1st Fighter Group help needed

[wolf]

as a side project to my B-17 books, have made a major decision to do a 15th Air Force War Diary (day by day break down of their missions).

Ran into an issue (one of many) regarding the 1st fighter group - their database is no longer in available (gone even from the wayback machine)

What I am looking for the the serial numbers of the 4 x P-38's of the 1st Fighter Group that flew into a mountain on 20 December 1943 while on approach to home base. I have the pilots, but no MACR or accident report ever was generated.

[Mark Allen M]

I have a few odds and ends ...

[Mark Allen M]

A couple of links

http://www.1stfighterassociation.com/ww-ii.html

https://www.1stfg.org/headquarters-squadron.cfm

[Adam Kline]

great website for the 1st fighter group. Thanks for posting

[wolf]

Mark and Adam this used to be the 1st FG web site = used to have mission logs and mission reports.

Tried contacting them and no response. Even the 1st Fighter Association has the information regarding these pilots wrong - they only have the last name(s) of three of the four, several sites has them lost in combat (they crashed in the hills above the base due to weather).

As I mentioned, I have bits and pieces, what is missing is the P-38's serial numbers.


https://web.archive.org/web/20120722152 ... story.html

Last edited by wolf on Sun Mar 15, 2020 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[wolf]

This is how deep some of my research goes:

Three of the four pilots

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/997 ... n-lipowicz

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177 ... s-e-mackle

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103 ... t-h-harmer

Lipowicz is not listed among the 1st FG dead.

[Mark Allen M]

Click on the year at the bottom.

http://www.1stfighterassociation.com/ww ... ports.html

http://www.1stfighterassociation.com/marcs.html

[wolf]

Mark

outstanding, I missed that button and this material will help (especially the mission numbers).

The MACR list does not help as this was an accident (aircrew was not lost) - and a lot of times in 1943, combat groups did not report accidents. If they were reported, generally in the squadron daily's. What is needed in this case is a copy of the load-out for the group.

However, 20 December 1943 does not include the 4 x P-38's that crashed

[Mark Allen M]

We'll keep digging ...

[Mark Allen M]

Always tragic to read about these hero's.

http://www.dvrbs.com/Monuments/audubon/ ... rmerJr.htm

[wolf]

Mark

This is what I am working on - right now, just in the rough stages, still a lot of data to work through.

20 December 1943

[Adam Kline]

Nice Wolf, yours is much easier to read.

[Mark Allen M]

Outstanding work Wolf ...

It's absolutely critical that "we" who care about the past with true facts continue to keep the flame bright for all those who gave all.