367 fighter group newsletter –issue # 15 -november 2017€¦ · 2 367thfighter group newsletter...

367th FighterGroupnewsletter– Issue#15- NOVEMBER2017

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Dear Friends and 367th Fighter Group members,

The adventure of the men of the 367th Fighter Group in France carries on in this new issue. The battle of Normandy isover and the frontline is now moving pretty fast to the east. It means for the men of the outfit, pack and unpack theirbelongings and all the marterial of their department or service. Some time they will not have time to unpack as thenext move will happen within a few days. It was the case when the 367th Fighter Group moved to Advanced LandingGround (ALG) A-44 Le peray.

Although the outfit stayed only a few days there, lot’s of events occurred. A belly landing with happy ending (see« The P-38 of the C.O. is a wreck » article), Mee-Mee’s Snack Bar panel left behind (see article « Mee Mee’s Snack Barpanel article »), one pilot lost after take off (see article «Honoring the pilots » article) and people of the area visitingthe ALG in their best Sunday clothes (see main article «The advanced landing grounds in France »).

I wish you a good reading.

Olivier Le Floch

TheadvancedlandinggroundsinNormandy,part2

Tableofcontents1 – The advanced landing grounds in France, part 32– TheP-38oftheC.O.is awreck !3– Mee Mee’s SnackBarpanel4 – Honoring thepilots,part85 – BooksandURL

Innewsletters#13and14,we saw themoveofthe367th FGfrom England toFranceandthechangeoflife :CandKrations,billetandallsections(intelligence,medics,operations,etc)intents,newcountryandnewlandscape anddifferent population.Thefirstfewweeks inFrancewere spent inNormandy with certainly thefeelingofbeing apartofabig showandpartofhistory while supporting theground troops intheir fight closetotheinvasionbeaches.With thebreakthrough ofSaintLô andtheendofthebattle against theGerman divisionsintheareaofCaen,thefrontlinestarted tomoverapidly farther inland andtheGerman troops were pushed backtothenorth east ofFrance.So,thetactical units oftheArmy AirForcehad noother choice than toleave Normandy tostay closetothebattle.ThefirstAdvancedLandingGround(ALG)outofNormandy was A-44LePerray,aruralareanorth east ofLeMans.Thisairfieldwas built bythe819thIngeneer battalion from August20toSeptember 2.Theairstrip was 5000feet longand120feetlargeandwas madeofprefabricated bitumious surfacing andwas oriented 107°.The367th FGstayed there less thanoneweek butkept found memories ofthegreetings ofthepopulation.After A-44,the367th FGmoved toabig airfieldthat had just had just beenleft bytheGerman AirForce.Itwill be thetopicofanewarticleofthenext issueofthenewsletter.

ErnieSnowlikefortheairfieldsinNormandygivessomedetailsinhisdiaryconcerningA-44:“PulledoutearlyinmorningfornewfieldnearLeMans.ItisatMarolles (theexactnameisMarolles-les-Braux).Quitealongtrip,wentthroughSaintLô whichissureawreckedtown.Travelledontheredballhighwayanditiscrowdedwithtrucks.ArrivedatfieldA-44.Therewerealreadypyramidaltentssetupforusbyadvancedechelon,nomorepuptentswehope.We lookedthefieldoverandfounditwasbuiltonanewidea,sortofhairbrainedone.Runwayhadheavytarpaperonitinsteadofwire.TheFrenchpeoplewerelookingitoveralsoandtheirchildrenwereusingitforaplaygroundandracetrack.Nextdaywhentheplanescameandonlandingtorehugechunksoftarpaperloosewhichballoonedupbehindthem.The

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Planes attractedmanyFrenchandaftertheywereparkedpeoplecameupgivingflowerstothepilots.Alotofcalvadosbeingdrankandalotofsickmen,someonegaveCpt.Bermanalotoftroublesonextmorninghecalledaformationandlaiddownthelaw.Healsosaidweweretoleaveforanotherfield,4daysonthisone,realnicefieldandfriendlypeoplehere”.

