A P- 47D of the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group after a forced landing at Bigonville, Luxembourg during mission # 346. This plane was originally identified as being flown by Lt. Col. Marshal Cloke as recorded on the memorial at Bigonville but after some research and going over the mission schedules for January 1 and January 2 it shows that this plane was flown by Lt. Robert M. Lamar. Col. Cloke flew plane GQ-V on both missions of January 2, 1945 as recorded on the mission schedule for the group. Lt. Lamar flew GQ-Q on the mission he flew on January 1,1945 and on both missions he flew on January 2, 1945, in fact he flew GQ-Q on most missions he flew in a P47D. If you look at the squadron code it is either a GQ-O or GQ-Q and not GQ-V. On January 2,1945 GQ-Q was flying both missions and GQ-O had not been flow since December 16, 1944.
A letter was drafted and sent to the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland to see if there was any record of this plane. They replied and asked that this information which included the tail number of the plane be sent to the National Air and Space Museum, Archival Support Center in Maryland. This department has many historical Individual Aircraft Record Cards that list a plane's serial number, place of manufacture, manufacturer's contract number and any repairs and accidents.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum replied that this aircraft P-47D serial number 42-29203 departed the U.S. on October 2,1944 for SOXO (England). It was later condemned by the Ninth Air Force as missing in action on January 2, 1945.
Since GQ-O did not fly on January 2, 1945 and the Individual Aircraft Record Card confirms that the Ninth Air Force condemned this plane on January 2, 1945 then it is obviously GQ-Q which was flown as reported in the daily mission schedules by Lt. Robert M. Lamar on both missions over Bastone.
