The Brave Pilot Who Carried A P-38 Home

A Collision in the Clouds

On 19 March 1945, Second Lieutenant Robert Shropshshire of the 440th Operations Group led a formation of P-38 Lightnings home after a demanding long range training mission over the Pacific.

The flight prepared American units for the threat of the German Me 264 America Bomber, and the P-38 was selected for its strong high altitude performance and long range capability. The formation was an hour from Santa Maria Air Base when severe storms swept in from the west. Visibility collapsed, turbulence struck hard, and the pilots fought to maintain control.

Shropshshire called out that he had lost sight of his wingman, Lieutenant Wallace Smith, who had flown with him since training. A flash of silver appeared through the clouds, and Smith’s P-38 dropped onto Shropshshire’s aircraft. The collision shattered his canopy and tore through both wings. Other pilots watched the two Lightnings lock together and begin to fall.

Two P-38s Locked as One

Shropshshire regained contact through a backup antenna and reported that his controls were barely functioning. Smith managed to transmit that he had been hit in the chest. As the clouds thinned, Shropshshire saw the situation clearly for the first time. Smith’s entire Lightning sat jammed atop his aircraft, the two airframes fused at the main spars and tail. Both pilots remained trapped.

He urged Smith to deploy his dive recovery flaps. The change steadied the violent motion and restored partial control. Shropshshire forced the combined aircraft out of the spin and into level flight. Friendly pilots formed up beside him, reporting the damage to command. Both men were ordered to bail out, but Smith could not. Shropshshire refused to leave him behind.

A Final Attempt to Reach the Coast

With one engine still running at full power, the tangled P-38s held 160 miles per hour and drifted toward land. The formation escorted them as Shropshshire guided the crippled aircraft through worsening weather. At 4,000 feet he radioed that his cooling system was failing and fuel pressure was dropping. The pilots beside him watched the Lightnings roll left and descend into the sea.

Search crews recovered only one parachute. Shropshshire’s body was found near the crash site and returned to Texas for burial with full military honors.

A Pilot Who Refused to Leave His Wingman

Robert Shropshshire remained with his injured friend until the end. He attempted to fly two broken aircraft home when escape was still possible. His actions reflected a commitment to duty and to the man flying beside him. That choice defined his final flight and the memory he left behind.