1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Hi Folks,
I would like to get more boom (battle) numbers and AC nicknames to the P-38 J-models of the 15 AAF, 1st FG, mainly in the summer of 1944. So far I have these pairs (matches):

27th (red) FS:

42-104096......#22
42-104150......#17
42-104261......#20..........La Muñeca Plata
42-104428......#22
43-28xxx..........#9
43-28410........#23
43-28545..........#6
43-28650..........#5...........Nellie Ann / Sweet Sue
43-28740........#27
43-28746........#23..........Maloney's Pony


71st (black) FS:

42-104xxx......#31...........The V. SPURLY
42-104xxx......#32
43-28xxx........#49...........Mon Amy
43-28656........#34
43-28777.......# 48
43-28819........#47

94th (yellow) FS:

42-104042.....#77...........Bucky 'N' Suzy B / Linda
42-104114.....#68...........Old Rusty 68
42-104267.....#64...........Co-Pilot
43-28252.......#89
43-28569.......#65
43-28708.......#67...........The HOG-CALLER
43-28809.......#66...........Hell's Angel

Any new addition (correction) is welcome.
Thanks,
Gabor

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Hi,
Have you looked at this site ?

http://raf-112-squadron.org/

Alex

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Yes, I know this site but it does not provide boom number info. About 15-20 years ago I interviewed many veterans of the 1, 14, etc. groups for which I am so thankful now as most of them -if not all- already passed away... So happy that I could receive personal info from them regarding their AC markings, - including some never published AC photos. Their data is also listed in this thread.

Gabor

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

44-24370 (43) 71st
44-24217 (12) 27th
44-244379 (13) 27th
43-28801 (82) 94th
44-24047 (16) 27th
44-25734 (40) 71st
44-23191 (?) 94th
Capt. Watson 94th--large "8", small "3"

Lt/Col. Stratton (?) HQ "Maribelle"
"Carol Anne" (?) 94th
"Eight Balls" (88) 94th


Nick

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Thanks Nick, but the majority of these is P-38L, not J (see title), thus I did not list them as they entered in service only after the summer of 1944. Thus I need only the P-38J models, not the Ls.
Thanks,
Gabor

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Sorry Gabor, not paying attention. These may be "L"s too....


"Ding How" ( clown artwork). 94th.

"The old soldier (never dies)" 94th. (right side).

"Lil Margaret" 94th.
No.14 Capt. J. S. Alford 27th.
Group c/o Col. R. B. Richard reported as flying nos.1 (J) and 99 (L).
I wonder why so many had their serials removed. The last 3 numbers of the serials on the noses over the Lockheed numbers sometimes helps.

Regards
Nick

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Thanks Nick,
No.14 and 99 are big fish.

Also, on July 7, 1944 43-28645, or 545, No.6 flew over Blechhammer, losing her right engine alongside B-17s of the 2 BG.

I assume all silver P-38J models of 27 FS in April, 1944 (eg. No.8, 9, 17, 28, 30, 99) were from the 42-104xxx series.

White No.1, however, was an OD bird probably from the P-38J-10-LO series.

It is interesting that P-38L-1-LO, 44-24214, No.71 (Pride of Billings & JEAN) of 94th FS, lost on December 6, 1944 had yellow boom AND boom number, not black!

Cheers,
Gabor

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

I'm pretty sure no.6 was 545, the best photo I've seen is in the old "Aircam" B-17 book.

The first unpainted (at the factory) P-38 was almost certainly 42-68008 (to the 479FG) part-way through the J-10 block; flown by Lt. Col. Herren in mid-1944. She seems to have had black anti-glare not Olive Drab.
The previous P-38J, 007 went to the 82FG. The subsequent J-10s (42-68009 to 191) and J-15s from 42-103979 were unpainted. 42-68010 was 20FG and silver.

I think the tail serials may have been deleted when the exhaust stains were cleaned off. The yellow number on 214 may have been waiting for the black border as on some of the 94th's booms.
You can't always rely on camouflage finish as 42-68177 (20FG) had Dark Green applied in service. From J-15 the fuselage insignia was reduced in size, 25" to 20". The designators on the nose painted at the factory can help, the last 3 (or 4) of the serial in large numbers over the Lockheed constructior's serial and batch number eg. 43-28477 was marked "8477 / 3492 / 70.


Nick

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Indeed, perhaps only the yellow base was applied to the boom for No.71 and the ground crew had no time to paint the middle of the digits with black before she was lost. It is evident in the pic as the plane is resting in a small pond, surrounded by Soviet troops.

