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Following is Weaver's Article:
THE YOUNGEST ALLIED ACE
On Friday, January 28, 1944, three Supermarine Mk. IXc Spitfires from 403 "Wolf" Fighter Squadron (F/S), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) overflew Luftwaffe occupied French airfields at Valenciennes, Douai, Vitry and Epinoy. The German personnel on the ground watched in awe as the Canadian trio flew a perfect line-abreast formation, just below the 3,000 foot cloud deck.
That afternoon, just after 1445 hours, thirty-two year old Oberstleutnant Heinz-Gerhard Vogt from 7th Staffel./Jagdgeschwader 26 (7./JG 26) scrambled his fighters from Grevillers in an attempt to intercept the enemy raiders. Fighting in Western France since 1940, JG 26, flying their yellow-nosed Focke-Wulf FW-190A-7's, were more commonly known as "The Abbeville Kids". Knowing his enemies altitude and direction, Vogt's Staffel took off on a northeasterly heading. They climbed just far enough into the overcast so that they would be able to spot the Canadian aircraft as they flew on a reciprocal course beneath them. However, both flights managed to pass each other without either one being seen or contact being made. Reversing his course, the experienced Oberstleutnant located and engaged the Canadians at 1537 hours just as they flew over his airfield!
In the ensuing dog fight two of the Spitfires, flown by Flight Lieutenants (F/L's) Thornton and Foster, were badly damaged. Using all their flying skills, the pair managed to make good their escape back across the English Channel to Royal Air Force (RAF) Station Kenley. The third aircraft, coded MA642 and flown by the Section Leader, was chased and shot down by Vogt as it raced for the protection of nearby clouds.
Gerhard Vogt had just scored his 18th kill. He watched his opponent open his canopy as he prepared to bail out of his crippled warplane. His victim was a twenty year old American flying in the service of the RCAF. Pilot Officer (P/O) Claude "Weavy" Weaver III was also an Ace and had 12.5 aerial victories to his credit. As Weaver exited his fighter he pulled his ripcord prematurely causing his parachute to billow too close to the falling plane! His body passed safely under the aircraft's tail, but some of the inflated parachute panels passed over the top of the tailplane. Vogt watched in horror as the unthinkable happened - several parachute shroud lines caught, then became entangled, anchoring the pilot to the fighter's tail! Pilot and aircraft fell together as one to the frozen earth below. The violent impact did not immediately end the young American's life! Weaver was rushed by French authorities, barely alive, to a local hospital, but mercifully died three hours later from massive injuries.
Four months earlier, Vogt had shot down another Spitfire Ace who had the exact same score as Weaver - 12.5 confirmed! FL F. A. O. "Tony" Gaze, an Australian flying with RAF 66 Squadron, was Vogt's 14th victim. Unlike Weaver, Gaze bailed out successfully, evaded back to England and resumed flying combat.
The horrific image of Weaver's last moments stayed with Vogt until he himself was shot down and killed in aerial combat on January 14, 1945. That day, twenty-five P-51 Mustangs from the 78Th Fighter Group (F/G), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) intercepted him and elements of 5./JG 26 at low level near Cologne, Germany. Heinz-Gerhard Vogt had run his score to 48 victories, was on his 174th combat mission and was flying a long nosed FW-190D-9 Dora Fighter coded "White 13". Right up until the time of his death, Vogt told everyone he knew the unsettling story of Weaver's tragic demise. It bothered him that a "Warrior" had died in that manner!
Claude Weaver the III was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on August 18, 1923. His Father, Claude the II, was Oklahoma's Assistant State Attorney General. His Grandfather, Claude the I, was a Federal Court Judge who had previously served as a U.S. Congressman. There were two other children in the Weaver family, a younger brother David and an older sister Virginia. The Weaver family lived in a large two storey house at 1201 Northwest 38th Street and were considered for the time to be financially well off.
