Pacific Wrecks - P-38L-1-LO Lightning Serial Number 44-23964 Squadron Number 42

Missing In Action (MIA)

Prisoners Of War (POW)

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Chronology

P-38L-1-LO Lightning Serial Number 44-23964

USAAF
5th AF
5th FC
HQ Sqaudron

49th FG November 1944

Pilot Captain John C. Davis, O-469580 49th FG, HQ Squadron (MIA / KIA) Independence, MO
Crashed November 28, 1944

Aircraft History
Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank in early July 1944. Contract Number AC-40040. Constructors Number 422-4968. 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 July 8, 1944 accepted and available two days later. On July 13, 1944 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38L-1-LO Lightning serial number 44-23964. Project Number 96651-R. On July 15, 1944 flown to Long Beach Airport. On July 19, 1944 flown to San Bernardino Army Airfield. On July 20, 1944 flown to Oakland Airfield. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and reassembled.

Wartime History
On October 4, 1944 assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 5th Fighter Command (V Fighter Command), Headquarters (HQ Squadron). Assigned to pilot Major Richard I. Bong. No nickname or nose art. Possibly, assigned squadron number 42. The left side of the nose had a black rectangle wrapped around the leading edge of the wing fillet with a scoreboard of Japanese rising sun flags indicating Bong's 36 aerial victory claims (6x6x6x6x6x6) in six rows of six as of November 11, 1944.

On October 10, 1944 at 7:15am took off from Morotai piloted by Major Richard I. Bong on a fighter sweep and escort for B-24 Liberators over Balikpapan on southeast Borneo. Arriving over the target area 2 hours and 30 minutes later, spotted a twin engine plane that was deemed to be either a Irving or Sally at a lower altitude and dove down firing as the plane turned, caught fire and rolled over with the pilot bailing out before it crashed into the sea roughly a mile off Manggar Airfield. In fact, the plane shot down was J1N1 Irving pilot Lt Ozaki. Next, he fired on a Zero with a 40° deflection shot head on but missed. Afterwards, got on the tail of an Oscar and closed to 100 yards and fired with 5° deflection causing it to explode and went down in flames roughly four miles off Manggar on eastern Borneo. Bong was awarded his twenty-ninth victory for the Irving and thirty aerial victory for the Oscar.

On October 28, 1944 this aircraft likely took off from Tacloban Airfield on Leyte piloted by by Major Richard I. Bong as flight leader with Col Walker, Col. Robert L. Morrissey and Col. Gerald R. Johnson to escort dive bombers attacking Ormoc Bay and engaged in air combat over western Leyte and claimed an Oscar shot down. Over the southern tip of Masbate Island claimed another Oscar. In total, Bong claimed two aerial victories, his thirty-second and thirty-third aerial victories. In Bong's logbook he noted the mission as flown in a P-38J, this is likely in error and was likely this plane.

On November 10, 1944 took off took off from Tacloban Airfield on Leyte piloted by Major Richard I. Bong flying freelance with eight P-38s from the 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS) led by Major Jordan to escort a flight of P-40N Warhawks from 110th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (110th TRS) over Ormoc Bay. Over the target area, five Oscars were spotted and Bong signaled he would attack the trailing Oscar and joined by Major Jordan's flight released their tanks and dove to intercept. The first Oscar Bong engaged maneuvered up into clouds and escaped. Spotting another, Bong shot it down with a short burst of gunfire and claimed a victory and observed it to crash north of village, his thirty-fourth aerial victory. Afterwards, Bong circled the crash site and observed enemy vessels in Ormoc Bay then returned to base.

On November 11, 1944 took off took off from Tacloban Airfield on Leyte piloted by Major Richard I. Bong on Mission No. 439 flying as element leader of "Pinky Special" as one of four P-38s from 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS) led by Major Gerald R. Johnson on a mission to escort C-47s over Homonhon Island then back over Tacloban after 34 minutes. Next, the flight conducted a fighter sweep over Ormoc Bay and the flight controller radioed there were bogies to the south and climbed to 13,000'. At 12:30pm over Ormoc the formation spotted a flight of six TBF Avengers with seven Zeros about to attack and immediately released drop tanks and peeled off to intercept. The enemy planes saw the approaching P-38s and turned to counterattack and a dogfight began with Bong firing at three Zeros and claimed two as smoking and claimed two aerial victories, his thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth victories, witnessed by Major Johnson.

