Lyric1 and I had our doubts that this aircraft actually existed, but after walking away from it for a couple of years he managed, much to our mutual surprise, to find photos of it. The timing could not have been better for Devil505's upcoming scenario. I skinned this as a P-38J but will have to convert it to an L before submitting. Here is a screenshot any way.
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Capt. John J. Kane
P-38L-1-LO “Beautiful B|tch" (B7-7)
S/N 44-23852
82nd FG, 96th FS
Vincenzo, Italy - March 1945
This is P-38L-1-LO "Beautiful B|tch" (s/n 44-23852) coded B7-7, as flown by Lt John J. Kane of the 96th FS, 82nd FG, based in Vincenzo, Italy in March 1945. Not much is available on this aircraft but it appears to have been damaged in landing accident on 7 March 1945 (or possibly 3 July 1944 as the date code is 3/7/45).
Kane was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 20, 1924, and his family moved to California when he was young. He was said to have always been fascinated with aircraft and spent many hours at the local airport in Oakland during his youth.
Enlisting as an Aviation Cadet in 1943, he graduated at age 20 from Pilot Training in 1944 (Class 44-B) at Spence Field, Moultrie, Georgia on February 8, 1944. By November 25, 1944, he was in Foggia, Italy flying the P-38 Lightning. By war's end he tallied 51 missions and nearly 300 combat hours primarily in bomber escort and ground attack roles.
As a Second Lieutenant, John earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in February 1945.
Following WWII, he served as a squadron commander in both tactical and non-tactical squadrons, an aircraft accident investigator, and in staff safety officer positions. He was a graduate of the Air Force Command & Staff College, the Aircraft Accident Investigator Course at the University of Southern California, and the USAF Instrument Instruction School, among others. Kane also learned the Vietnamese language at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. In his more than 30 years in uniform, he was assigned to at least 16 different air bases throughout the United States, and in Korea, Okinawa, Newfoundland, Greenland, the Phillipines, and Vietnam.
As a Major, John was awarded two Bronze Stars for heroism in three months during his year-long tour in Vietnam (1963-64). He also was awarded three Air Force Commendation Medals.
Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1965, John closed out his Air Force career as the Commander of the 604th Direct Air Support Squadron, and then of the 22nd Tactical Air Support Squadron. Both units provided Air Force personnel to coordinate flight operations involving close air support bombing missions for Army ground units.
Upon his retirement in 1973, Kane was a Command Pilot and had amassed more than 5,000 flying hours in 11 different aircraft: the P-38, P-40, P-51, C-47, F-80, F-82, F-86, F-94, F-102, O-2A, and T-33. After moving to New Hampshire in 1975, he served for ten years as an elected Representative (Exeter) to the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He was a member of the Retired Officers Association, the Air Force Association, and the Writers of the Round Table. John was also a former president and strong supporter of the 82nd Fighter Group Association.
He passed away in February 2020 at the age of 95 survived by Frances, his wife of sixty years.
