This is a 'Sun Setter' Mitchell at medium altitude over New Guinea in early 1943. Normally however, they flew combat at low level, in fact very low.

All of these D models were converted to strafers shortly after their arrival in the theatre. They flew medium altitude missions from 15 September 1942 thru May 1943, after which they were sent to the 4th Air Depot at Townsville for modification. There the lower turrets were removed and an auxiliary gas tank put in its place. The nose sections were modified and inside the nose were bolted four fixed fifty caliber machine guns mounted plus two on each side. Thus the Mitchells thereupon became 'Strafers'.

The 'Sun Setter' 38th Bombardment Group, left Hamilton Field in the U.S for New Guinea on 7th August 1942. As the aircrews blearily gathered for a mess-hall breakfast at four o'clock in the morning, they heard the news that US marines had just captured a place with an unusual name called Tulagi, near Guadalcanal.

The Group departed San Francisco in foggy dawn, but broke into the clear over a 2,500 feet overcast which covered all of the city. What a way to begin a war.

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