WWII P51 pilot rescue question

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 2:38 pm

not Carr. Don Beerbower the best of the best!

Capt don Beerbower in "Bonnie B II" FT*E at Boxted, England spring 1944
http://groups.msn.com/354thFighterGroupTributePage

drgondog · **Joined:** Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:50 am **Posts:** 237

Wade - one of the interesting missions of a 355th pilot was Henry Brown bouncing 6 109's who in turn were stalking two other 354FS pilots.

The only problem was that Henry was out of ammo!.. so he out turned them one by one in a Lufberry making all of them dive away - but one came back and almost shot him down while he was buffing no 6. His compass was shot out but radio ok.

He was able to raise another 354FS pilot and get the heading back based on putting the sun over a certain portion of his forward windscreen and followed it home.

He got the DSC for this mission.

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:25 pm

drgondog wrote:

Wade - one of the interesting missions of a 355th pilot was Henry Brown bouncing 6 109's who in turn were stalking two other 354FS pilots.

The only problem was that Henry was out of ammo!.. so he out turned them one by one in a Lufberry making all of them dive away - but one came back and almost shot him down while he was buffing no 6. His compass was shot out but radio ok.

He was able to raise another 354FS pilot and get the heading back based on putting the sun over a certain portion of his forward windscreen and followed it home.

He got the DSC for this mission.

That sounds very interesting ... do you have any Intel reports, etc, etc, for this action? And/or, is it written up in any of the 8AF-type subject books?

Wade

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:27 pm

Oh yes, and Jack ... what refs do you have re: Don Beerbower? I'm always doing smaller paintings to keep from going nuts with all my prep work for the larger canvases, and I'd love to put Don's kite against an awesome cloudscape - or something.

Wade

drgondog · **Joined:** Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:50 am **Posts:** 237

Wade - the narrative is very well done in Edward Sim's "American Aces" in the chapter "Game of Bluff at Sorau" - FO 295 April 11, 1944...

TOM WALSH · **Posted:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 7:43 pm

I am not surprised that "RAF slang" nearly drove Colonel Claiborne H. Kinnard nuts as he was surrounded by RCAF and RAF trained pilots and old habits do die hard! The first wholly trained American pilot did not arrive at Debden until January 26, 1944, some sixteen months after the 4Th FG was activated on September 12, 1942 at Bushey Hall!!

Most people think there were more RAF trained pilots in the 4Th than there were RCAF trained pilots, but such is not the case.

Among the top scorers at the 4Th, the breakdown is as follows:

RCAF TRAINED IN CANADA

MAJOR JOHN T. GODFREY
1ST LIEUTENANT RALPH K. HOFER
MAJOR JAMES A. GOODSON
MAJOR DUANE W. BEESON
MAJOR FREDERICK W. GLOVER
MAJOR PIERCE W. MCKENNON
COLONEL DONALD BLAKESLEE
MAJOR GERALD E. MONTGOMERY
CAPTAIN CHARLES F. ANDERSON
CAPTAIN NICHOLAS MEGURA
CAPTAIN ALBERT L. SCHLEGEL
1ST LIEUTENANT HIPOLITUS T. BIEL
CAPTAIN KENDALL E. CARLSON
1ST LIEUTENANT PAUL S. RILEY
CAPTAIN BERNARD J. MCGRATTON
CAPTAIN DAVID W. HOWE
MAJOR MIKE SOBANSKI
MAJOR MICHAEL G. H. MCPHARLIN

RAFVR TRAINED IN ENGLAND

CAPTAIN DONALD GENTILE
MAJOR LOUIS H. NORLEY
LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES A CLARK
CAPTAIN WILLARD W. MILLIKAN
MAJOR HOWARD D. HIVELY
MAJOR CARROLL W. MCCOLPIN
MAJOR WILLIAM J. DALEY
1ST LIEUTENANT VERMONT GARRISON
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROY W. EVANS
MAJOR GREGORY A. DAYMOND

Even the RAFVR trainees had a connection to Canada as their first stop before going overseas was Ottawa, Ontario where they were sworn into RAF service at the British Embassy. They then went directly to RAF OTU and AFU's in the U.K.

The RCAF training syllabus, by the way, was an exact copy of the way things were done in the Royal Air Force.

I have spent the last two years searching each and every name through the Canadian and British National Archives to come up with this precise list.

I also just had an article on Major Pierce Winningham "Mac" McKennon published in Air Classics, Volume 42 Issue 8.

Cheers,
Tom Walsh.

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:46 pm

Peter-Four-Oh wrote:

Anyhoo, here's one of three photos I have showing the 190 in question, which I believe was printed from a color slide.

There are several color shots of this aircraft in existence; a couple of them are in that ish of Airfoil I mentioned and there's a number of others published somewhere else... can't recall exactly where. I'd love to get my hands on some good quality prints.

Beautiful, Peter Four Oh! Can you read the werknummer on your master copy? Any more from your collection posted here would be much appreciated.

Wade

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:55 pm

Tom 1000 lashes you forgot my dear friend Oscar Coen!

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 9:01 pm

Wade,
I've got tons of stuff on Beerbower. His late brother was a very close friend and gave me a bunch of memorbilia related to Don.

gary · **Joined:** Tue Dec 21, 2004 11:18 pm **Posts:** 142

Thanks for the info on the different rescue attempts.
Gary

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 9:30 pm

Jack Cook wrote:

Tom 1000 lashes you forgot my dear friend Oscar Coen!

Good catch, Jack ...

Oscar was one signee on Robert Taylor's Eagles Prey (71 Sqdn Spits)

His bio with the print:

Colonel Oscar Coen

A volunteer in the RCAF, Oscar Coen transferred to the RAF, and was then assigned to 71 Squadron, the first Eagle Squadron. In a daring raid, he destroyed a German ammunition train with a pass so low that debris hit his Spitfire. Managing to bail out he was smuggled back to England by the French Resistance to continue to fight and completed the war having flown over 250 combat missions.

Wade

PS: Anything on Beerbower scanned?

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:59 pm

Quote:

Anything on Beerbower scanned?

Possibly.........

Capt Don Beerbower CO 353rd FS July 1944 Strip A-2

"Bonnie B II" repainted

Don Beerbower in his P-51B FT*E

Don at Portland AB, OR summer 1943

Don receives the Silver Star from Gen. Lewis Brerton (sp). He was the first serviceman to recieve a combat decoration in liberated France after DDay.

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

Jack Cook wrote:

Any idea what the accumulation is behind the landing gear attachment point is on this Mustang?

By the way, nice broom paint job on those invasion stripes! Just like you see at Oshkosh...

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sun Aug 20, 2006 9:24 am

Quote:

Any idea what the accumulation is behind the landing gear attachment point is on this Mustang?

Mud. There flying from a dirt strip at A-2

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:16 pm

Cool stuff, Jack ...

I was just at the art store yesterday and picked up some 11 x 14 canvases.

Malcomb Hood, D-Day bands, swastikas everywhere, dorsal fin, horsey on the tail ... as the commercial said, "It don't get any better'n this!"

Stand by for painting news ...

Wade

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