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| USAAF 5th AF 8th FG 36th FS  USAAF Dec 20, 1944 |
Pilot 2nd Francis S. Ford, O-801685 (survived) Baltimore, MD Crash Landed December 20, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 422-6314. 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 44-26538. 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". No known nose art or nickname. Mission History On December 20, 1944 took off from Dulag Airfield on Leyte piloted by 2nd Francis S. Ford as one of fourteen P-38s from the squadron on a mission to escort C-47s from Leyte to Mindoro. After the C-47s landed, Japanese fighters including Ki-45 Nicks and Ki-43 Oscars (possibly Ki-84 Franks) were spotted and the P-38s divided into flights climbed to intercept. During the engagement with aggressive and skilled that lasted nine minutes, the squadron claimed two Ki-45 Nicks and four Ki-43 Oscars. During the air combat, this P-38 was damaged by gunfire and crash landed wheels up with the left engine smoking at Hill Field on Mindoro. On impact, both propellers broke off and the left engine caught fire. Ford survived unhurt. On the ground, a 35mm film camera records the plane force landing and Ford walking away. Also damaged and force landed was P-38L pilot Lt. Anderson (survived) and P-38L pilot Lt. Lowrey (survived). Memorials A week later, Ford went Missing In Action (MIA) on December 27, 1944 piloting P-38L "Hell on the Double" 44-2524bound for Leyte. References World War II Army Enlistment Records - Francis S. Ford USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38L-5-LO Lightning 44-25310 Attack & Conquer The 8th Fighter Group in World War II (1999) pages 223-224 (December 20, 1944), 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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