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Description
| Manufacturer: | Piper | |
| Base model: | L-4 | |
| Designation: | L-4 | |
| Version: | H | |
| Nickname: | Grasshopper | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | |
| Designation Period: | 1942-1962 | |
| Basic role: | Liaison | |
| See Also: | O-59 | |
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Known serial numbers
Recent comments by our visitors
| Paul H Smith Mount Airy, MD | According to the Daily Journals from Ninth US Army Air OP office, 44-79545 was assigned to the 252nd Field Artillery Battalion, and sent to them 5 December 1944 as a replacement for 44-79630 which was wrecked by a Lt O'Shaughnessy when he stalled it on takeoff.
79545 had a tough life. According to the logs of the 50th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron (MRRS) the USAAF unit that performed Level 3 maintenance on 9th US Army liaison aircraft. Originally it flew with the 753rd FA Bn and was wrecked, then repaired and assigned to the 252nd. It was turned in and repaired by the 50th MRRS 3 more times during it's life. 09/10/2012 @ 13:50 [ref: 67205] |
| chris curran , IL | some of piper l-4s and l-5s were army ground forces and were organic to the divisions. my dad, william curran, nco and 1st lt, then capt.,28th infantry recon, was assigned to various corps and artillery units, including 256th and 229 fa. He also
was assigned to 7th armored and commandeered light tank to open kesternich, near huertgen forest, to us troops, i think january 30th. i don't know why he was switched from cubs to light tanks. 28th recon was everywhere. I'm pretty sure he and perhaps his l-4 spent christmas at monastery in la roche. He tells story of trading us beer for british scotch, also of having german soldiers walk up to him and beg to surrender 04/16/2007 @ 19:04 [ref: 16202] |
| Gordon Boggs Avignon, Provence, OTH | Our flying club is the owner of a Piper L4J serial nbr 44-80231 which served with the 8th Air Force during WW II. It is currently being totally rebuilt and I'm looking for any info about this plane to paint it in its original markings.
If anyone can help?? Thanks. 02/09/2006 @ 09:13 [ref: 12440] |
| Bernhard Gross 66763 Dillingen, AK | Have purchased a 1943 L-4H serial no. 43-30073. The only I know about its history during WWII is that the plane has been flown for the 8th air force during D-Day and after (probably as liason aircraft). I search for informations in which unit this L-4H has been in service, also the pilots, which have been flown this aircraft and last but not least pictures.
The present identification is D-ECIV (since 1955). After WWII the aircraft has been in service at the french army air force and was sold in 1950 to a german brewery (Karlsberg). Thanks a lot for your help!! Bernhard Gross 12/19/2005 @ 14:33 [ref: 12030] |
| Herman N. Arnhem, AL | As you can see on the foto of the Cub in november 1944 near Maastricht, the difference in serialnumbers is little (479723 vs 479731). Are these planes out of the same unit?
The plane at the airstrip near Maastricht was part of the 125th Liaison Squadron of the XXIX Tactical Air Command attached to the 9th US Army. The planes and pilots of these unit were partly attached to the Head Quarter of the 9th Army at Maastricht(about 12 planes) and partly (mostly in pairs of two) to the Field Artillery units. What does 50TH MR & RS stand for? 07/29/2005 @ 11:32 [ref: 10879] |
| John Bayer Denver, CO | ALONE AND UNARMED is the story of a lone pilot, Staff Sergeant Ernest Kowalik, flying the military's version of the 65-hp Piper "Cub", during the Italian Campaign in WWII.
Flying without an Observer, because he was the "spare" pilot for the 88th Division Artillery HQ Battalion, Kowalik actually flew more than twice the average number of sorties and hours than the typical division Liaison Pilot, often at dangerously low altitiudes. Artillery spotting and scouting for the 88th Infantry "Blue Devil" Division, he saw a wide variety of action, from taking out large enemy guns and rescuing supply caravans from ambush, to making possible several significant breakthroughs of enemy lines. Join Staff Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Kowalik as he relives significant episodes of the world's struggle for freedom in that time. "Directing artillery fire from an unarmed, unarmored light aircraft was surely one of thw most dangerous tasks performed on a daily basis during World War II. Flying from rough, unimproved airstrips, often within range of enemy shellfire, added to the perils faced by Field Artillery pilots, as did the ever present threat of bad weather. Such operations are covered in graphic detail by Ernest Kowalik, whose "Alone and Unarmed" is a welcome addition to the small number of books on a little known aspect of WWII." - KEN WAKEFIELD, author of Lightplanes at War, The Flying Grasshoppers, and Luftwaffe Encore. Pre-publication offer, only $19.95 plus $2.00 Media Mail shipping. Priority Mail extra. Pay via Paypal to jrbayer3@yahoo.com, or send check or money order to: The Glenn Curtiss Press c/o Bayer 8501 E. Alameda Ave. #1031 Denver, CO 80230-6891 01/24/2005 @ 23:53 [ref: 9249] |
| Paul Smith , MD | Just Purchased a 1944 L-4H. In from Switzerland, where it has been since the war. Army number 479731, served with the 407th F.A.Gp. 7/44-2/45. Battle damaged, sent to the 50th M.R.&R.S. in Maastricht. Then to the 25th F.A.Bn. til the end. Does anyone have any information these units? 01/06/2005 @ 15:38 [ref: 9066] |
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