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p51 Pilots Biographies, Last Name Starting With "B"
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Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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William T. Beckler
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In July, 1944 Beckler exchanged his P-40 for a P-47N Thunderbolt. Missions in the Jug covered Northern Italy and Southern France. These included escorting medium bombers. The Bombers, based in Southern Italy, would be escorted to France by Thunderbolts based on Corsica. Shortly before target the Jugs would pull ahead of the bombers and bomb the enemy gun positions.
Beckler's activities while participation in three major campaigns earned him the DFC, two Air Medals and two Presidential citations.
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Herbert R. Benson
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After training in P-47 Thunderbolts at bases in North Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware, he was
assigned to the European Theatre of operations and joined the 48th Fighter Group
493rd Fighter Squadron at St. Trond, Belgium. After flying 44 combat missions, he was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf clusters.
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Marvin C. Bigelow
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Training in the Southeast Training Command with the class of 44C, he graduated and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant single engine pilot at Marianna, Florida with the class of
44D. After checking out in the P-40 at Marianna, he transitioned in the P-47 in the Northeast Defense Command and after gunnery at Dover, Delaware was shipped on the Queen Mary to England.
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Henry Smyth Bille
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WWII FIGHTER ACE!
Hank Bille joined Army Reserves in November 1941, trained as tank gunner, re-assigned as pilot trainees and graduated from Aloe Field, Texas as Second Lieutenant February, 1943. He joined the 357FS/355th FG just before the 355th sailed for England in July.
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Sidney J. Bowlin
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First assignment was 327 Ftr Gp (P-47) for RTU; later to Matagorda Island gunnery school and thence to Norfolk as IP for P-47 gunnery training. Next assigned to 9 AF, 371 Ftr Gp, 405 Sqdn (P-47). Flew 56 combat missions through V.E Day from France and Germany and was awarded Air Medal w / 4 OLC's.
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Leslie C. Boze
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Assigned 365th Sqdn., 358th Group, "Orange Tails," in England. Flew 193 missions in "Jugs"
from D.Day to early 1945 in France and
Germany on close support ground targets for
9th A.F. and 12th TAC. Lost five T-Bolts to
ground fire. Had two bailouts and the unusual experience of deadsticking a "Jug" with frozen engine and prop from 10,000 feet to
a wheels-down (happy) landing.
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Mark E. Bradley
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First served with 1st Pursuit Group, Selfridge
Field, Michigan and with 18th Group in Hawaii. 1937 Went to Wright Field to attend Air Corps Engineering School, graduating 1938. After year as test pilot in Flight Test Section, became Project Officer - P-40 airplane program,
Which began production in 1939.
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Henry William Brown
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WWII FIGHTER ACE!
Joined USA Reserves December 1941, graduated from Flight School at Spence Field, GA as a Flight Officer in March 1943. Joined the 354FS/355th FG at Steeple Morden, England in November, 1943 and promoted to Lieutenant in January, 1944.
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Thomas H. Brown
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He started flying missions on "D" Day covering the beach landings and close support dive bombing and strafing missions. On his 56th mission he was
hit by ground fire through the main fuel tank
flooding the cockpit with flaming fuel.
An immediate bailout ensued with the good old
Jug exploding and raining flaming debris all
around during the parachute ride down.
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Howell L. Broxton
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Flew P-47's while assigned to 359th Squadron, 356th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, during
WW II. Credited with four P-47's destroyed. Shot
down on 54th mission near Niijmegan, Holland
on 17 September 1944. Evaded capture
and linked up with elements of U.S. 82nd
Airborne Division.
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