The392nd Fightersquadron’smonthlyreportisratherlimitedasconcernsthelifeinthenewALG,thedescriptionismoreassociatedwiththeflyingoperations: “MajorGee,ourexecutiveofficermovedusonthe7thtositeA-44nearPeray.Hespenttheentirenight,herdingmenintotrucks,stakingtents,seeingtoitthat was packed,andit was onlyduetohis efforts,that we were abletoaccomplish themoveonschedule.His is astrictcode,tempered with asense ofhumor,aquicksmile andatolerance that comes from his devotion totheservice.

We had nolightning facilities inS-2tent andearly morning missionswere briefed byflashlight.Inorder toprepare foramission,we were forced outside,using thetopofajeepasadesk.Thissystemworked outfineuntil themorning oftheeight when Cpl Davis,having completed folding themaps andtyping thecards,was called away.Inthe (unreadable),someone drove thejeepaway,maps andcards with it.Ahurried search was madeandany interested person couldhaveseen him climbing thewings oftheplanes,handing outmaps andcards tothepilotsafter they had started theirengines.We flew 3missionsthat day,thelastonetaking offat1910andnotreturning until 2240hours.Sixty menwerestationed onthetaxistrips,pointing outtheway with flashlights anddetourning theplanesaround thebad spots.Onthetake-off,Lt Elgin’s planespun in.Hewas with thesquadron foronly ashorttime,butinthat shorttime,he gainedtheconfidenceofthemenwho flew with him andthecomradeship ofthemenwho lived with him.We tried tocounttheplanesasthey landed butit was too dark even forthat.We discovered that Lt Dye was missing andCapDouglasreported that he saw aplanecrashnear Paris(note:Lt.Dye madeit tothesquadron afewdays later).Lt Moorhead,who led thesquadron,swore that he never wanted tofly another missionlike it.From twelve thousand feet downfifteen hundred it was asolid overcast andtheboyshad tofly instruments,diving through it tofind thefield.When LtSlingerland landed,he stooped overandkissed theground,« Iwas never so happytosee ‘terrafirma’before inmy life.Some day Iwill give amilliondollarstothemanwho invented these instruments ».Captain Bleich was there with his« spiritus fermentus »andeach took their doseandasked formore.

Convoy ofthe367th FGinSaintLô during thetripbetween ALGs A-2Cricqueville andA-44LePeray.Notethat thetown is atotalwreck asdescribed byErnieSnow(JoeandCarolynCobbviaClydeDeavers/archives367th FG)

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Ontheninth we flew acoupleofgroundsupportmissionsoverBrestandthecontrollerthere complimented usonour work.Therest oftheweek we flew armed armed recces overGermanyandcontinued todoso,stopping onlywhen theweather prevented us.Onthethirteenth we joined theairechelon atour newfield near StQuentin ».

Lt AllenDiefendorf speaks also ofthemissioninhis memoirs :«AtA-44we had avery hairymission.Thisoccurred from September 3rdtothe5th.The367th flew several armedreconnaissancemissionsagainst retreatingenemy forcesnear Mons,Cambrai,andBrussels.OnSeptember 3rd,the394th Squadronspotted alargeconcentrationoftanks,trucks,cars,jeeps,andhorse-drawn vehicules.Theyattacked andchewed thecolumns up.Theothersquadrons,the392nd and393rd,took their turnsaswell.These attacks continued thenext dayandinto thenightofthe5th.Returning totheLeMansairfield intotaldarkness was dangerousandconfusing.Iremember trying toflyformation,listening toalloftheradiochatterandwatching fortherocketsthat Dynamite(the367th Fighter Groupwas codenamed« Dynamite »)intheflying controltower,waslaunching.We finally got tolandonthetarpaper runway.Iwathched thecrew chiefs andallthehelpers who had lined thesides oftherunway holdingflashlights so we would havesome depth perception.Attheend,Iwaswaved toaparkingareaandshut down.Iknewthat it wasn’t our squadron parkingarea,butwho cared,we were downsafe.Ajeepsooncamebyandpicked upthestray pilotsandtookustode-briefing.Thedoc(note:squadronsergeon was Lt ’Doc’Bleich) didn’t keep anyrecordsthat nightandthebooze was onhim.Ittook almost therest ofthenext morning togetalltheP-38’stotheir proper squadron parkingareas.

