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| USAAF 5th AF 8th FG 35th FS  USAAF January 1944 |
Pilot 1st Lt. John J. Grillet, O-763170 (MIA / KIA) St. Mary Parish, LA MIA December 26, 1944 MACR 11657 Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. This aircraft was unpainted in a natural aluminum finish. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38L-5-LO Lightning serial number 44-25352. Disassembled and shipped overseas and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 8th Fighter Group (8th FG), 35th Fighter Squadron (35th FS). Squadron Letter I was painted in yellow on each outer engine cowling. The outside of the vertical stabilizer were also painted yellow, approximately 8" from the top. No known nickname or nose art. When lost, engines V-1710-111 serial number A-057891 and V-1710-113 serial number A-059072. Armed with 20mm cannon M-2 made by Harvester serial number 119509 plus .50 caliber machine guns made by Frigidaire serial numbers 1286089, 1288783, 1760446 and 1288612. Mission History On December 26, 1944 took off at 8:45pm from Hill Field on Mindoro Island piloted by 1st Lt. John J. Grillet on a strike against the Japanese task force in the Mindoro Strait west of Mindoro. The weather was overcast from 2,500' to 5,000' with 10/10 cloud cover and less than one mine of visibility. This plane was not seen after taken off nor was any radio contact made with the pilot. When this plane failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Memorials Grillet was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. Grillet is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. He also has a memorial marker at Franklin Cemetery in Franklin, LA in section 5. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - John J. Grillet USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38L-5-LO Lightning 44-25352 "25352 (8th FG) lost Dec 26, 1944. MACR 11657" American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John J. Grillet FindAGrave - 1LT John J. Grillet (photo, tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - John Joseph Grillet (memorial marker photos) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated November 19, 2023
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 P-38  MapDec 26, 1944  MIA 1 Missing |
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