MTO P-38J in OD/NG

[KRK4m]

There is a photo http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/4075 showing the P-38J-10-LO serial 42-67959 factory painted in OD over NG and sporting individual code S on the tailboom.  At this very moment the aircraft belonged to the 20th FG in the UK. Then it was passed to the 82nd FG in Italy and finally lost over Munich in January 1945 (the pilot, J.A. Garmon, was KIA).  Do you think that this particular a/c retained her OD/NG camo when flying in the 15th AF in 1944 or was she stripped off the paint to the NM finish?

Are there any photos known of the 12th and 15th AF "bearded" P-38J/Ls in OD/NG ? I know there's one profile here http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/298/3/0  covering "Elaine III" of Capt. Jack Walker but I don't believe the profiles as long as I don't see the photos...

Cheers

Michael

[Hamsterman]

Hi Michael,

Your post reminded me of a set of photos I completely forgot that I had on my computer.

Maggie / The Sooner - 1st FG, 71st FS, serial number 44-23158, P-38J-15-LO. The pilot was 1 LT James T. Hulslander. Squadron number 37. I thought these pictures were interesting because they are of an OD/NG J-model in Italy. Most of the picture I've seen of J-s in Italy are all natural metal. I found these pictures on Flickr and emailed the owner. They are pictures of his fathers plane. I can't for the life of me find our original correspondence but this is what I found, cut-n-pasted, from a different email with a friend.

"Yes, my father's plane is a J model. He flew with the 71st Sq of the 1st Group from the end of 1944 through 1945 while the unit was in Foggia, Italy. At the time he arrived in Italy he was the youngest combat fighter pilot in the European Theater. He was 19 years old. He would turn 20 in April 1945. Some notes about his plane. While it was a J model, it had L model engines. The story that he tells is that the Tech Rep from Allison Engines was in Foggia. My father somehow convinced him to install the L model engines in his plane giving him, I believe, a boost in power and speed. Also, he and his crew chief used an army blanket and actually waxed the wings on his plane (a note for modelers, maybe a little glossiness but not much) giving him a few knots more of speed. He had the fastest P-38 in the squadron.
Markings: The nose and spinners are Oriental Red. He is very specific on this shade of red. On the left side of the gondala is the name, The Sooner, in white. His crew chief was from Oklahoma. On the right side is my mother's nickname, MAGGIE, in Oriental Red. You can just barely see that but it is there. The lightning bolts are white, the number 37 is white, the tail booms are white, the A/C number on the tail is
yellow. The wing tips are white. That about covers the markings of the plane. I believe the natural metal planes of the 71st had black tail
booms and wing tips. Not sure about this.[This is correct.]"

Enjoy!
Cheers!

 

 

[KRK4m]

That's incredible - the very aircraft, pictured from every angle plus a whole story about it...

The most probably option for my 1/72 Academy Lightning.

Thank you very much indeed

Cheers

Michael