Themonthly reportofthe393rd fightersquadron is like theoneofthe393rd FS,justdescribing themoveandmissions: « On4September 1944seven officers and114enlistedmen,personnelcomposing theairechelon,departed forA-44,near thevillageofPeray,France(grid coordinate V536863).Thiswas anewairstrip just completed bytheAviationEngineers,thefirstonthat we wouldn’t behanded secondhandorslightly used.Missionswere leadduring ashorttimefrom A-2Cricqueville.Theweather finally cleared onthelate afternoon ofthe5thandthemissionwehad beenwaiting forcamethrough – directsupportofthe29th Infantry Divisioninits driveonBrest.LieutenantPeschken led theboys,

P-384N-Nofthe394th FSlandingonanadvanced landingground inFrance.Thetarpaper is ballooning infrontofthemainlandinggear likeit was described byErnieSnow,thepropeller specialist ofthesquadron.These pictures comefrom TVnewsofsummer 1944andit could havebeenfilmed atALGA-44because ofthetarpaper.

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diving ontarget « 26 »they scored eight directhitsknocking four88mm’soutofaction,then thecontroller directed themtothevicinity ofleConque,where they scored eight moredirecthitsonanareaoutlined byred smoke shells – inthecontrollers own words ‘results observed good’.

Thatevening we received word that we intheground echelon would depart forA-44onthedawn ofthe6th.Hurriedlypackingour equipment,andstrincking our tent officesandworkshops,we climbed into thesack tocatch« afewwinksshut-eye »inpreparation forour travels.Upon our arrival atthenewstrip thenext day we found our airechelon hurriedlypackingtheir equipment tomovetoClastres (grid coordinates N757387)Francetobe onceagain inrangeoftheretreating Jerries.Handicapped intheshortage ofbelly tanks,andtheextreme distancetoour frontlines,andbadweather,our operations bogged downtoaslowpace.Ontheeighth we senttheboysoutontheir firstmissiononly

Alargecrowd ofFrenchcivilians visiting theflightlineinALGA-44inthebeginning ofSeptember 1944(FabriceAvoie)

Morethan probably P-3843-28700”TACOMAN »ofLt.DobrowolskiunderenginemaintenancebythegroundcrewinthebeginningofSeptember1944inALG44LePeray(FabriceAvoie)

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Onthetwo pictures above is theP-38J2544-23590“SCRAPIRON”ofCapLarryBlumer,393rd FS,inA-44LePeray.The5Svatiskaareforthe5GermanenemyaircraftsheshotdownonAugust25th,1944.(FabriceAvoie)

tohavethem returnduetobad weather …/…Onthemorning ofthetwelves theplanestook offagain insupportoftheabove mentioned uniteast ofLuxembourgandupon thecompletion oftheirmissionlanded attheir newhomeA-44.

Here theairechelon as« well entrenched »totake careofthesituationandtoreleave thewearyground echelon ofits longgrind forthelastTen days ».

Themonthly reportofthe394th fighter squadron gives moredetails onthis ALGandthe’invasion’oftheFrenchpeople: « September fourth found theadvanced airechelon under Capt Berman

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taking thefamous Red Ballhighway toA-44.After weeks offlirting with amove,our vehicules shot downthrough SaintLo,Vire,Mortain,Donfront,andAlençon.A-44was between AlençonandLeMansnear thetown ofMarolles.Thehundreds ofpeoplewho crowded thestrip andenthusiastically shook our handandpressed wine,eggs,fruitandvegetables into themmadeit alandofmilk andhoney.Theprosperous neighboring farms recalled aformerFrance.Here too was anewandsuperior tar-parper strip which theengineers were rushing tocompletion.

