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  P-39K-1-BE Airacobra Serial Number 42-4346  
USAAF
5th AF
35th FG
41st FS

Pilot  2nd Lt Alexander D. Currie (rescued)
MIA  December 16, 1942
MACR  none

Aircraft History
Built by Bell in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 35th Fighter Group, 41st Fighter Squadron. No known nickname or nose art.

Mission History
On December 16, 1942 took off from 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby on a patrol mission. Returning, the formation entered a solid overcast of bad weather. Flying alone the vicinity of the Kokoda Gap, this aircraft repeatedly stalled. Despite the efforts of the pilot Currie, he could not rectify the problem and bailed out, landing in the Opi River Valley.

A total of four Airacobras had not returned to Port Moresby by the end of the mission. One pilot had diverted to Dobodura Airfield after running low on fuel while another had landed at Popondetta Airfield also out of fuel. The other two fighters and their pilots were considered Missing In Action (MIA) at the end of the day, this aircraft and P-39K 42-4362 (pilot MIA). These two Airacobras were band new P-39K-1 models.

Rescue
Currie parachuted safely and landed unhurt. He returned to his squadron on December 25, 1942.

Memorials
Tucker was officially declared dead on December 15, 1945. He is memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery.

References
Tucker earned the Air Medal for previous missions flown in New Guinea
41st Fighter Squadron Diary
"16 December 1942 - On return our aircraft ran into a solid overcast. Four of the planes did not return from the mission... Lts. Tucker & Alexander D. Currie "were last sighted flying at 17,000 to 18,000 feet at approximately 0930 [in the vicinity of "the Gap"]. One of these [probably Currie] was reported to have bailed out, but the whereabouts of either one is not known. Searching parties have been sent out."
28 December 1942 - Currie's P-39 was in a uncontrolled spin when he came out of the clouds into a "clear valley" at only 1500 feet above the ground, prompting him to bail out. He walked down stream for 6 days in the general direction of Buna when he met villagers. They said he was in the "Op River valley" [likely a typo for Opi / Ope?] The valley was 200 degrees from Wairope bridge. The natives then carried him to Popondetta. The whereabouts of Lt. Robert C. Tucker, a member of the same flight is unknown. When last observed by Lt. Currie, Lt. Tucker was flying ahead at the same altitude and direction straight into the instrument weather. Lt. Tucker was alone."
Joe Baugher "Bell P-39K Airacobra"
American Battle Monuments Commission (AMBC) - Robert G. Tucker
Thanks to Edward Rogers for additional research and analysis



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Last Updated
December 19, 2021

 

Tech Info
P-39

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