Thanks to Lyric1 for digging up some important photos of this airplane and others in the Group when I originally skinned it with the old AH2 shape.
https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,398952.0.html__
P-38J-15-LO "823 Z"
S/N 43-28823
434th FS, 479th FG, 8th AF, USAAF
Col. Hubert Zemke
Wattisham, UK, August 1944
This is the P-38J-15-LO (S/N 43-28823) coded 823-Z flown by Col. Hubert "Hub" Zemke upon assignment as commander of the 479th FG in August 1944. The 479th’s P-38s would later be replaced with P-51Ds.
Most well-known for his exploits flying P-47s with the 56th FG, Zemke volunteered to take command of the 479th during a time of poor performance. He was instrumental in turning the group around and restoring its morale. Having added three more scores to his total and with 450 combat hours logged, Zemke was ordered to take over as the 65th Fighter Wing Chief of Staff, a job that would signal the end of his combat flying. He decided to fly one more mission on 30 October 1944 before taking this assignment. He spent the end of the war as a POW after his Mustang disintegrated in a storm forcing him to bail out over enemy territory, his final tally being 19.5 victories.
Zemke's Lightning was subsequently lost on 25 December 1944 during a strafing run at La Roche, Belgium. Hit by flak as the aircraft leveled off, it caught fire, climbed 2-300ft before diving into ground and exploding on impact. The pilot, 1st Lt. Bobbie R. Rankin, was killed (MACR 11900).
Zemke retired from the Air Force in 1966, and died on 30 August 1994.
Here is the original for comparison.