Gabor

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Hello,
I passed thru some photos and illustrations so may add:
43-28501 #3 with wide red stripe (serial not confirmed), 27 FS, 1 FG
no serial #3 with wide red stripe, 5 kill markings, 27 FS, 1 FG
no serial #4 with wide stripe, 27 FS, 1 FG
44-24217 #12 with wide stripe, 27 FS, 1 FG
44-24379 #13 with wide stripe, 27 FS, 1 FG
44-24047 #16 with wide stripe, Corsica, 27 FS, 1 FG
42-104150 #17 thin stripe, May 1944, 27 FS, 1 FG
42-104151 no boom number, thin fuselage stripe, 94 FS, 1 FG
42-104261 #20 815 __1, obscured by name La Muheca Plata of Lt Phil Tover, 27 FS, 1 FG
42-104096 #22 with wide stripe, 27 FS, 1 FG
42-104xxx 638 0__ P-38J-15 Colonel Klunk port, Baby Dean / Catherine starboard, 27 FS, 1 FG
42-104267 267 787 3101 Co-Pilot was P-38J-15 of 94 FS, 1 FG
43-28xxx #32 with wide stripe, 71 FS, 1 FG
43-28xxx #42 named IRA(?), 71 FS, 1 FG
43-28777 #48 71 FS, 1 FG
43-28801 #82, 94 FS, 1FG
no serial #83 of 94 FS, 1 FG was nm P-38J, with wide stripe outlined black, 1944 (in the same photo is older #78, still od/ng with thin stripe)
not visible #89 nm, wide stripe without outline, shot down (not 43-28252)
44-23684 3684 Ding How
44-24214 Pride of Billings / Jean was an early P-38L of 94 FS, 1FG
44-25751 5751 162 aileen P-38L
no nose numbers Carol Anne, 94 FS, 1FG

Also interesting is earlier P-38H x2929 probably #74 (numbers barely visible), od/ng with thin stripe, which belly landed at Trigno in Feb 1944, similar to P-38H 42-67034 #74 (od/ng with thin stripe, ex KI-V of 55 FS, 20 FG, 8 AF)

Zoran

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Thanks Zoran,

more 94th FS details:

P-38L: 44-24137, black #68, wide yellow fuselage stripe ~without black outline(s)
P-38L: 44-24184, black #65, wide yellow fuselage stripe with 2 bold black outlines, silver spinners, yellow nose
P-38L: 44-24214, yellow #71, wide yellow fuselage stripe with only one bold black outline at the tail, "Pride of Billings & JEAN"
P-38L: 44-24384, black #80, thin yellow fuselage stripe with 2 bold black outlines, red spinners, yellow nose, "Blackie"
P-38L: 44-243xx, black #86, wide yellow fuselage stripe without black outline(s)
P-38J: 42-104042, black #77, wide yellow fuselage stripe without black outline(s), red spinners, yellow nose, yellow "Bucky 'N' Suzy B", on engine: yellow "Linda"
P-38J: 42-104114, black #68, wide yellow fuselage stripe without black outline(s), red spinners, yellow nose, "Old Rusty 68"
P-38J: 42-104267, black #64, wide yellow fuselage stripe with 2 bold black outlines, red spinners, yellow nose, "Co-Pilot"
P-38J: 43-28801, black #82, wide yellow fuselage stripe without black outline(s)

Gabor

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Have you seen the colour photo of the 27FS flight ( 5,22,13,12) from below showing the red wingtips ?
Nick

Re: 1st FG P-38J model S/N & boom numbers
 

Thanks Nick, yes, I know that pic.

Some additional info on 94th FS P-38J-15-LO, S/N: 42-104042, #77 (on nose yellow "Bucky 'N' Suzy B" / on port engine yellow "LINDA"), which was initially Herschel W. Baird’s plane, who passed it on to a new pilot. The plane was shot down with Samuel "Rusty" Barnes in the morning of June 16, 1944 South of Lake Balaton by Hungarian Bf 109 fighters.

21 years ago in December, 2002 we discussed this plane with Hersch, who sent me some full figure photos of it. He wrote:

“In June of 1944, I flew missions on June 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th according to my flight log book. All in a P-38J which I assume was No. 77 but I cannot be sure because we didn't show the aircraft number in the log. I flew a P-38J on a training flight on June 26th, which was my last flight before returning to the USA, but it was more likely an airplane other than No.77 because we seldom used combat ready aircraft for our training flights. My No. 77 could have been lost on June 16th because I knew it was shot down and I must have learned this before leaving the squadron. I don't remember F/O Samuel Barnes. I suspect he was one of the new pilots that came into the squadron just prior to my leaving and I very well could have helped with his training. I just looked in a book written by John Mullins of the 94th, the book is "An Escort of P-38's" and it's very good. I discovered, written in the book, that 3 P-38s were lost on June 16th, 1944, over Lake Balaton... they were George Loughmiller, Samuel "Rusty" Barnes and Thomas Vitale. There is no information about the identifying number on each aircraft lost but Loughmiller and Barnes we both flying in the number 2 slots off the wing of their flight leaders, spots reserved for new pilots, which indicates it was perhaps the first or second mission for each of them. My middle name is William. My wife's name is Suzanne Baird, thus the Suzy B. Linda is named for the Armament Chief's wife or girl friend.

Herschel W. Baird”

Preserved history.
Gabor