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| USAAF 5th AF 8th FG 80th FS |
Pilot 1st Lt. Kenneth B. Lloyd, O-758018 (survived) Santa Ana, CA Crashed December 26, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number unknown (four digits). Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38L Lightning serial number unknown. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 8th Fighter Group (8th FG), 80th Fighter Squadron (80th FS) "Headhunters". Nicknamed "Dark Eyes". Mission History On December 26, 1944 at 9:30pm dark took off from Hill Field on Mindoro piloted by 1st Lt. Kenneth B. Lloyd as one of eleven P-38s led by Captain Paul C. Murphey, Jr. on a strike against the Japanese task force in the Mindoro Strait west of Mindoro. Only four of the P-38s were armed with 500 pound or 1,000 pound bombs due to shortages of bombs. To avoid aerial collisions, Murphey ordered the formation to turn on their formation lights. The weather was overcast from 2,500' to 5,000' with 10/10 cloud cover and less than one mine of visibility. Over the warships, the formation made low passes bombing and strafing in the darkness in the face of anti-aircraft fire. The squadron claimed four near misses with 500 pound bombs. During the attack, Lt. Harris hit the superstructure of one warship and bailed out. Meanwhile, Lloyd made five strafing runs. On his sixth pass against two destroyers, hit by anti-aircraft fire and caused one wingtip and propeller to touch the surface of the sea causing water to drench the cockpit canopy. Damaged, this P-38 was able to maintain control and returned to base but saw it was being shelled and was unable to land and instead climbed and bailed out over Mindoro with the plane crashing roughly a mile from the airfield. Fate of the Pilot Lloyd landed safely near a U.S. anti-aircraft battery near M Bay, challenged by a sentry and slept on a cot at the battery overnight and was told they were firing at his parachute as he descended, mistaking him for an enemy pilot or paratrooper. Later, he is returned to his squadron. For his role on the mission, Lloyd later earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Memorials Lloyd died on June 19, 2006 and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery. Relatives Kenneth Bancroft Lloyd Jr. (son) References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Kenneth B. Lloyd U.S. Army Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, 1st Lt. Kenneth B. Lloyd citation Attack & Conquer (1995) by John Stanaway pages 226-227 (December 26, 1944 mission Lt. Francis [sic Kenneth] Llyod) American Headhunter (2019) pages 67-76 (December 26, 1944 mission), 77-78 (Llyod earns Distinguished Flying Cross, 94 (DFC citation) FindAGrave - Kenneth Bancroft Lloyd (grave 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 5, 2025
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