Lockheed P-38J-10-LO, 42-67799, 474th FG, 429th FS, 7Y-P
Not long after their arrival in England, the 474th’s flying squadrons began receiving a full complement of P-38J fighter-bombers. These planes, however, were mostly hand-me-downs from the Eighth Air Force, which was replacing all its Lightnings with single-engine aircraft. The 474th FG was the only one of the three Ninth Air Force groups equipped with the P-38 in England that had trained with the type in the United States and the only ETO-based Group to keep operating Lightnings through the end of the War.
This aircraft was handed to the 474th FG by the 20th FG in July 1944, when they converted to th P-51 Mustang. It was involved in a takeoff accident on 11 Apr 45 at RAF Bovington. The pilot, 1st Lt Robert H. Deecken, was OK. The aircraft is depicted as it would've appeared in Aug '44, with underwing D-Day identification stripes.
I thought some of the 474th pilots in the upcoming "Battle of Paris" scenario might appreciate a flat-olive drab option.