Onthefifth thelastmissionwas run from A-2andtransportationhad already begun its shuttles.Thefollowing two weeksfound Lt BobHopson andS/sgt BillBateman’s transportationsectionperforming anexcellentjob.Ourtrucksrolled twentyfourhours aday with noletupandlittle chanceeating,sleeping,orwashing forthedrivers.They firstmoved personnelandequipment 140milestoA-44,then without stopping they again moved thesquadron 210milestoA-71,andasafinale

P-38J2544-236574N-W“JUSTLAZY”ofLtRossLazie,394th FS,inA-44LePeray.Thisaircraft was lost with LtGeorgeCannonduring anarmed reconnaissancemissiononFebruary 9th,1945(FabriceAvoie)

P-38J1042-678194N-S,394th FS,in4-44LePeray.Thisaircraft was lost with Lt Lt.JackCoppess onOctober 4th,1944(FabriceAvoie)

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they brought theground echelon equipment over300milesfrom CherbourgtoA-71.Thisnon-stopwork wontherespectoftheentire outfit.

OurstaytoA-44wasshort.OnthenightofthesevenththegroundechelonarrivedfromA-2andonthemorningoftheeighththeairechelonpulledoutforA-71.DuringthattimeLtJohnstonandLtDawn,missingsincetheraidonClastres,returned.TheirreturnwasaccompaniedbythenewsthatMajorGardnerandLtHarrell,alsomissing,wouldreturnsoon.MajorGardner,LtJohnston,andLtHarrellwerereturnedtotheStatesandLtDawnelectedtoremainwiththesquadron.Afterphysicallyrequalifying,heagainjoinedus.Hisstorywastoldsimply.Withhisplaneburningbadlyhehadbailedout.Aboyonabicyclecameup,andaftermakingcertainthattheGermanshadnotdiscoveredthem,ledhimtoaFrenchfamily.Herehewashiddenuntilourtroopscame.ThemanofthehouseincidentallywasabutcherandLt

Frenchpeoplevisiting ALG 44LePeray.(Jean-LucGruson/archives367th FG)

Frenchcivilians were happytotake pictures with their bestSundayclothes infrontofthe367th FG’sP-38sinA-44LePeray (FabriceAvoie)

Alargecrowd ofFrenchcivilians visiting ALGA-44inthebeginning ofSeptember 1944.TheP-38sistheship flown byLt.JosephDobrolowski ,393rd FS.Its serialnumber is 43-28700andwas named”TACOMAN »,the hometown ofLt.Dobrowolski(Fabrice Avoie)

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RobertDawn smiledasherecalledtheirgoodmeals.(note:seeissues#9and10ofnewsletterformoreinformationonthisdogfight).

SixmissionsinallwererunfromA-44.Therewasanacuteshortageofbombsand100octanegazoline,whichaccompaniedbythenecessityofusingauxiliarytanks,alsoontheshortagelist,addedtoourdifficulties.MoreconfusionwascausedbythehundredsofFrenchfamilieswhoswarmedoverlivingarea ,line,andlandingstrip.

Atleastinthelatterinstancethere was some humor.Intheir eagerness andcuriousity,they disregarded thenecessity ofdispatchingandlandingships.Thetower inits desperation toclear thestrip,fired flares.When that happens everyone ofcourseknows that something is upandtoclear therunway,nottheFrench– They stood where they were andapplauded».

Frenchhistorian,FabriceAvoie,did atremendous work ofresearch onthesecondworldwar intheSarthedepartementduring Summer 1944.Ofthese research he wrote ahuge bookontheliberation oftheSarthedepartement bytheAmericantroops inAugut 1944.A chapter ofhis bookis dedicated totheAmericanairfields built inthedepartment.Thepartconcerning A-44LePeray is well illustrated bypictures andmemories ofFrenchcivilians livingclosetotheairfield.Thanks tohim we havealso very great pictures oftheP-38softhe367th Fighter GroupinLePeray toillustrate this issue.

