Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Putt Putt Maru"

 

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Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Item#: MPP38LPPM

MSRP Price: $299.95

Factory Direct Price: $199.95




Manufacturer: Lockheed

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Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Putt Putt Maru"

Charles Henry MacDonald was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Louisiana State University in 1938. While at school, he developed in interest in becoming a pilot, and passed the required exams for flight training. After graduation, MacDonald went to flight training at Randolph and Kelly Fields in Texas. After finishing training, he was assigned to the 20th Pursuit Group at Barksdale Field in Louisiana, flying P-36's.

His group was later assigned duty in Hawaii in February 1941. The P-36's were loaded onto the Enterprise and the 20th sailed to Hawaii. MacDonald had a unique experience for an Army pilot, he had to takeoff the carrier and land his plane in Hawaii. MacDonald was present for the attack on Pearl Harbor, and managed to get airborne, although only after the attack was over. After flying patrol for an hour and a half, MacDonald and his small group of planes headed back to Hawaii, but encountered a fierce hail of flak from nervous and shaken gunners. MacDonald had to run the gauntlet in order to land his aircraft. He remained in Hawaii until early 1943, and was sent back to the United States to help train a P-47 squadron in Massachusetts.

Macdonald moved up to Group Commander in Nov. 1943, replacing George Prentice who was rotated home. Leading the group for 20 months, Colonel "Mac" flew his P-38, Putt-Putt-Maru, with the unit number "100." During early April, he led the 475th on missions over the Japanese stronghold of Hollandia, in northwest Guinea; by the end of the month, it had fallen.

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