Artwork
Lockheed P-38J-20
Lightning 44-23296
‘YIPPEE’ in May- PETE WEST-2015
80 FLYPAST May 2015Lockheed
P-38 Lightning
Spotlight
Fork-Tailed
B
y 1944, the Lockheed P-38
Lightning had proved itself
both in Europe and the
South Pacific, leading to
renewed demand. In May of that
year, Lockheed produced its 5,000th
Lightning, P-38J-20 44-23296.
To mark the occasion, the aircraft
was temporarily painted in an overall
red scheme, with the celebratory
name YIPPEE added under the wings
and along the nose. Such was thedemand for the twin-boom fighters in
the Pacific that the distinctive livery
was quickly removed following an
air-to-air photo shoot, and 44-23296
was repainted in standard military
markings and allocated to the 475th
Fighter Group (FG).
Arriving with the unit in June or
July of 1944, it flew with the 431st
Fighter Squadron. Little is known
of its operational service, and it does
not appear to have been assigned toa regular pilot. While being flown by
Lt Floyd Fulkerson on December 20,
it developed a technical problem over
the Philippines and returned to base.
A few weeks later, in January 1945,
it was damaged in a taxying incident,
after which it would appear to have
been withdrawn from frontline use.
After being declared surplus, it is
likely to have been scrapped – an
inglorious end for a milestone-
marking machine.Red Devil
Pete West artwork of a P-38 given a unique paint scheme
80-81_Spot profile_fpSBB.indd 80 24/02/2015 15:45