Claude Weaver dropped out of Classen High School midway through his Grade XI studies so that he could join the RCAF. He was only seventeen years old when he interrupted his formal education to begin his great adventure. Perhaps he was inspired after watching newsreel clips at his local movie theatre of those intrepid RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Pilots who had so valiantly defended England during the "Battle of Britain".
Maybe it was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's stirring speech of August 20, 1940 when he said, "The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British Airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
Retired U.S. Air Force Captain W. M. "Mac" Palmer from Austin, Texas told the writer in several telephone interviews the true story behind Claude's motivation to join up. He was a close friend of Weaver's and went through grade and high school with him in Oklahoma City. Mac says, "Claude was a fantastic athlete who swam, boxed and played tennis. When he was 15, Weaver broke his neck in a diving accident and had to wear an upper body cast for almost a year. He was very smart and could obtain good grades when he applied himself. Claude, however, was constantly in trouble with school officials for acting out or talking too much in class. He was also a school yard bully who was quick to fight, particularly with students from the other city high schools, over matters as trivial as the loss of a high school football game! One too many of his after school altercations finally landed him in court. He did, however, have the very good fortune to appear before a Judge who just happened to be a friend of his Grandfather. The Judge decided Mr. Weaver needed some discipline in his young life and offered him a choice - join a military service or face a term of incarceration in juvenile reform school"!
Claude, who always wanted to be a pilot, had only one option open to him and that was to go to Canada. His parents reluctantly bought him a bus ticket to Detroit, Michigan, whereupon he crossed the United States/Canadian border at Windsor, Ontario and enlisted in the RCAF on February 13, 1941. The Air Force assigned him service number R83374 and his rank was Aircraftsman Second Class (AC2). He spent the early part of his RCAF experience at the following two makeshift training facilities as a large influx of applicants had temporarily overwhelmed the system.
February 14 to March 20 - IA Manning Depot (MD), Picton, Ontario - Claude and others were at this RCAF Station while it was still under construction. It officially opened on April 28, 1941 as No. 31 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS);
March 22 to May 3 - Guard duty at RCAF Station, Sydney, Nova Scotia;
On May 4 Weaver reported to No. 3 Initial Training School (ITS) in Victoriaville, Quebec. He passed out of this course with a 75% average on June 7 and was promoted from AC2 to Leading Aircraftsman (LAC).
The next day he began his flight training on Fleet Finch II Biplane Trainers at No. 17 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Stanley, Nova Scotia. Weaver graduated from No. 17 on July 26, 1941 with a 70.6% grade average.
At this point he had 56.6 flying hours recorded in his log book (25.55 dual and 31.05 solo), plus 8 hours of link trainer time. In his file from No. 17 was the following notation, "Learns quickly and has above average intelligence, but is inclined to be cocky and a smart aleck".
Weavy was posted on July 27 to No. 8 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Moncton, New Brunswick.
His dream was to fly fighters so one can only imagine how disappointed he was when he learned that he would finish his training flying twin-engine Avro Ansons. He suddenly realized the RCAF was streaming him to fly multi-engine aircraft, Bombers or perhaps even Transports. His grades and his attitude plummeted! He crash-landed an Anson off Station and the cause of the accident was attributed to pilot carelessness. Disciplinary action was taken and as punishment he was confined to barracks (CB) for seven days.
In a graduation ceremony on October 10, Weaver was awarded his cloth RCAF Pilot Wings and was promoted from LAC to Sergeant Pilot. However, he had not applied himself to the final stage of his flight training and almost did not make it through. He barely obtained a passing grade and ranked 39th (last) in his graduating class! On his final assessment his Squadron Commander noted the following, "Discipline Poor. Has too much to say. Is a wise guy". The Station's Commanding Officer, Wing Commander (W/C) W. W. Brown, knowingly or unknowingly steered Weavy happily back into his realm when he recommended fighters were the only type of service aircraft he should fly. The Station's Chief Flying Instructor (CFI), Squadron Leader (S/L) Keith Louis Bate Hodson from London, Ontario, had the final say as to whether or not Weaver would graduate with his classmates. He tempered his yes decision with the following remarks, "Very young. Has a schoolboy complex. But lots of courage". Keith Hodson stayed in the RCAF after the War and rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshall (AVM). Sixteen years after Weaver tragically died, Hodson was killed in an eerily similar fashion. On July 5, 1960, Hodson bailed out of a crippled T-33 Jet Trainer near Colorado Springs, Colorado. His parachute caught on the plane's tail and like Weaver he plunged to his death secured to the aircraft! At the time, AVM Hodson was the Deputy Chief of Staff at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Headquarters!!
