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| USAAF 5th AF 475th FG 431st FS |
Pilot 1st Lt. Floyd H. Fulkerson, Jr. (WIA, rescued) Little Rock, AR Force Landed December 25, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 422-5878. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38L-1-LO Lightning serial number 44-24874. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 475th Fighter Group (475th FG) "Satan's Angels", 431st Fighter Squadron (431st FS) "Hades". No known nose art. Possibly, nicknamed "Whose Next". Assigned a squadron number in the range of 110–139. Possibly, squadron number 122. Mission History On December 25, 1944 took off from Dulag Airfield on Leyte piloted by 1st Lt. Floyd H. Fulkerson as one of fifteen P-38s on a fighter sweep and escort mission for B-24 Liberators bombing Mabalacat Field near Clark Field on Luzon. Arrived over the target at 21,000' and intercepted by 20 enemy fighters attacking from two directions. During the air combat, Fulkerson was credited with two Ki-43 Oscars shot down, but was hit in both tail booms and his coolant system was damaged. Although he still had power, he was unable to make the flight back base. Instead, he force landed in a cultivated rice paddy, skidding across the field until his aircraft came to rest against an earthen berm. Also lost was P-38L 44-24846 piloted by 2nd Lt Robert A. Koeck (MIA) and P-38L 44-24889 piloted by 1st Lt. Enrique Provencio (MIA). Fate of the Pilot During the landing, Fulkerson was injured in the crash landing with several cracked back vertebrae. Found by Filipino guerrillas, he was taken to safety and spent a month in their camp until rescued by a L-5 that flew him back to base. Due to his spinal injury, he did not return to combat. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Floyd H. Fulkerson, Jr. USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38L-1-LO Lightning 44-24874 "24874 (475th FG, 431st FS) shot down Dec 25, 1944. Pilot OK" USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: Fulkerson, Floyd H. page 68 (PDF page 75) Lightning Strikes: The 475th Fighter Group in the Pacific War, 1943-1945 (1988) pages 107-108 (December 25, 1944), 161 (index) Flight Journal "Five-Gun Fury – Lt. Floyd Fulkerson: Wingman to the Aces" by John Dejanovich 2012 Arkansas Democrat Gazette Obituary Floyd Hurt Fulkerson Jr. November 2, 2017 Who's Next...?: Tales from the Southwest Pacific Theater in WWII (2018) biography of Fulkerson FindAGrave - Floyd Hurt Fulkerson Jr. (grave photos) Thanks to John Dejanovich for additional information 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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