Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:56 pm
I haven't seen Brigadier General O. T. Ridley, Jr. USAf, ret. in a few years and am glad to hear he is still alive. I last saw him at a luncheon and we were both looking at Tom Patten's P-51. He lives outside of Nashville and I worked with him on Saturday's for about two years back in the 1980's. He was the glider instructor, and I the tow pilot at Eagleville Sailplanes in Eagleville, Tenn.
He wrote several chapters in a pretty good book called "Missions Remembered Recollections of the World War II Air War." published by McGraw Hill. It was put together by some fighter pilots in the Nashville area.
He was not a P.O.W. as posted but a M.I.A. as he hit the ground running when he bailed out of his Mustang named "Sad Sack". He eventually hooked up with the underground until the end of the war. He told me he was chasing an Me-262 that was low on fuel and it dragged him through the German A.A. fire.
He flew as Leonard K. Carsons wingman including the day that Carson shot down 5 FW-190's.
I worked with him for two years and he never mentioned his background except when Maj. Gen Follis came down and they shared C-130 A recollections. Finally one day someone came in and "outed him" that the reason he was such a darn smooth glider instructor in the Schleicher ASK-21 was that he was a retired General with significant fighter combat experience in WW II and also flew in Korea and Vietnam.
Yeager's book was out about that time and the movie "the Right Stuff" and he would always correct folks by saying no I wasn't in his squadron only his Group." He would also say no I never met Yeager and Anderson , only John England and Leonard Carson. Imagine my surprise when I found out the details years later.
He wrote several chapters in a pretty good book called "Missions Remembered Recollections of the World War II Air War." published by McGraw Hill. It was put together by some fighter pilots in the Nashville area.
He was not a P.O.W. as posted but a M.I.A. as he hit the ground running when he bailed out of his Mustang named "Sad Sack". He eventually hooked up with the underground until the end of the war. He told me he was chasing an Me-262 that was low on fuel and it dragged him through the German A.A. fire.
He flew as Leonard K. Carsons wingman including the day that Carson shot down 5 FW-190's.
I worked with him for two years and he never mentioned his background except when Maj. Gen Follis came down and they shared C-130 A recollections. Finally one day someone came in and "outed him" that the reason he was such a darn smooth glider instructor in the Schleicher ASK-21 was that he was a retired General with significant fighter combat experience in WW II and also flew in Korea and Vietnam.
Yeager's book was out about that time and the movie "the Right Stuff" and he would always correct folks by saying no I wasn't in his squadron only his Group." He would also say no I never met Yeager and Anderson , only John England and Leonard Carson. Imagine my surprise when I found out the details years later.
Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:02 am
Thanks, Paul, for your assistance.
To Marine Air: It was a common job of fighters in April 1945 to attack taking-off or landing jets or strafing them on the ground as there were couple of remaining units in Czechoslovakia ready to action.
Please keep on checking updates in the blog, more stories will follow:-)
Regards, Filip
To Marine Air: It was a common job of fighters in April 1945 to attack taking-off or landing jets or strafing them on the ground as there were couple of remaining units in Czechoslovakia ready to action.
Please keep on checking updates in the blog, more stories will follow:-)
Regards, Filip
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:01 am
This is just a short note to the previous posts: 1/Lt Irving E. Snedecker belly-landed at the Ruzyne aerodrome as his Mustang was seriously damaged by a 20-milimeter shell. He was obviously captured and not evaded as Peter Randall states at his web site Littlefriends.co.uk
Regards, Filip
Regards, Filip
Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:30 am
Paul Patist wrote:Filip,
Thanks !
I'm in contact with others but not the ones you mention here..
You might ask Joe Shea at p51jshea(at)aol.com
Good luck,
Paul
Dear Paul, I have tried to contact Mr. Shea but the address seems invalid:-(
Regards, Filip
Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:02 am
Filip,
Just checked and it's still valid....
Regards,
Paul
Just checked and it's still valid....
Regards,
Paul