Sergeant Pilot Weaver left Moncton with 144.95 flight hours on Ansons recorded in his log book. Taking the standard two week pre-embarkation leave, he returned home to visit with family, friends and in particular his high school sweetheart, Ramona Yergler. Returning to Canada, Claude left "Y" Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia on November 2 on a troop ship bound for England. Arriving on the 14th, he was sent to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre (PRC) in Bournemouth on England's south coast. From December 6 to January 5, 1942, he flew Miles Master Trainers with an Advanced Flying Unit (AFU) at RAF Cranwell. From February 10 to April 15, Claude flew Miles Masters and Hawker Hurricanes with RAF No. 56 Operational Training Unit (OTU), first from Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire and later from Tealing, Dundee, Scotland.
After graduating, Weaver was posted on April 16 to RCAF 412 "Falcon" Fighter Squadron who were flying Spitfire Vb's initially from Wellingore and later from Martlesham Heath in Suffolk. FL W. Barry Needham of Wynyard, Saskatchewan spent twenty-six months flying combat with 412 completing two tours of operation. "I remember Claude extremely well", Needham recalls. He had led Weaver on a "Rhubarb Mission", a strafing sweep at low level by a few aircraft, to the Ostend, Belgium area on May 21, 1942. He said the weather that day was lousy, low cloud which they flew in and out of while just a few feet above the water! Eventually they were separated and that is when they should have turned around and aborted their mission. However, they did not. Barry shot up some barges and a flak position. When Claude returned he reported flying out of the soup into brilliant sunshine right over the middle of Ostend Harbour. The Germans put up the most horrendous flak barrage, but missed!
Volunteering to go to Malta, Weavy left 412 at the beginning of June and joined RAF 185 Squadron on the Island on the 29th. Known as the "Malta Squadron", 185 flew a mixture of Spitfire Vb's and c's from Qrendi Airfield. In his first contact with the enemy on July 17, 1942, Weaver shot down a Messerschmitt BF-109. Over the next six days he added four more 109's to his score a double on the 22nd and another on the 23rd achieving the coveted title of Ace! The Squadron's diarist recorded the following: "Shorty" Reid with Sgt. Weaver, one of the new boys, each accounted for a 109F type. The boys also escorted the RAF high-speed rescue launch that went out of its way to pick up the Jerries". Weaver was successful again five days later as the diarist continued. "Sgt. Weaver maintained his good work, this time shooting down two nasty ME-109F's." The following day Weaver saw yet more action. "A Flight went to town on a radar plot of 15+, Sgt. Weaver scoring another double - 2 ME-109's again - a really excellent record."
At the age of 18, Claude Weaver became the youngest Allied Fighter Ace of World War II! Wing Commander Brown's assessment back in New Brunswick of the type of service aircraft Weaver should only fly was absolutely correct!
Before he turned 19, Claude added .5 of a JU-88 on July 24, a BF-109 probable on August 2 and two additional BF-109 kills on August 17. Days after celebrating his birthday, Weaver claimed another BF-109 probable on the 25th and two days later he accounted for a JU-88, a BF-109 and a JU-88 probable. His score to that point stood at 9.5 confirmed and 3 probables.
Weaver's string of kills almost ended at 1458 hours on July 31 when he was bested in combat by Oberstleutnant Gerhard Michalski of 4./JG 53 who was flying a BF-109G-2. After becoming Michalski's 41st victim, Weavy crash-landed Spitfire EP343 on the island. Gerhard Michalski survived the war flying a total 652 combat missions. His final aerial tally was 73 victories.
