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  P-38H-5-LO Lightning Serial Number 42-66745  
USAAF
5th AF
475th FG
433rd FS

Pilot  1st Lt. Stanley C. Northrup (survived) Portland, OR
Ditched  August 24, 1943
MACR  none

Aircraft History
Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 1256. Delivered to the U.S. Army. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 475th Fighter Group (475th FG) "Satan's Angels", 433rd Fighter Squadron (433rd FS) "Possum". No known nose art or nickname.

Mission History
On August 24, 1943 took off from Borio Airfield (Doboudra No. 11) near Dobodura on a mission to escort B-24 Liberators over Wewak. Returning from the mission, Northrup became lost and flew southward until he ran out of fuel and ditched into the Purari River (Parrarri River) near the Romilly Sawmill inland from Port Romely.

Fate of the Pilot
Northrup survived unhurt and was rescued by a PBY Catalina and returned to base.

Memorials
Northrup passed away on April 20, 2009. He is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, CA.

References
USAAF Accident Report - P-38H 42-66745 piloted by 1st Lt. Stanley C. Northrup
Possum Clover and Hades (2004) incorrectly states this P-38 crash landed near Dobodura
FindAGrave - Stanley C Northrup (grave photo)
Thanks to Keith Hopper for additional information

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Last Updated
April 28, 2025

 

Tech Info
P-38
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