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Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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Robert H. Powell
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April found him aboard the "Avant Pasteur" England-bound for the
Mighty 8th Air Force. Joining the 352nd
Fighter Group at Bodney, he flew some 83
combat missions in Jugs and Mustangs (the
Group switched to P-51s in April, 1944),
where he ran up an unofficial score of six
destroyed, two probables, and seven damaged
(later changed in official records to 4-6-7),
including destruction of the first HE-177.
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Walter F. Pratt
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He remained in the service and retired in
October 1967 as a Lt. Colonel after serving
over twenty-five years. During that period he
flew over 37 different types of military
aircraft, mostly fighters from the P-40
through the F-106 and is a member of the
MACH 2 Club (pilots who have flown twice
the speed of sound) and the Society of Air
Safety Investigators No. 165.
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Royce Whitman Preist
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WWII FIGHTER ACE!
Deacon Priest left home in 1938 before graduating from high school and joined the Army as an aviation mechanic, then was top graduate in Glider school when the program shut down. The Glider Training CO sent him to flight training where he was commissioned as a second Lieutenant at Craig Field in November, 1943. He achieved his wings on the same day he was notified he had passed the US Military Academy Entrance exam and offered an appointment to West Point. Priest refused and became a fighter pilot which was the reason he joined the Army in the first place.
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Jack A. Quinlan
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In May of 1944 he was shot
down over Wewak, New Guinea when his
squadron was on a strafing mission at Wewak.
He was able to find his way out of the jungle
after nineteen days and was subsequently
hospitalized at Port'Moresby, New Guinea.
He then returned to combat duty where he
completed flying some approximately 200
missions. He was credited with having shot
down 208 enemy aircraft from New Guinea
through Ie Shima. The last two aircraft were
shot down over the Southern Islands of
Japan.
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W. H. Readshaw
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I attended flight training in the Southeast
Training Command, graduated in the class of
43J, from Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama, and assigned as a fighter pilot whereas
my first flight in the P-47 was at Richmond,
Va., where I completed my transition in the
P-47 , assigned to gunnery school at Millville,
N.J., and left for overseas duty in February,
1944, and assigned to the 48th Fighter
Group, 494th Fighter Squadron, 9th Air
Force. I flew 83 missions, mostly dive bombing missions resulting the DFC and Air Medal with 14 clusters.
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Ralph R. Regnier
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Most memorable were: (1)flak removing
the upper portion of the rudder and stabilizer
and most of the supercharger area, (2)
groundlooping on A-13's wet steel mat with
armed live 500 pounders, (3) a belly-in, (4)
first drop of napalm, (5) vengeance destruction of flak towers which had just downed our recce P-51, (6) leading the strafing of the
Gutersloh Airport, (7) forecasting that
future war would involve jets, after turning
inside ME-163, and 262's.
Least forgetful: (1) burying GI's near
Rennes, (2) viewing the remains around a
previous days strafing, (3) weather during
the Ardennes, (4) destroying an FW-190.
Left active service Mar. 1946
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Paul Rizzo
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Major
Rizzo states, "the P47 was a solid, sturdy
airplane, easy to fly and performed good. She
gave a pilot a feeling of security. The P47
proved itself in World War II."
He taught Aviation Mechanics in New
York City serving 30 years. He flew a Grumman Widgeon to remote lakes in the Canadian Bush. At times he and his fishing party were
the first United States Americans some of the
Canadian natives had seen.
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James F. Roberts
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bomber
version of the P51A. Participated in N.
Africa, Sicily, and Italy campaigns flying
dive bombing, strafing, and close support
attacks on tanks, docks, and supply lines as
well as flying cover for Sicily and Italy
invasions. Completed 59 missions. He was
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and
Air Medal with six clusters. Commissioned in
the field Sept., 1943.
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Edward F. Roddy
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He was credited with eight
confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed (airborne) and many more on the ground. Just
prior to the invasion of Luzon, he managed to
get airborne during a red alert at dawn with
one wingman (C. Andress). Although
delayed to provide base defense cover until
the assigned P38s were airborne, they headed
for Clark Field where they caught a row of
new Georges (4-bladed prop) refueling.
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Charles E. Rowe
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Transferred to 6th Ferry Group, 14th Ferry Squadron, Long Beach,California, May 1943. On first trip, delivered C-47 to Fairbanks, Alaska to Russians
complete with Jeep, Trailer and other equipment as cargo. Red Star was painted over White Star at Great Falls, Montana just prior
to flying it out of the states. Spent next year
flying P-51's from Inglewood, California to
Newark, N.J., and other destinations for
overseas deliveries. Also delivered P-47's
from Evansville, Indiana, C-47's from Douglas at Long Beach, California etc. to various points throughout the states.
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