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| USAAF 5th AF 8th FG 80th FS  80th FS 1944  80th FS May 7, 1944  Jack Fellows  Richard Leahy 1999 |
Pilot Captain Jay T. Robbins (survived) Coolidge, TX Force Landed May 7, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank in late December 1943 as the tenth P-38J-15 built. Purchased under contract number A-35374. Constructors Number 2822. At the factory, completed with an unpainted aluminum finish with olive drab on the upper nose and inner sides of the engine nacelles for anti-glare. On December 30, 1943 accepted by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and available the same day. On December 31, 1943 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38J-15-LO Lightning serial number 42-103988. That same day flown to Palm Springs Army Airfield. On January 4, 1944 flown to Dallas Love Field and underwent modification at the Dallas Modification Center to add leading edge fuel tanks. On January 12, 1944 flown to El Paso and the next day flown to Oakland Airport then disassembled for shipment overseas. Assigned Project Number 96397-H. On January 16, 1944 loaded as cargo aboard a ship at Oakland that departs across the Pacific to Australia where it was unloaded, reassembled and likely flight tested. Wartime History During late January 1944 or early February 1944, assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 8th Fighter Group (8th FG), 80th Fighter Squadron (80th FS) "Headhunters". Assigned to pilot Captain Jay T. Robbins with crew chief S/Sgt H.P. Mosback. On the left nose gun cowling was the nickname "Jandina III", the third aircraft assigned to Robbins with that nickname. The nickname was an abbreviation for his nickname "Jay" and his wife's nickname "Ina" joined together with a phonetic pronunciation of "Juan-Deena". Above the nickname was the nose art of a Buddha figure wearing a robe with both hands raised upward. On the left side of the nose below the cockpit was "Capt Jay T. Robbins" in red. Below was his scoreboard with nineteen Japanese rising sun flags (4x4x4x4x3). Officially, Robbins was credited with only eighteen victories before this plane force landed and the extra flag was likely a probable claim that was not officially credited. Below is "S/Sgt H.P. Mosback" in red, his crew chief. The propeller spinners were green with a white outer edge with green stripes. The rear of each boom had a a row of three thin diagonal green and white stripes. The top of the tail had a green tip with a thin white line at the lower edge. The bottom of the tail had a green end with a thin white line near the upper edge. Mission History On May 7, 1944 took off from Nadzab Airfield piloted by Captain Jay T. Robbins on a mission. Returning, the aircraft suffered a loss of nose wheel hydraulic pressure and was unable to lower the nose gear. Robbins was instructed to force land wheels up at Yamai Airfield west of Saidor. During the landing, the propeller blades were bent backward and the plane was written off. Pilot Robbins was unhurt. Afterwards, Robbins was assigned a new aircraft P-38J "Jandina IV" 43-28832. Wreckage Afterwards, the P-38 was written off and abandoned. This P-38 was stripped for usable parts and abandoned on fuel drums. Until 1999, this aircraft remained in situ at Yamai Airfield. Largely intact, this Lightning was missing the tail booms and outer wing panels and engines. Previously, the nose art and 19 kill markings were cut off the nose and were missing. All that was visible was the name of the crew chief. Identified as "Jandina III" from traces of "J. T. Robbins" and the crew chief's names on the nose. The nose art and kills were cut off the wreck previously. Recovery During the late 1999s, this aircraft was recovered by '75 Squadron' (no association with the RAAF unit). The group claimed wreck was reportedly dug up while the group was recovering aircraft from Finschafen, where they had a salvage permit. In fact, the plane was recovered from Bilau. Export On November 28, 1999 this aircraft was placed into a container at Lae and shipped to Melbourne with other salvaged aircraft including P-38F 42-12652, P-47D 42-75284, P-47D 42-22521, P-47D 42-8074. In 2002, the aircraft were transported by truck to Carnovale's property in Victoria and caught in Melbourne morning rush hour traffic and identified as P-38s and P-47s by many drivers and reported. Later, this P-38 was likely shipped to Westpac Restorations at Rialto Airport. During 2003-2004, this wreckage was stored at their facility but was not acknowledge due to their non-disclosure agreement with the owner/client Paul Allen / Flying Heritage Collection (FHC). This aircraft was placed into storage at Westpac Restorations or Flying Heritage Collection (FHC) / Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (FHCAM) but was never publically acknowledge or listed on their website. In 2006, the export of this P-38 came under question as it was outside of their area covered by their export permit, and was cited as an illegal recovery in the PNG Government Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report. Restoration A new built P-38 restoration was completed by Ezell Aviation for Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (FHCAM) managed by Jason Muszala of The Roost Warbird Services. It is unclear how much of the original aircraft, if any was used in the restoration. On December 11, 2024 registered as 988J with serial number 42-103988 to Wartime History Museum Inc. doing business as Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum (FHCAM). On June 25, 2025 the P-38 made a first flight piloted by Kevin Eldridge from Stephens County Airport in Breckenridge, Texas. Between July 20-27, 2025 exhibited at Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture 2025 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Memorials Robbins passed away on March 3, 2001 at age 81. He is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at section 11A site 65. References Individual Aircraft Record Card (IARC) - P-38J Lightning 42-103993 via AFHRA microfilm reel ACR-75, 2521 USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38J-15-LO Lightning 42-103988 "103988 restoration project from PNG salvage; current status and location unconfirmed" USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: Robbins Jay T., Alphabetical, by theater of operation (SWP) Robbins, Chronological List, 80th FTR SQ P-38 Aces of the Pacific and CBI (1997) by John Stanaway Attack & Conquer (1995) by John Stanaway pages 189 (photo) 190, 192, 291 (photos) Jandina III painting by Jack Fellows FindAGrave - LTG Jay Thorpe Robbins (photo, grave photo) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - N-Number Registry - 988J Thanks to Robbie Robbins for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated July 16, 2025
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