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Pilot William "Kenny" Giroux (survived) Crashed December 26, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Constructors Number 422-???? (four digits unknown). 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-????? (five digits unknown). 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 nickname or nose art. Mission History On December 26, 1944 at 6:30pm took off from Hill Field on Mindoro piloted by William "Kenny" Giroux 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 turned back for Mindoro. On the return flight, Giroux found his right engine's coolant shutters were jammed shut and unable to be opened. Expecting the engine to overheat, he bailed out off western Mindoro and landed near shore. Fate of the Pilot Giroux landed unhurt, swam ashore and was rescued and returned to duty. 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 Attack & Conquer (1995) by John Stanaway pages 226-227 (December 26, 1944 mission) 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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