Sad Sack is the most famous fighter plane of the Eighty-Second Fighter Group and arguably the most famous USAAF Fighter of the Mediterranean Theater during WW II.
P-38F-15 serial # 43-2112. 183 combat missions from Dec.,1942 through May of 1944.
She is officially credited with 16 victories , not including the uncountable number of ‘ probables’ which couldn’t be officially claimed.
Incredibly, she was only hit by enemy fire twice during her career, including on her last mission. Loss the hydraulic system by enemy fire during this flight necessitated a ‘belly landing’ at home base The pilot was uninjured, but with bent propellers and other damage by cannon and machine gun fire meant that Sad Sack could fly again only after very extensive repairs. Considering her old age it was decided to conserve parts and labor on newer models, so she was scrapped.
Places to visit:
Airfields Sad Sack was stationed:
January,1942 -- Muroc Dry Lake [by Edwards AFB Calif.];Oct.,Dec.,1942 --. RAF Station Eglinton, North Ireland; Dec.23 to 31 Dec, 42 -- Tafaraoui, Algeria [near Oran]; 1 Jan, 43 to27 Mar. 43 -- Telergma, Algeria [ Constantine area]; 28 Mar. to 1 June,43 -- Berteaux, Algeria.[ about 12 miles east of Telergma]; 1 June to 1 Aug.,43 -- Souk-el-Arba, Tunisia [near Algerian border]; 4 Aug, to 3 Sept.,43 -- Gromballa, Tunesia [ Cape Bon area]; 5 to 30 Sept.,43 -- Maddelina/Gerbini, Sicily.[ at southern base of Mt. Etna]; 2 to9 Oct.43 -- San Pancrazio/Salentina, Italy; 10 Oct.,43 to 10 Jan, 44 -- San Donato, Italy [by Lecce]; 11 Jan.44 to Oct.45 -- Foggia #11 Vincenzo, Italy [ on the Foggia to Troia road].
82nd Fighter Reunion sites:
.Date Place Hotel Address
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1979 Corpus Christi, TX Emerald Beach Holiday Inn 1102 S. Shoreline Blvd..
No Reunion in 1980
1981 Snowmass Village, CO Mountain Chalet 115 Daly Lane
1982 Orlando, FL International Inn 6327 International Dr.
1983 Corpus Christi, TX Sheraton Marina Inn 707 N. Shoreline Blvd..
1984 Denver, CO Denver Hilton Inn South 7801 E. Orchard Road.
1985 San Antonio, TX Hilton Palacio Del Rio On the Riverwalk.
1986 Atlanta, GA Holiday Inn, Powers Ferry 6325 Powers Ferry Rd.
1987 Boise, ID Red Lion Boise Downtowner 1800 W. Fairview Ave.
1988 Dayton, OH Stouffer Dayton Plaza Hotel 5th at Jefferson Street.
1989 Long Beach, CA Queen Mary Queen Mary Drive
1990 Asheville, NC Radisson Hotel*
1991 Denver,CO Marriot Hotel S.E. 6363 E, Hampden Rd.
1992 St. Louis, MO Days Inn at the Arch
1993 Bellevue, WA Red Lion Inn Bellevue 11211 Main St.
1994 San Angelo, TX Holiday Inn Convention Center 441 Rio Concho
1995 Sandestin Resort, FL Sandestin Inn Inquire at the gate.
1996 Boston, MA Holiday Inn Dedham 55 Ariadne Rd.
1997 Scottsdale, AZ Safari Resort* ( no longer exists ) Across from _____Plaza.
1998 Houston, TX Nassau Bay Hilton & Marina 3000 NASA Road One.
1999 Oklahoma City, OK Clarion Hotel & Conference Center 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd.
2000 Detroit, MI Double Tree Hotel (Airport) 31500 Wick Rd, Romulus,MI
2001 Tucson, AZ Double Tree Guest Suites 6555 E. Speedway Blvd.
2002 Sacramento, CA Double Tree Hotel 2001 point West Way.
2003 San Diego, CA Red Lion Hanalei Hotel 22270 Hotel Circle North.
2004 Windsor, CT Hilton Garden Inn Windsor 555 Corporate Dr.
2005 Oshkosh, WI Hilton Garden Inn Oshkosh 1355 W.20th Ave.
2006 Dulles Airport ( Wash. D.C.) Dulles Marriott Hotel 45020 Aviation Dr. ( across from Airport )