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| USAAF 5th AF 6th PRG 8th PRS "Eight Ballers"  8th PRS 1943 |
Pilot Captain Sheldon P. Hallett, O-728999 (MIA / KIA) San Francisco, CA Crashed February 29, 1944 at 1:26pm MACR 3497 Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 1895. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as F-5B-1-LO Lightning serial number 42-67384. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group (6th PRG), 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (8th PRS) "Eight Ballers". Tail Number 84 (last two digits of serial number) painted in white in large digits. No known nose art or nickname. When lost, engines V-1710-89-91 serial number 42-30776 and 42-94768. No armament was aboard. Camera serail numbers unknown. Mission History On February 29, 1944 at 11:30am took off from Nadzab Airfield No. 2 (APO 713, Unit 1) piloted by Captain Sheldon P. Hallett with F-5 Lightning pilot 1st Lt Hewitt H. Clark (likely flying F-5B Lightning 42-67383) on a patrol mission over the sea off Aitape. The weather was overcast at 13,000' with slight drizzle of rain. Intercepted by seven Japanese fighters roughly 30-45 miles off But on the north coast of New Guinea. Clark witnessed this plane crash into the sea. When this plane failed to return, it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Memorials Hallett was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. Hallett is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Sheldon P. Hallett USAF Serial Number Search Results -F-5B-1-LO Lightning 42-67384 Missing Air Crew Report 3497 (MACR 3497) created March 1, 1944 Description of Circumstances Pertaining To Missing Aircraft by 1st Lt. Hewitt H. Clark "Capt. Sheldon P. Hallett and I took off from Nadzab at 1130/L on the morning of 29 February 1944. Our mission was to patrol an area 40 miles out to sea from the coast above and below Tadji. Our route to the target was up the Markham-Ramu-Sepic [sic Sepik] valleys, keeping about 50 to 60 miles inland and at an altitude from 17,000 down to 13,000 feet in order to stay under the overcast." February 1944 USAAF Missing Air Crew Reports - MACR 3497 / F-5 42-67384 American Battle Monuments Comisson (ABMC) - Sheldon P. Hallett FindAGrave - Capt Sheldon Paul Hallett (photos, tablets of the missing photo) Fold3 - Sheldon P. Hallett (photos, MACR 3497) The Eight Ballers Eyes of the Fifth Air Force (1999) pages 101 (1944), 160 (Appendix I: Losses In Action - Hallett) 248th Hiko Sentai: A Japanese “Hard luck” Fighter Unit, Part 3 by Richard Dunn "The 248th was not in action again until February 29th [1944] when it put up two of the thirty-three 6th FD fighters providing cover for a convoy to Hollandia during the day. The only aerial encounter resulted from two Lightnings flying a photographic mission to Aitape. Seven Japanese fighters intercepted and claimed one P-38. F-5 failed to return." Thanks to Edward Rogers and Richard Dunn for additional research and analysis 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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