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Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. 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. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38L-1-LO Lightning serial number 44-23964. 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. 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 (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 and thirty aerial victory for the Oscar. On November 10, 1944 took off took off from Tacloban Airfield on Leyte piloted by Major Richard I. Bong on a mission claimed a victory, his thirty-fourth victory. On November 11, 1944 took off took off from Tacloban Airfield on Leyte piloted by Major Richard I. Bong on a mission claimed two victories, his thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth victories. Fate On November 28, 1944 this plane was lost in a crash and written off. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38L-1-LO Lightning 44-23964 Combat Report Major Richard I. Bong, October 10, 1944 Combat Report Major Richard I. Bong, November 10, 1944 Combat Report Major Richard I. Bong, November 11, 1944 Moonlight Interceptor (1985) page 46 Stars & Bars (1995) pages 155 (October 10, 1944, November 10, 1944 and November 11, 1944) The Missions and P-38 Lightnings of Richard I. Bong: A Synopsis (2002) pages 19, 19A, 38A (lower photo), 45 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 (2019) pages 80 (photo), 120 (photos), 90-91 (October 14, 1944), 145 (Appendix B 10/10/43 [sic 44], 147 (Appendix C: Aircraft of an Ace 44-23964), 154 (index Marge P-38) Contribute
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