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| USAAF 5th AF 49th FG 8th FS   49th FG November 1944 |
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 with olive drab on the upper nose and inner sides of the engine nacelles for anti-glare. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38J-15-LO Lightning serial number 4?-????? (the leading two digits were either 42, 43 or 44 followed by five unknown digits). Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and reassembled. Wartime History On October 4, 1944 assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 49th Fighter Group (49th FG), 8th Fighter Squadron (8th FS). Squadron Number 42 (Yellow 42) in yellow on each side of the nose atop a olive drab stripe with yellow atop and on the nose cone. The outer boom air intake also had 42 in yellow inside an an olive drab rectangle. The propeller spinners were yellow with a black stripe at the center. The left side of the nose had a black rectangle wrapped around the leading edge of the wing fillet likely for a scoreboard. During October 1944, a series of photographs shows this plane parked at Morotai with fighter pilots posing around the plane including a photograph of Major Richard I. Bong and Major Thomas B. McGuire leaning on the propeller. The series of photos was likely taken on October 10, 1944 after the mission over Balikpapan as the plane's guns were fired. References Some sources incorrectly associate this plane with P-38L 44-23964 assigned to Major Richard I. Bong. This plane was a P-38J model with a leading edge landing light on the left wing and nose gun camera. The P-38L lacked both features. Protect & Avenge The 49th Fighter Group in World War II (1996) pages 2-3 (photo with pilots posing), 269 (photo nose left), 279 (photo), 297 (November 28, 1944 crash) P-38 Lightning Aces of the Pacific and CBI (1997) pages 55 (Profile 38 listed as P-38L 44-23964 incorrectly), 95 (Profile 38 description listed as P-38L 44-23964 incorrectly) The Missions and P-38 Lightnings of Richard I. Bong: A Synopsis (2002) pages 39-40 (No. 42 versus P-38L 44-23964) Contribute
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