Fate
On November 28, 1944 at 5:30pm took off from Tacloban Airfield piloted by Captain John C. Davis on a mission to intercept approaching Japanese planes and shortly after take off at an altitude of approximately 100' the left engine caught fire and the plane crashed into San Pedro Bay with no trace of the pilot found afterwards who was presumed to have died in the crash. When Davis failed to return he was listed as Missing In Action (MIA). On on November 29, 1944 this P-38 was officially written off as "CON ACC" condemned accident.

Memorials
Davis was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing.

Relatives
Maria McAlpin Davis (wife)

References
Some sources incorrectly associate P-38J Number 42 (Yellow 42) as P-38L 44-23964 assigned to Major Richard I. Bong. That plane was a P-38J model with a leading edge landing light on the left wing and nose gun camera. The P-38L lacked both features.
USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38L-1-LO Lightning 44-23964
Individual Aircraft Record Card (IARC) - P-38L Lightning 44-23964 via AFHRA microfilm reel ACR-100, 1851
Individual Combat Report Major Richard I. Bong, October 10, 1944
Individual Combat Report Major Richard I. Bong, November 10, 1944
Individual Combat Report of Major Richard I. Bong, November 11, 1944 (NARA Individual Combat Reports 1942-1945 roll 5, NAID: 607418007 page 34)
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - John C. Davis
Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) - John C. Davis
(Page 9) "Subject Officer [Davis] KIA 28 Nov 44. Subject intercepting approaching enemy aircraft when due to engine trouble was seen to catch fire and crashed into San Pedro Bay, Tacloban, Leyte, P.I. Body was not recovered."
(Page 10) "Reported Plane crashed in San Pedro Bey, Tacloban Area, P.I, (plane, P-38) Davis was losing [lost in] Major Bong's plane."
(Page 15) "Captain Davis was taking off at 1730, 28 November 1944, to intercept approaching enemy aircraft. When plane reached approximately an altitude of 100 feet the left engine was seen to catch on fire. This caused the plane to crash in San Pedro Bay, Tacloban Area, Leyte, Philippine Islands.
Body was not recovered. Refs let Ind, Hq, 49th Pts. Gp AAR,APO 328, 12 Oat"
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John C. Davis
FindAGrave - Capt John C. Davis (tablets of the missing photo)
Moonlight Interceptor (1985) page 46
Dear Mom: So We Have A War (1991) page 431 (November 29, 1944 letter about loss of P-38L 44-23964)
(Page 431 Bong letter November 29, 1944) "Looks like I'm kind of out, as far as flying goes, because somebody wrecked my airplane yesterday. It was a good airplane and I got 8 Nips with it. [It] had 36 flags painted on, but no picture of Marge because I haven't been able to one blown up [enlargement] yet."
Protect & Avenge The 49th Fighter Group in World War II (1996) pages 289 (photo incorrectly states plane had Squadron Number 42) 289-290 (November 10, 1944), 291 (November 11, 1944), 297 (November 28, 1944 crash), 351 (November 28, 1944 crash)
Stars & Bars (1995) pages 155 (October 10, 1944, November 10, 1944 and November 11, 1944)
P-38 Lightning Aces of the Pacific and CBI (1997) pages 55 (Profile 38), 85 (photo), 95 (Profile 38 description)
The Missions and P-38 Lightnings of Richard I. Bong: A Synopsis (2002) pages 19 (assignment October 4, 1944), 38 (October 10, 1944), 39-40, 41-42 (October 28, 1944), 43 (crash), 46-47 (assignment October 1944), 47-48 (November 28, 1944 crash), 43 (crash), 64-65 (scoreboard)
Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces 1932-1945 (2011) pages 228-229 (381 Ku), 402 (losses 10/10/44)
Ace of Aces: The Dick Bong Story (1985) pages 117 (photo)
Ace of Aces: The Dick Bong Story (2019) pages 80 (photo), 90-91 (October 14, 1944), 119-120 (photos), 145 (Appendix B 10/10/43 [sic 44], 147 (Appendix C: Aircraft of an Ace 44-23964), 154 (index Marge P-38)

Contribute Information
Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned?
Do you have photos or additional information to add?

Last Updated
September 13, 2026

P-38

Photo Archive

Interviews & Oral Histories