For destroying 5.5 German Aircraft in only eight days, Weaver learned on September 4 that he was being awarded a Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM). Part of his published award read as follows:
"This NCO has shown great zeal and initiative in combat. Though relatively inexperienced he has, by his dash and personal courage, been an inspiration to the other fighter pilots of his unit".
Flying Spitfire Vc coded 'X' BR112 on a fighter sweep to Comiso Airdrome in Sicily on September 9, Weaver shot down an Italian Macchi MC.202 Folgore fighter. To achieve this victory, he had to chase and catch the 352 Squadriglia aircraft in a near vertical dive. Weaver's engine was then shot out by his victim's wingman Paolo Damiani who had worked his way unnoticed in behind Claude's aircraft. Claude's element leader suggested that he put his Spitfire down in the shallow surf parallel to the beach at Scoglitti. Weavy replied "no thanks" and announced he was landing directly on the beach. He also said, "I'll get a boat and I'll be back". Sergeant Weaver pulled off a beautiful wheels up landing with the result that there was no noticeable damage to his aircraft other than a bent propellor. For a few minutes he eluded his captors in the sand dunes, but was eventually discovered hiding a short distance away in the tall grass.
On September 22, Claude's mother, Retha Dellinger Weaver, received a letter from No. 185's Commanding Officer, SL C.F.O.Swales, who stated the following; "By now you have heard from official sources that your son is missing. I have every reason to believe that he is a Prisoner of War (POW) as he was seen to make a forced landing in enemy territory. The Italian wireless broadcast that an enemy plane had been forced down and that the pilot, an American, was a POW in their hands. Your son was a very good pilot and an excellent shot. His loss is very much felt in the Squadron as his efforts had most certainly added to the score of enemy planes shot down".
Claude spent the next year as a POW in Camp P.W. 21 at Chieti, Italy.
Barry Needham returned to Canada late in 1943 on a month's leave before heading back to begin his second tour. During the trip home, he met FL Dennis "Dogass" Newman from Buffalo, New York. Newman, an RCAF Wellington Bomber Pilot, had been in the same Camp as Weaver. He told Barry that when Italy surrendered, the Italian camp guards slowly drifted away. The camp's British Senior Officer (BSO) told everyone to stay put as the Allies were on their way. He warned them that if anyone left he would personally see to it that they would be court-martialled. Newman, Weaver and several others, including Lieutenant Harold "Mouse" Rideout, a 26 year old P-40 pilot from Ashburnham, Massachusetts, said to hell with that and took off! Weaver teamed with Rideout in the bid for freedom. The pair were always packed and ready to go on a moment's notice. They had a good supply of energy bars on hand made from sugar and chocolate they had melted together from their Red Cross packages. Those weekly packages, routed through Switzerland by the boxcar load, literally saved the Prisoners' lives. Each week an eleven pound package plus 100 cigarettes was evenly divided between two men. As neither Weaver nor Rideout smoked, their weekly tobacco alottment greatly enhanced their trading and buying power for other essential items.
It's a good thing they did not listen to the camp BSO as several days later the empty guard towers were staffed by well-armed German paratroopers. Weeks later, P.W. 21 closed. The remaining prisoners were moved several times eventually winding up at Stalag Luft III located near the village of Sagan, Germany.
