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| USAAF 5th AF 8th FG 36th FS |
Pilot 2nd Francis S. Ford, O-801685 (survived) Baltimore, MD MIA December 27, 1944 MACR 14458 Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 422-6245. At the factory, completed with an unpainted aluminum finish. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38L-5-LO Lightning serial number 44-25241. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 8th Fighter Group (8th FG), 36th Fighter Squadron (36th FS) "The Flying Fiends". Nicknamed "Hell on the Double". When lost engines V-1710-113 serial numbers A-059069 and V-1710-111 serial number A-057943. Armed with four .50 caliber machine guns Frigidaire serial number 1288823, Brown-Lipe-Chapin serial number 1760462, Frigidaire serial number 1286521 and Frigidaire serial number 1286568 plus 20mm cannon maker International Harvester serial number 119575. On December 26, 1944 at 6:30pm took off from Hill Field on Mindoro piloted by 2nd Francis S. Ford to attack the Japanese warships in the Mindoro Strait west of Mindoro. The weather was rain squalls from 1,500' to solid overcast at 5,000'. Due to the darkness and clouds, the formation nearly passed over the warships before they realized the enemy was below them and turned sharply to avoid expected anti-aircraft fire, but none was observed initially. For about 45 minutes, the P-38s made strafing runs on three warships and experienced anti-aircraft fire including tracers then returned to land at Hill Field on Mindoro. On the return flight, lost is P-38L pilot Giroux (survived). Mission History On December 26, 1944 at 11:30pm took off from Hill Field on Mindoro piloted by piloted by 2nd Francis S. Ford on a flight bound for Leyte. This P-38 was last contacted by raido in the vicinity of Tacloban. On December 27, 1944 at 1:30am presumed lost in poor weather. When this plane failed to arrive it was reported as Missing In Action (MIA). Also lost is P-38L 44-25243 pilot 2nd Lt. Wayne Donker (survived). 1st Lt Griswold Steele statement of witness in Missing Air Crew Report 14458 (MACR 14458) page 5: "On December 26, 1944 I took off from Hill Field at approximately 2330 with Capt. Giroux and Lt. Maucher. We were unable to get together, so proceeded individually to Austere [control tower code name]. At 2400 approximately, I heard Lt. Donker who had Lt. Ford with him, on the radio. I called him and asked him about the weather ahead. It was closed in at Austere, but he advised me to try and go under it. I believe that I was the only plane to follow the northern coast of Leyte into Tacloban. At 0100 I think that I heard [t donker on the radio, but due to so much conversation I was not sure. I believe he was over Leyte or very near it." 2nd Lt. Lawrence E. Hyde statement of witness in Missing Air Crew Report 14458 (MACR 14458) page 6: "The morning of the 27th of December I want [sic went] to Cheeky Tower to see if they had had contact with either Lt. Donker or Lt. Ford. They advised me that sometime after midnight approximately 0100 or 0130 a P-38 pilot called and asked if it was friendly on the west coast of Leyte to make a crash landing. The tower called back and told him it was friendly south of Ormoc, but did not get any answer and could not contact him any more. I did not tald [sic talk] to the operator who had talked to this P-38 pilot." Search Afterwards, a PBY Catalina search was conducted without results. Memorials Ford was officially declared dead on December 27, 1944. He earned Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. References Previously, on December 20, 1944 Ford piloting P-38L Lightning 44-25310 force landed at Hill Field on Leyte. World War II Army Enlistment Records - Francis S. Ford USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38L-5-LO Lightning 44-25241 Missing Air Crew Report 14458 (MACR 14458) for 2nd Francis S. Ford created April 15, 1945 Missing Air Crew Report 14461 (MACR 14461) for 2nd Lt. Wayne Donker created December 28, 1945 Attack & Conquer (1995) by John Stanaway pages 226-227 (December 26, 1944 mission) American Battle Monuments Commission (AMBC) - Francis S. Ford FindAGrave - 2LT Francis Sturtevant Ford (tablets of the missing photo) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated July 10, 2025
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 P-38  Map Dec 27, 1944  MIA 1 Missing |
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