Warbird Information Exchange

I am writing this post, my first, to ask for help with determining the serial number of a USAAF P-38 which crashed in England on 26th of January 1943. 

The pilot, 2nd Lt. Jerome L. Foreman (serial O-730438), was on a ferry flight from RAF Portreath (Cornwall, Southwest England) to Algeria via Gibraltar. It seems he turned back some time during the flight and crashed on Dartmoor, an area of high ground north of Plymouth and about 80 miles Northeast of Portreath. Neither he nor his body were found until 1st march 1943, well over a month later. He was at the time assigned to the 82nd Fighter Squadron , 78th FG at Goxhill.

Almost all my information on this tragic incident comes from Lt. Foreman's Individual Deceased Personnel File, which I came across on the American Air Museum in Britain site, deposited by Bill Beigel. On page 2 of this PDF file the aircraft serial is entered as 42-2886, however this pertains to a PT-19 aircraft (confirmed by USAF Historical Research centre at Maxwell AFB), so is probably a typing error. Other suggestions have included:

43-2182    -discounted, as not dropped from inventory until 8th July 1944
42-12886  -discounted, as not condemned until July 1944

In the 67 Maintenance Unit records (responsible for recovery of aircraft in SW England) there is a mention of a recovery of a P-38 with serial "2369" (maybe 41-2369 or 42-2369?). No date given.
Maxwell AFB confirmed they have no accident reports for Foreman for that month. The card for him in the National Archives is blank, so there is no Missing Air Crew Report. 

There appears to be no mention of Lt. Foreman in the 78FG records. This is almost certainly because he had just arrived; in his IDPF there is a laundry bill dated 19th January 1943 from the 109th Observation Squadron at RAF Atcham (Combat Crew Replacement Centre), where he was probably finishing his operational conversion training. This was just 7 days before he was killed. He must have made it to Goxhill, at least briefly, as his belongings recovered from the crash were sent there and these, plus the rest of his personal property still at Goxhill, were later sent to his mother in the USA.

Any help, especially with the aircraft serial number, would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Not exactly what you are looking for, but may offer some help.

This MACR shows a P-38 missing on a ferry mission much like you described.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/90938650

and your fellow.
https://thegibraltarmagazine.com/dartmo ... ane-crash/

Maybe some help in here, send them an e-mail?
https://aircrashsites.co.uk/usaaf-crash ... 1942-1945/

41-2369 condemned Oct 31, 1944

bdk: thanks you for the information on 41-2369; that's one more option to cross off the list. I don't know if there was ever a P-38 with serial 42-2369.

Mike Furline: thanks to you too for your reply. The article in The Gibraltar Magazine appears to be based on information from the IDPF; an agreeably-written story. The MACR you mention does indeed refer to another aircraft on the same flight, but which was unfortunately never found. I have attached an edited version of information published in the 78FG Roll of Honour. As you will see, a group of P-38s left Goxhill for Langford Lodge (Northern Ireland) to have dust filters for desert operations fitted to their aircraft before leaving for overseas. On the way 2 aircraft collided and crashed, with the loss of both pilots. Later, after leaving Portreath, another aircraft was lost near Portugal.

Mike, I'll get in touch with the Air Crash Sites UK contact you mentioned. Thanks for that one.

Just an FYI, the date an aircraft is condemned or Stuck off Charge may not be the actual date of the accident. It's plausible for your aircraft to have wrecked on Jan. 23, 1943, but be condemned several months later.

Ok Mike, thank you for clarifying; I didn't know that.