8th PRS LOCKHEED F-4 LIGHTNINGS

SEQ
SERIAL
SQN #
NAME
DEPARTED USA
ARRIVED
AUST
AT
LOST
CONDEMNED
REMARKS
SHIPMENT #1 on S.S. President Coolidge
1

41-2123

23

Fainting
Floozie II

19MAR42
07APR42
MELB.
28NOV42
-

KIA 28NOV42. (Lt. Phillip D. Lissner)

2
41-2124
-
unknown
19MAR42
07APR42
MELB.
-
31OCT44
8th PRS F-4 badly damaged in a forced landing near Garbutt on 04MAY42. (Lt. Ralph Watts)
(Important See Note: 4)
3
41-2125
25
unknown
19MAR42
07APR42
MELB.
13AUG42
-
MIA Horn Is - Moresby 13AUG42. (Lt. Paul Staller)
4
41-2126
-
unknown
19MAR42
07APR42
MELB.
04MAY42
25AUG42
MIA Lae 04MAY42. (Capt Louis J. Connelly)
(Important See Note: 4)
SHIPMENT #2 (also included 41-2158 & 41-2159 which were delivered directly to the RAAF as A55-1 & A55-2 resp.)
5

41-2098

-
unknown
15JUL42
12AUG42
CAC
-
14SEP42

6

41-2130

30

Malaria Mabel

15JUL42
12AUG42
CAC
-
09MAY44
Salvaged in Australia.
7
41-2137
37
Hellzapoppin Hepcat
15JUL42
19AUG42
CAC
26JUN43
-
Converted to two-seater 06DEC42. MIA 26JUN43 (1st Lt. Kenneth J. Murphy)
8

41-2139

-

Pouting Peggy

15JUL42
19AUG42
CAC
-
26SEP44

aka "Doris". Salvaged in Australia 26SEP44.

9
41-2140
-
unknown
15JUL42
19AUG42
CAC
16MAR43
-
MIA 16MAR43 (Lt. Morton) at sea NW of Fishermans Field, PNG.
10

41-2156

56

Limping Lizzie

15JUL42
19AUG42
CAC
-
26APR44

aka “Leaping Lizzie”. Salvaged in Australia 26APR44.

11

41-2177

77

Dotin’ Donna

15JUL42
19AUG42
CAC
21MAY43
-

KIA 21MAY43 (2nd Lt. Robert M. Blackard)

SHIPMENT #3
12

41-2217

17

unknown
04OCT42
NOV42
SUMAC
-
26SEP44
Salvaged in Australia
13

41-2220

220

unknown
04OCT42
NOV42
SUMAC
-
26SEP44

Received 8th PRS in "bad shape". Salvaged in Australia

SHIPMENT #4
14
41-2122
-
unknown
21NOV42
DEC42
SUMAC
05DEC43
-
MIA 05DEC43 near Hood Point (Lt Fred Cross)
15
41-2144
-
unknown
21NOV42
DEC42
SUMAC
-
08FEB44
To RAAF as A55-3 on 27FEB43.
16
41-2209
-
Alice the Goon
21NOV42
DEC42
SUMAC
30DEC43
-
Lost in the Coral Sea off PNG on 30DEC43.
17
41-2214
-
unknown-
21NOV42
DEC42
SUMAC
-
02AUG43
Salvaged in Australia.

 

It is believed that a total of 19 F-4s were delivered to the SWPA.
The table above lists 17 (plus 2 that went directly to the RAAF).
Therefore it is likely that the unallocated names in the following table belonged to the aircraft listed above.

 

NAMES WITHOUT SERIAL NUMBERS (Source: The Eight Ballers)
NAME
PAGE
DATE
REMARKS
Eager Beaver II
p. 22
unknown
Originally thought to be 41-2134, this F-4 did not come to the SWPA but rather went to the 5th PRS in North Africa. Although the aircraft is clearly an F-4 and carries the number "34" on the nose, close examination of a photograph reveals that the "3" is larger and apparently in fresher paint than the "4".
Baker's Bastard
p. 47
03FEB43
Refers to a single pilot photographic mission by the C.O.
Lackagas 37
p. 53
23FEB43
Appears to refer to a "low fuel" incident in Dotin' Donna (41-2177) so may be a typo and this name may not have been actually painted on the aircraft. 41-2137 is Hellzapoppin Hepcat.
Photo Joe
p. 57
07MAR43
Refers to a flight by the C.O. in the "renovated and soon-to-be-christened Photo Joe"
Map! Happy Pappy
p. 96
07MAR43
Photograph of nose art on an unidentified F-4. Is it an exclamation mark or a baseball bat after Map?

 

NOTES
1
Superceded by Issue #5.
2

Abbreviations:

SUMAC 5th Air Force, South West Pacific Area.
MELB Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
CAC Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, Melbourne.
MIA Missing In Action.
KIA Killed In Action.

 

3
On 13DEC42, the 8th PRS reported that it had 7 aircraft of which 1 was serviceable.
4

The identities of the two 8th PRS F-4s lost or damaged on 04MAY42 are unknown but through a process of elimination they were deduced to have been 41-2124 and 41-2126. Based on condemned dates, provisional identities were assigned but new evidence which emerged in January 2016 suggests that these provisional identities should be reversed and accordingly this has been done. This new evidence is nothing less than the data plate from 41-2124!

 

(Source: Emerson Rasmussen Collection)
 

The excellent condition of the data plate suggests that it was more likely from the aircraft that was badly damaged in a landing accident on 04MAY42 (#2 in the table above) rather than from an aircraft that was, and presumably still is, Missing In Action (#4 in the table above). However, it is important to note that these amended provisional identities are still subject to confirmation.

Thanks to Emerson Rasmussen for supplying this scan of the data plate in his collection.

Thanks also to Peter Dunn http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/qld86.htm

4
Aircraft names are derived principally from The Eight Ballers by John Stanaway and Bob Rocker.
5
Note that the 8th PRS also operated F-5 Lightnings (as well as other miscellaneous types) but these are outside the scope of this project because the RAAF did not operate F-5s. It is believed that the first F-5A delivered to the 8th PRS may have been 42-13037 on or about 24MAR43.
6
With thanks to Chuck Varney, Terry Geary, Bob Rocker and Gordon Birkett.

 

Issue
Date
Remarks
7 18APR21
Minor reformatting with no change to data.
6
22JAN16
Added new evidence in the form of the data plate from 41-2124. Thanks to Emerson Rasmussen.
5
18JAN16
Added the "Lost" column to separate dates of actual loss from condemned dates.
4
15AUG14
Departure dates ex USA for sequence 5-11 changed from 06JUL42 to 15JUL42.
3
15JUN14
Updated Note 5 with details of what may have been the first delivery of an F-5A to the 8th PRS.
2
13JUN14
Updated the details for Shipment #1 from known movements of the S.S. President Coolidge which sailed from San Francisco on 19MAR42 and docked in Melbourne on 07APR42. Personnel from "A" Flight of the 8th PRS also travelled on this voyage.
1
17MAY14
The table of 8th PRS F-4s was transferred to this stand-alone page and the contents updated. Thanks to Chuck Varney and Terry Geary.
Added 41-2124 and 41-2125 to the list of known 8th PRS F-4s.
Added a Delivery column to the table of known 8th PRS F-4s.
Deleted 41-2134 as it was delivered to the 5th PRS in North Africa.
Deleted 41-2193 as it is most probably F-5 42-13093 or 42-13293.
Deleted 41-2325 as it is a P-38F.
Deleted 41-2381 as it is most probably F-5B 42-67381


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