Pilot  2nd Lt Walter Mikucky, O-760360 (MIA / KIA)
Crashed  April 16, 1944 'Black Sunday'

Mission History
"On the morning of Black Sunday, Eugene Zielinski and his flight of four Lightnings, call-sign Agate Special, were assigned to escort a lone Mitchell to search for a "Sun Setter" Mitchell which had put down in the Sepik Delta on 12th April 1944. Separate from the main strike force, the five aircraft had departed Nadzab at 1020 hours, and reached the delta about an hour and a half later. The Mitchells crew searched the wide Sepik River swamps for nearly two hours but to no avail, the four Lightnings weaving closely behind. Bearing in mind their fuel situation, Zielinski told the Mitchell he was heading home, and later submitted:

Eugene Zielinski reported:
"...we encountered a heavy overcast about 15 miles south of Annenberg that had gotten down to 1,000 feet and rain squalls. At this point I changed our course and headed for Madang, with the intention of landing at Saidor. When we reached the coast at Yalu Point the overcast was again down to 1,000 feet and a solid sheet of rain falling. With my flight still together, we headed out to sea in an attempt to find an opening in the clouds. Off Yalu Point we found a hole and circled for 20 minutes, and then I radioed my flight that I was turning to the left. My wingman, Lt Mickucky, followed by element leader and his wingman turned to the right. This was at 1440, and the last I saw of the element. With my right engine already feathered, I radioed my wingman, telling him that I was bailing out and instructed him to do the same it being impossible to get through the weather with a shortage of fuel. I bailed out off Yalu Point from approximately 800 feet, landing in the water one and a half miles from shore. This occurred at 1500 hours. In a few minutes I was rescued by a barge, and was told that my wingman, Lt Mickucky, had crashed into the sea and exploded about a mile away."

DeLorme Stein (friend of family) recalls:
"He was a P-38 pilot and was MIA just 7 days after he arrived there. 2LT Mikucky (pronounced Mih-kusky). He had only been flying for a week, and was 21 years old. A handsome guy. I doubt he had time to name his plane and have any nose art done. His family has his log book, leather cap, and Purple Heart."

References
Black Sunday by Michael Claringbould relates this loss and the history of the mission, and is quoted in this profile.

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