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Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 2846. This aircraft had a natural aluminum finish. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38J-15-LO Lightning serial number 42-104012. Disassembled and shipped overseas and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 8th Fighter Group (8th FG), 80th Fighter Squadron (80th FS) "Headhunters". Nicknamed "Down Beat" with the nose art of two musical staffs each with a clef and five parallel horizontal lines in black. Squadron Letter "T" was painted in black on the nose and tail. The upper tips of the tails were green with a white line and a green strip at the bottom. The propeller spinners were greeen and white. On April 12, 1944 took off piloted by Captain Richard I. Bong with P-38J "Corky IV" pilot Captain Cornelius M. "Corky" Smith for a mission over Hollandia and claimed a total of three aerial victories. The first victory claim was for a Ki-43 Oscar over Tanamerah Bay his twenty-sixth aerial victory claim. Plus two more Ki-43 Oscars his twenty-seventh and twenty-eight aerial victory claims. With these three victory claims, he exceeded the 26 aerial victory claims of American World War I ace Edward "Eddie" Rickenbacker and Bong became America's highest scoring ace pilot and was promoted to the rank of Major by General George C. Kenney. Ultimate fate unknown, likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38J-15-LO Lightning 42-104012 Captain Richard I. Bong Combat Report (CR) April 12, 1944 USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: Bong, Richard I. pages 25 (PDF page 30) Chronological List: 04/12/44 page 430 (PDF page 435) Stars & Bars (1995) page 155 (Bong 4/12/44 aerial victory claims) Victory Over Tanamerah by Jack Fellows Aviation History Magazine - Legends of Flight (Victory Over Tanamerah Bay) Contribute
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