Newspaperman, novelist and hollywood screen writer David "Westey" Westheimer, the author of "Von Ryan's Express" and "My Sweet Charlie", knew Weaver while both were interned in P.W. 21. Westheimer, a B-24 Navigator, was shot down on December 11, 1942 during a bombing raid to Naples harbour. In his 1992 book "Sitting It Out", David described Claude's life as a POW; "A powerfully built RCAF fighter pilot from Oklahoma City, Weaver, a double Ace at only nineteen, would stride around the compound, his blonde head arrogantly held high. When our Red Cross parcels arrived, Claude who was a super trader, would roam the camp like a timber wolf looking for victims. He had no shame! The more lopsided the bargain, the better he liked it. He traded a British Army Colonel two tins of British sugar (four ounces) for a tin of English biscuits. Weaver then went off and within an hour returned with two bags of Canadian sugar (eight ounces) that he had traded for the biscuits. And he gloated! Weaver was so good at the barter game he once traded soap, coffee and tea for a guard's rifle!! The BSO made him return it. Claude was wild and reckless and always got into trouble with his captors. On cold sleety nights he would go to the window and call out to the freezing guards walking the wire outside our bungalow, "Dormi bene Sentinello" - "Sleep well, Sentry". Weaver had the most cooler time (solitary confinement) of any American in the camp. Late one evening, in one of his escape attempts, he tangled himself in the wire and was discovered as he tried to break free. The guards knew Weaver by sight and hated him because of his constant taunts. Several proceeded to beat him with their rifle butts. He was saved from certain death only when an Italian Red Cross Officer stopped them. The Officer convinced the guards that Weaver's escape attempt was just a youthful prank. He took Claude aside and told him there had been too many attempts and the camp Commandant was pressuring the guards to clamp down. He also told Weavy that if he tried it again, he more than likely would be shot"!
The hardest part of Claude and Harold's journey, was that they had to navigate their way through 300 miles of German occupied territory. Rideout, who lives in Hawaii, picks up the story; "Once outside, we wondered how the Italian farmers would receive us. We both had long handle-bar mustaches, Claude was in his RCAF uniform and I wore Khaki. At first many Italians thought we were German. But when they realized we were American, everything was fine. You know they all had a cousin or a friend in New York. Two days out in a tiny village in hill country, they discovered we were American POW's. They treated us like Kings. They fed us, called the mayor and had a great celebration! They offered us guns which we refused. Two young fellows who wanted to join General Badoglio's Army in the south, and fight for the Allies, offered to act as our guides. We stayed on the mountain trails. The country was beautiful and we enjoyed the warm days and cool September nights. We finally decided we had to get out of our uniforms, when we began seeing prints of German hobnail boots on the trail. We discarded our uniforms and obtained some tattered clothing from our guides. Once we came upon a German convoy, so we sat down on a hillside with a shepherd, shared our cigarettes, and watched the trucks and tanks roll by. We left our guides behind as they were traveling much slower than we were. We could see our pilots bombing Foggia on the east coast. In one village we entered, the people began calling to one another up and down the street 'Americanos, Americanos'. The Germans in the village came after us so we took off. We were racing down a steep slope and that's when Claude took a mean fall and injured his ankle. But we kept going for another mile or two. His ankle swelled up like a balloon. Then we came across the armed soldier wearing shorts. We thought he was British as they often wore shorts. When we got closer we saw the swastikas on his uniform. Claude said he'd take him if he had to. We said 'Bon Giorno' and walked right past him. He gave us a dirty look and said 'Nichts'. Our ragged clothes had fooled him. By this time Claude's ankle was giving him fits. We came upon a deserted farm and I made a bed for him in the hayloft. I set out to find help, some food, and discovered a British convoy roaring down a road. I tried to flag them down, but they weren't about to stop for an excited Italian. Finally some sappers directed me to a bridge which was under repair. After I convinced the Canadian Captain in charge of who I was he loaned me a vehicle to bring Weaver in. We got back to the trail to the farm and there was this man with a donkey. With the last of the cigarettes and some soap, I convinced the man to loan me the donkey for Claude to ride". Later in a radio interview in London, Weaver completed the rest of the story; "Rideout put me to bed and said he was going across to the British lines for help. I thought I'd never see him again. But that night, as I hobbled around the farmyard on a crude crutch I had made, I saw a man in an old floppy hat coming up the trail on a donkey. It turned out to be Lieutenant Rideout. He'd found the British lines and came back for me". Newspapers reported the pair reached Allied lines a year to the day after Claude had been imprisoned. Rideout reportedly was leading the donkey with Weaver perched on its back. Claude was wearing a jaunty Alpine hat, carrying a shepherd's crook and running a temperature. The two had walked for nine days and nights to reach safety.
