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| USAAF 5th AF 8th FG 36th FS Former Assignments 475th FG 432nd FS  USAAF c1942 |
Pilot 1st Lt Lawrence Reeves, O-743091 (MIA / KIA) WA MIA April 16, 1944 "Black Sunday" at 3:00pm MACR 4359 Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 1343. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38H-5-LO Lightning serial number 42-66832. Disassembled and shipped overseas and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 475th Fighter Group (475th FG) "Satan's Angles", 432nd Fighter Squadron (432nd FS) "Clover". Later, transfered to the 8th Fighter Group (8th FG), 36th Fighter Squadron (36th FS). Squadron Number 3 was painted in white on the boom coolant radiator. No known nose art or nickname. When lost, engines V-1710-89 and V-1710-91 serial numbers 42-29973 and 42-94046. Mission History On April 16, 1944 at 10:20am took off from Nadzab No. 4 Airfield (APO 713, Unit 1) piloted by 1st Lt Lawrence Reeves as part of a four plane flight "Agate Special" with wingman P-38H 42-66555 pilot 2nd Lt Walter H. Mikucky, plus element leader P-38H 42-66832 pilot 1st Lt Lawrence Reeves and element P-38H 42-66668 pilot 2nd Lt. Robert R. Keown. The weather was overcast from 3,000' to 6,000'. The four plane flight escorted a single B-25 Mitchell from the 38th Bombardment Group (38th BG) searching for B-25G 42-64835 that force landed four days earlier. An hour and a half later, the five aircraft reached the Sepik River delta and searched the river and swamp area for nearly two hours without results with the four Lightnings weaving closely behind, until their fuel became low by 1:30pm. Returning, the formation flew a course approximately 50 miles inland from the coast and encountered heavy overcast 15 miles south of Annenberg with overcast to 1,000' and rain. The formation proceeded towards Madang in hopes of landing at Saidor Airfield. Instead, the weather worsened with severe weather and overcast down to 1,000' and with visibility of only 300' and attempted to turn out towards the sea to find an opening in the clouds. The P-38s circling off Yalu Point near Yamai Airfield for 20 minutes before finding a hole in the clouds. At 2:40pm with poor visibility, the formation broke up with Zielinski and Mikucky turning to the left while Reeves and Keown turning to the right. Likely, P-38 crashed into the sea off Yalu Point at roughly Lat 5.40 Long 146.40. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Afterwards, the mission was dubbed "Black Sunday" for the number of aircraft lost. Eugene Zielinski reported: "...we encountered a heavy overcast about 15 miles south of Annanberg 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 14:40, 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." Memorials Mikucky was officially declared dead on February 7, 1946. He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. He also has a memorial marker at Saint Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Cemetery in Maine, NY. Relatives DeLorme Stein (friend of family) recalls: "He was a P-38 pilot and was MIA just seven days after he arrived there. 2nd Lt 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 NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Lawrence Reeves USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38H-5-LO Lightning 42-66832 "66832 (8th FG) MIA near Yamai Apr 16, 1944 during infamous Black Sunday mission to Hollanida. MACR 4359" American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Lawrence Reeves FindAGrave - 1Lt Lawrence Reeves (photos, tablets of the missing photo) PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - P-38H Lightning 42-66832 Black Sunday (2000) pages 61-62 (April 16, 1944), 99 (42-66832), 114 (index Reeves) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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 P-38  Map April 16, 1944  Photo Archive  MIA 1 Missing |
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