Location: Royal Deeside/St Andrews, Scotland, UK (atm Pretoria, South Africa)
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Excellent pics! Look forward to more.
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"Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts"
Sir Winston Churchill
"To him the people of the world largely owe the Freedom and liberties they enjoy today"
Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London
Do you have a story to tell regarding the Russian-American handshake? And who is the artist (2nd last photo). Clever usage of converting 'tails' into 'crosses'?
Great photos, thanks for posting them.
The first two pics at the very top (of post 1) are Henry Brown getting the first DSC for the 355th - for attacking 5 Me 109s shooting at two 354FS Mustands, out of ammo, out turned them one at a time in a lufberry, causing each one to split S and dive away..
The second one is a DSC to Royce Priest for first Piggy Back rescue of his CO (my father).
Below are several more of his film clips, then Moon Elder in front of his Mustang with 357FS - the Licking Dragons served with distinction in WWII, Viet Nam, Gulf War and today
so the sequences afther the film clips are 357FS - at the bottom bunch is Norm Olson in Ma Fran OSP. Only Jug ace in 355th and only ace KIA (flak) in the group. The 355th may have been unique in that no air ace was shot down by a German fighter.
Do you have a story to tell regarding the Russian-American handshake? And who is the artist (2nd last photo). Clever usage of converting 'tails' into 'crosses'?
Great photos, thanks for posting them.
Graeme - the photo is of Henry Brown - top ace in 355th... on the Shuttle Mission - Frantic VII, which my father was leading.
Brown was flying Yellow 1 and his flight was sent to break up an attack by JG51 Me 109s. He blew one up in a head on pass and hit another one, then strafed an airfield near Warsaw and damaged a Ju 87 and an Me 109 to finish up his day. His combat film is in his left hand with the the Russia segment map..
The picture below Brown is Bob White - retired Lt General, ex X-15 Test Pilot and got a DSC/AFC while flying with the 355th in Viet Nam.
The picture below the parafrag is of Jabby Jabara - later first USAF jet ace and number 2 in Korea behind McConnell
The artist is Art DeCosta - he did Miss Behave as well as several other Nose Art on P-47s and all the O Club Murals as well as being an accomplished oil artist. He did a portrait of my father which I still have.
He recently passed away after a long career at Univ of Penn (I think)..
The third from top and fourth from bottom are the Walter Gresham - the 358FS pilot and P-47 (YFT) that probably shot down Egon Mayer on 2 March, 1944. The two pics next to Gresham are of Billy Hovde - top 358FS ace
The pic of YFC with the 20mm flak holes in cockpit are German photos after Walburn shot down in this ship at Lechfield A/D - with only minor wounds and burns.
The last pic is Gilmore who had a close escape from 20mm flak on 15 August and then was killed by 20mm flak two weeks later on 355th's worst day of war -losing 8 Mustangs to flak around Metz on a fighter bomber sweep..two KIA, the rest Evaded and returned.
some Scout Force (Experimental) formed from 355th FG at Steeple Morden in July 1944
Bud Peaslee - father of Scouts - ex 384BG, then Peaslee in his Calamity Jane.
Each of the 355th FG squadrons formed an E flight into which 4-6 Mustangs (brand new P-51D-5) were transferred.
James Kilmer, 354FS pilot transferred in. The 355th provided volunteers to serve as 'escorts' to the bomber pilots which came in from 1st and 2nd Division.
