Aircraft History
Built by Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio as model V-166B. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as FG-1A Corsair bureau number 14026. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the Pacific and reassembled.

Wartime History
Assigned to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to 1st Marine Air Wing (MAW-1), Marine Air Group 14 (MAG-14) to Marine Fighting Squadron 222 (VMF-222) "Flying Deuces". This aircraft had no known nickname, nose art or squadron number.

Wartime History
On October 19, 1944 took off from Green Island Airfield (Nissan) piloted by 2nd Lt. Archie Clifford Peru on a patrol and bombing mission over Rabaul.

Mission History
On November 12, 1944 took off from Nissan Airfield (Green Island) piloted by 2nd Lt. Archie Clifford Peru on a patrol mission over Rabaul. This Corsair was last seen at 4:35pm entering a hole in a cloud layer at about 2,000'. Immediately thereafter his wing man 400'' behind saw though a break in the cloud layer a long sheet of flame and considerable black smoke roughly two miles north of Four Ways (Four Corners) west of the Malaguna Road. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as missing in action (MIA).

Memorials
Peru was officially declared dead January 25, 1946. He earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. Peru is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing.

References
Navy Serial Number Search Results - FG-1A Corsair 14026
USN Overseas Aircraft Loss List November 1944 - FG-1A Corsair 14026
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Archie Clifford Peru
FindAGrave - 2Lt Archie Clifford Peru (tablets of the missing)
USMC Aircraft Action Report - Archie C. Peru
USMC Aviators page 89 (pilot photo), 100 (group photo)

Last Updated
February 18, 2020