Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Snautzer01 said:

44-25006 Lockheed P-38L-1-LO (82nd FG) lost Feb 22, 1945. MACR 12469
Plane coded BJ, named *Miss Sis II* European Theatre: Germany, pilot Lassiter, William B. Pow 22-02-45

William Lassiter Pilot P-38 44-25006 82nd Fighter Group 96th Fighter Squadron

Also the tailplane on this site.

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Truffle Pig said:

A P-38 tail section - after nearly 70 years in the ground. Excavated in southern Germany. Number 425006.
Thanks to the Internet, the associated history can be largely reconstructed. What I am missing so far is a photo of the aircraft.

The aircraft was temporarily stationed in Italy.

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We have on display the right rear vertical and rudder from Bill's P-38, serial number 44-25006, that he was flying on 22 February 1945 when he had to make the crash landing near Munich. The vertical and rudder were pulled from the wreck shortly after making the crash landing. The tail section still has the original yellow paint used by the 96th squadron, the original serial number, and the letter J for Bill's plane.

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Bill reverted to inactive service in October 1945. He returned to active duty in the US Air Force in September 1952. From June 1953 to June 1954 he was with the 3rd Bomb Wing in Korea where he had served as a base supply officer and also flew C-47 transport planes. As a Captain he became an instructor at the USAF ROTC Headquarters Air Command and Staff School at Mississippi State College.

On the evening of 12 November 1954, Bill and a fellow instructor Edwin Ellis were flying a North American T-6 number 51-14805 for a proficiency flight. The plane crashed about 6 miles from the Starkville Airport, killing both Bill and Edwin.

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GreenKnight121 said:

Not quite - the section did NOT "spend nearly 70 years in the ground"!

The link Snautzer01 posted has the following:

The article also has his history:

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Truffle Pig said:

Hello, yes I saw this information in the text as well- and it is not accurate according to all we know.
When we got the pictured part it was still a bit bigger and it was supposed to be scrapped. It was still full of soil inside! At the same time we were also informed that it had been found during earthworks. We then cut off the completely demolished parts and built five stools from them. Which was our real goal. Only after that did we then recognize the serial number under the paint, carefully uncovered it and thus were able to determine the identity of the aircraft.

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"Yellow tail stools"

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