These two aircraft are currently loaned off to other museums, but will return soon. The Smokepoles are part of the LSAM's prized possessions. Flown by USAAF pilot Patrick 'Pappy' Sherman, these aircraft are combat veterans, notably destroying ground targets. Pappy was initially assigned to the A-36, but would've been assigned to the P-39 Airacobra, but he favored the performance of the A-36. He was also assigned to the P-38E and G for an amount of time, but eventually switched back to the A-36. Smokepole I is a North American A-36 Apache, built sometime in 1943. It was initially equipped with wing-mounted bombs, but those were quickly swapped out in favor of gun pods. Smokepole I destroyed many ground targets, and even two aircraft on separate occasions. In 1944, Pappy flew in the P-38 on patrol missions, with occasional ground. He started in the P-38E, and switched to the P-38G a month later. These P-38s did not receive actual markings in Pappy's style since they were not new, nor would he be a full-time P-38 pilot. He yet again decided to return to his old A-36, yet again choosing it for destroying ground targets. Smokepole I was retired in 1945, and purchased by Pappy himself, who had a successful business back in the States. He flew his beloved A-36 at airshows across the States until the 90s. Pappy was also one of the founding members of the LSAM, becoming a pilot for WGA in 1950, and retiring in 1970, becoming fully devoted to the LSAM (then WAM) and his A-36, which became officially part of the collection in 1991. Smokepole III is the only Smokepole P-38 to be preserved. The P-38E would be destroyed in a crash three months after Pappy flew it, while the P-38G was purchased by a maintenance school in 1946. It would be put on static display at the same facility after two years, and sat there for another five. It was then purchased by a private owner, who restored it to flight, and sold it after two years to a museum. This museum kept Smokepole III in a silver paint scheme with red and white stripes on the rudder until deciding to sell it in mid 1988 for an A-1. When the WAM (and Pappy) became aware of this P-38 and found out that it was Smokepole III, the WAM immediately bought and restored it to flight in 2000. Smokepole I was loaned out to the NMUSAF in 2021, and it will return in December. Smokepole III was loaned out to a museum in Texas in 2020, following the restoration of Miss Virginia, and COVID, and will return next week.
if you couldn't tell these are the planes I use in war thunder (please help, The Snail is consuming my weekends) I take back what I said below, the P-38G is good and yes I prefer the A-36 over the P-38G (they're the same BR range anyways in a match, and the A-36 spawns closer to the battlefield and I get first strike with it)