RCAF Overseas Headquarters in London, England received a message on October 8, 1943 advising Weaver had arrived safely at Malta. He returned to England on the 18th and was pleased to learn that eight days earlier he had been promoted from Sergeant Pilot to Warrant Officer Second Class (WO2). The very next day, he was commissioned from the ranks as a PO and was assigned a new service number J18784. Anxious to return to flying combat, Weavy joined RCAF No. 127 Wing on October 27, initially flying with 421, then 403 Squadron.
On November 30, he was invested with his DFM Award at Buckingham Palace where he briefly met King George VI during the ceremony.
In his book, "Lucky 13", WC Hugh Constant "Hughie" Godefroy, DSO, DFC & Bar, Croix de Guerre with Gold Star (Fr), recalls meeting Claude Weaver late in 1943. Godefroy was the Wing Commander of No. 127 Wing; "I received a rather unusual replacement, PO Claude Weaver, DFM. He had been shot down on a strafing expedition over Sicily while stationed at Malta. He had been interned in an Italian POW camp. The Italians treated their prisoners without the slightest respect for the Geneva Convention. Disregarding the fact that it is the duty of a captured combatant to try to escape, the Italians brutally beat Claude after his first two attempts to gain his freedom. At last he escaped and made contact with the advancing Allied Troops in Italy. Claude was an American who trained in Canada and who wanted to stay in the RCAF after the War. Having heard of the treatment he had endured at the hands of the Italians, I fully expected to meet a very subdued character. When he presented himself at my office, I found myself faced with a tall blonde keen-looking fellow who had just turned twenty. He had a neatly trimmed moustache, bright eyes and his uniform, buttons and shoes were in impeccable order. The only sign of past military experience was the DFM ribbon below his wings. It was evident in talking to him that he wanted to get back on operations as quickly as possible. I delegated him to 421 Squadron and told him to get checked out on a Spitfire IX and fly around and get familiar with the country. On the day he did his first solo, the Wing was grounded by bad weather. Just after tea, I got a phone call from Alex Hamilton, the Wing Engineering Officer.
'Hughie, have we had anybody flying operational today?'
'No, Alex, there's just been the odd fellow doing some local flying. Why?'
'One of the aircraft in 421 Squadron came back with the spinner missing from its prop. It's obviously been blown off by a cannon shell. Who is this guy, Weaver?
'He's a new second tour replacement; was he flying the aircraft?'
'He was!'
'Have them send him up to my office immediately!'
Twenty minutes later, Claude Weaver came into my office looking a little sheepish.
'Weaver, I told you to go out and do some local flying. Where did you go?'
'It didn't take me long to get familiar with the area, sir, so seeing that I was up, I went over to France and did a little strafing.'
'If that's the kind of thing you're going to do, Weaver, you might as well pack up your bags and go back to Air Force Headquarters.'
For a moment, I thought he was going to cry. He pleaded with me to let him stay.
'Okay, Weaver, I'll give you one more chance. From now on I will decide if, and when, you will venture over enemy territory. Do you understand?'
'Yes, sir, I promise - I promise!'
This was not the last time I would have to deal with Claude Weaver. Inwardly I was delighted with his keenness and, with his reaction to the threat of being turfed, I was sure that he wouldn't play that trick again".
In December, Claude was asked in a radio interview why had he not transferred from the RCAF to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). He replied, "Well, it would take me a few months to train on P-47 Thunderbolts. Anyway, when the invasion comes I want to be flying Spitfire".
On December 30, Weaver was flying in a four plane section which was being led by Canada's top scoring Fighter Ace FL George "Buzz" Beurling. The other two pilots were Flying Officers (F/O's) Hart Finlay and William Bliss. Southeast of Paris, the four came upon an American Heavy Bomber Group which was being harassed by a mixed force of 109's and 190's. Breaking up the German fighter attack, Beurling and Bliss each destroyed an FW-190 while Weaver and Findlay each downed a BF-109.
