lucky to survive.

Later, Colonel Dyess managed to escape from a prison camp and fought alongside the Filipino forces before eventually returning to the United States.

Colonel Dyess’ last sacrifice came while he was flying a new P-38. It caught fire over a heavily populated area; but instead of bailing out and leaving the plane to crash and potentially harming people, he guided the plane away from the area before it crashed, killing himself in the process.

Despite all his sacrifices and accomplishments, it is his time in the P-40 that he is most remembered for.

The P-40 replica took Mr. Ron and Leon Starr -- father and son builders -- more than a year to complete.

Saturday, during a 10 a.m. ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dyess, the plane is scheduled to be officially unveiled before nearly 1,000 people including state and local officials and Air Combat Command’s vice commander, Lt. Gen. William Fraser III.

The Starrs have been making planes together for the past 30 years and have built airplanes for museums and Air Force bases around the world as well as for movies such as “The Aviator.”

“I love airplanes,” Mr. Ron Starr said. “I used to fly them, and I love to build them.”

Starr Aircraft is the only outfit that still makes replica airplanes from metal, Mr. Leon Starr said.

Starr Aircraft makes only three to five airplanes each year, Mr. Ron Starr said while his father explained that “a lot of engineering time goes into it.We do everything by hand.”

“There was some concern that the plane would not be finished for the 50th anniversary,” said Colonel Toppert, 7th Bomb Wing director of staff.

But as the plane was carefully loaded into the back of a Dyess C-130. Mr. Richard Warner, Dyess museum curator, was thrilled to finally bring the bird home.

Mr. Warner said many organizations from around Dyess as well as Edwards Air Force Base, Cailf., and the city of Abilene had a hand in seeing the project to completion.

The C-130 with its precious cargo touched down March 17 at 7:45 p.m., and within minutes, Col. Garrett Harencak, 7th BW commander, and Col. Robert McCormick, 7th BW vice commander, and his wife Kim came on board to take a look at the plane even before it had been unloaded.

“It looks great,” said Colonel Harencak. “I didn’t know the P-40 was that big.”