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p51 Pilots Biographies, Last Name Starting With "F"
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Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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James F. Farrell
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In the Spring of 1945, the gas-guzzling Jug
was in danger of being eliminated from the
ever gasoline-short 14th Air Force in favor of
the P-51. Farrell was one of eight pilots sent
on detached service with their P47's to a
P-51 outfit in Hsian, China, (the end of the
longest supply line in WW II) to prove the
P47.
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Frederick H. Le Febre
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Of the many fighter planes he flew, which
in addition to the P47 included such planes
as the P40, P51, P8O, T33, F86, F1O1,
F102 and the Mach 2 F106, he says the
sentimental favorite is the faithful old Jug.
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Kathryn (Sis) Fine
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She was instructing in Pawling, N.Y. when
she heard about the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. Became one of the original
twenty.seven women in the WAFS in January, 1943, at New Castle Army Air Base in
Wilmington, Del. Ferried PT-19's, L-2B's,
L-4B's, PT-26's, PT-23's, AT-6's, C-78's and
C-61's. Received instrument rating at St. Jo.,
Mo., flying PT-13's and C-47's. Then was
sent to pursuit school in Brownsville, Texas,
where she checked out in P-40's, P-51's,
P-39's and P-47's.
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Walter L. Flagg
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Flew two tours of combat with the 56th
Group flying P-47 s in all phases of combat
from high altitude escort to low level interdiction. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 clusters, the Air Medal with 13
clusters, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation with 2 clusters and European a theatre with 6 battle stars.
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Warren E. Foote
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For 3 months he flew in direct
support of advancing armored divisions. He
was awarded 5 theatre ribbons, 17 air medals,
and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
He has one unofficial sortie to his credit,
which involved taking his crew chief over the
Channel on D-Day in a P-47. This was accomplished by removing extraneous equipment (liferaft, parachute, etc.) and sitting on his
crew chief's lap.
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Norman John Fortier
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WWII FIGHTER ACE!
Bud Fortier joined Army Reserves shortly after Pearl Harbor, commissioned Second Lieutenant following flight school at Spence Field, AL on January 14, 1943. He was assigned to 355th FG and sailed to England in July 1943. Fortier shot down his first 109 in aerial combat during the March 6, 1944 Berlin mission and destroyed his last 109 near Oschatz on July 20 to become the Group’s ninth air ace. Fortier destroyed his last German ship on the ground on January 15, 1945 to raise his total to 11.33 air and ground.
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Donald E. Frye
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All told he spent eleven years overseas
during his 22 years in the Service which
included 6 tours in England, France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Greece, Azores,
Spain and Morocco.
He was awarded the DFC, Air Medal W/4 0LC, AF Commendation, AF Good Conduct, Army Good Conduct W/4 Knots, Pre
Pearl Harbor, Am Theater, EAME W/4
Battle stars, WW II Victory, Occupation, and
AM Defense Service Medal.
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Wallace W. Furman
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On August 12th, two days before Japan
surrendered, the four plane flight of which
he was a part ran into 32 Jap Oscars over
Kyushu. Wally's P-51 was riddled and most
of the tail section was shot off. He was able to
take the plane 350 miles back to base.
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