Claude's last victory, which brought his tally to 12.5, occurred on January 21, 1944 when he shot down an FW-190 west of Lens.
The last written entry in Weaver's RCAF records, which are held in The National Archives in Ottawa, Ontario, simply states "January 28, 1944 - Missing from 403 Squadron - Presumed dead"!
The Squadron's diarist made the following entry that fateful day; "The weather today was unfit for a sweep. Readiness was done by the Squadron. In the afternoon a Ranger sortie was organized by Claude Weaver. The section then flew to RAF Manston. Only three of the four aircraft got airborne. When they got in around Doucie they were bounced by 12+ FW-190's. They were all hit. Unfortunately, Claude Weaver has not returned. This is a great shame as we shall miss his exceptional eyesight and the very fine spirit which he displayed at all times. We all sincerely hope that he will be back in a month or so".
403's Commanding Officer in a report to Headquarters described it this way; "Three aircraft of this Squadron took off from Manston on this operation and swept Lille/Amiens. They entered the French coast at Nieuport and swept the Lille area and then turned Southwest towards Amiens, the section was flying line abreast at 3,000 feet and below the cloud layer. All aircraft were heavily engaged, FL Thornton and FO Foster's aircraft were both hit. When last seen PO Weaver was breaking up into cloud with two enemy aircraft on his tail. Sample 42 (the fourth aircraft - author) did not take off from Manston due to engine trouble".
On March 2, 1944, the Oklahoma City native who proved he could fly and fight with the best either side had to offer, was posthumously awarded a British Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). His medal was presented on May 5, 1945 to his next of kin. The citation read as follows:
"Within recent months this Officer has taken part in numerous low level attacks against a variety of targets, such as airfield and gun emplacements, and throughout has displayed great determination in air fighting. He has destroyed a further seven enemy aircraft bringing his Victories to twelve. His successes are an excellent tribute to his great skill, courage and resolution".
On June 8, 1944, Claude Weaver was Mentioned in Dispatches (MiD). However, there was no citation recorded for this award.
A second tragedy befell the Weaver family on March 5, 1945, when Claude's brother David was killed in action on the island of Iwo Jima while serving with the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
The youngest Allied Ace of World War II peacefully rests far from Oklahoma in Grave No. 9 in the Meharicourt Communal Cemetery in Somme, France. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) meticulously maintains the graves of forty other Allied Airmen at Meharicourt 21 British - RAF, 12 Canadian - RCAF*, 6 Australian - RAAF and 2 New Zealanders - RNZAF. * Claude Weaver is counted as a Canadian. In this quiet country setting, these forty-one decorated airmen are grouped together in one section of the Cemetery known as the British Plot. They are great company for each other.
In 1994, Barry Needham visited several Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries in France while attending 50Th Anniversary D-Day Celebrations. He accidentally stumbled upon Claude's Grave at Meharicourt and was shocked when he saw that he was only 20 years old when he died! He could hardly believe that fact! Needham knew Weaver was young, he just never realized how young. The subject of age never came up in their conversations. Barry wonders how was it possible that Claude could join up and go through pilot training at the age of 17? He said, "Regardless, he was a hell of a pilot"!
Mac Palmer purchased two copies of David Westheimer's POW Memoir "Sitting It Out" and sent one to Weaver's sister. Westheimer, graciously signed her copy with the following personal inscription, "For Virginia Weaver Higbee, in memory of your brave brother Claude, from his barracks mate, friend and admirer".
-END-
The author gratefully thanks the following who provided information for this article: National Archives of Canada, W. M. Palmer, W. Barry Needham, David Westheimer, Harold Rideout, Hugh Godfroy, The JG 26 War Diaries and M. Hutchison and Jay Marks of The Oklahoman Newspaper.
By Tom Walsh.
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