Here is oneofthese statements given byMrLouisBertrandtoFabriceAvoie:«Ashorttimeafter theliberation ofMarolles-les-Braults,Americanmencametomake surveys.Theharvets had beenpartially saved andthen theearth-moving machineswent into action.We saw bulldozers,scrapersandso many other strange machinesforthefirsttime.Wewere dazzled tosee such apower.They were abletoremoved entire edgerows,level thefield,movetonsofearth inonly afewhours.Thisperformancewas totally theoppositeoftheoneoffered totheonewe could see orheard abouttheGerman aviationfield that was built behind thecasttle ofSaintAignan.There,thework was done fewvery fewmotivationbyhandandpicks.Canadians,speaking very well Frenchandsome Amaricans were found ofour nourriture,especially ourchicken,eggs andmilk.Itwas achangecomparing totheir rationboxes.We had aneasy access totheir facilities andplanesuntil anact ofsabotagewas done.From that momentit was very difficult tovisit them assugar had beenpourredinsome tanks.Maybe it was anact ofGerman still hidden intheareaorofaFrenchunhappy after having changed ofpolitical system…?»

Fieldusetobuilt ALG44inSummer 1944.Itis hardtoimaginethat this placewas thehomeofthe367th FighterGroupwith its 75P-38sandits 1000menplusthemenofthedifferent ancillary units andtheir material !

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Thenotesindiary ofDickBrennan give another descriptionofthemoveandthelifeofthe394th fighter squadron attheairfields inFranceattheendofsummer 1944.We can see that his livealternates between missionsandthesearch ofgoodfood anddrinks.

September 6 :flew toA-44inLeMans.Beautiful spot.1stYanks there.Peoplecrowded field,climbed alloverplanes.Nicerunway butnoonerealized there was atouchdown strip ofvery heavy mesh andovershot it.Toreuptarpaper protectionlayer.Walked into town andvisited with anold gentcafe keeper.Broke openhis ancient special occasionbottle.Snackandfruit.8German barged inuninvited tolivewith them.Equipmentarrived late &we were allsoaked toskinallday.Pokergame tonite.

September7 :someonewokeusuptogetalookatMajorMat.Theywerebarelyabletodigalatrineandgettheboxontopofityesterdayandnocanvasscreenyet.Strategicallylocatedbesidethehighway.ThousandsofFrenchmen,womenandkidsintheirSundaybeststreamingdownthehighwayandgreetingMatwith« Bonjour,Monsieur »asheisperchedonthethroneinhismilitarybest,caponsquareandpantsaroundhisankles.Heobligedwithresponding« Bonjour »andthetipofthehat.Thingsnowdryed out.Upformissionthisaft.Boughtfreshsteakfromfarmer.12steaksfor2$40.Airaichelon movestomorrow.WemovetoSaintQuentintomorrow.NorthofParis.

September 8 :392-393toFrankforttobeatupairfield.Roughjob.Nobombs ortanksavailable forus,so don’t go.Anotherjobcoming forus.Greatbunch ofpeopleinthearea.Moresteaks,pluseggs &tomatoe.Ibrought alotofseeds with mefrom home.Ihaveleft three gardens forpeoplebehinf us.Every timeIplantone,we move.Learned we killed alotofFrenchmen intheareabutthey don’t mind aslongaswe got some Krauts too.Very pretty galatlunchtoday.Tremblaymadesome points.Hecan talkthelanguage.

September 9 :…/…Crod ofpeoplearound dealing with steaks,eggs,vegatables,etc ».

Thesiteof theairfield atLePerey was nottoo big andso themenofthe367th FGcould buy allsortoffresh food madebythefarmers ofthesurrending villages.Butmuch too soon it was timetomove.Thenext airfield would be atotalchangeasit was bigger andso with less contactwith theFrenchpeopleofthis area.I’ll try togive you interesting informationonthefollowing airfields used bytheoutfit inthenext issueofthenewsletter.

SiteofA-44LePerayin2007.Theairstripwasfromlettoright

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ThebrandnewP-38oftheC.O.is awreck !

Lt RobertDillon,anearly replacementpilotofthe392nd fighter squadron,bellied intheP-38ofcaptain Robert« Buck »Rogers,theCommanding Officer ofthesquadron,onSeptember 8th 1944inA-44LePeray.

Theengines did notrespond intimewhen lieutenantDillonpushed forward thethrottles togainenough powertoreachtherunway with aheavily loaded aircraft.Fortunately lieutenantDillonget outofthecocpkit unhurt buttheaircraft wasatotalwreck.

Thisaircraft, aP-38J20modelwith serialnumber 44-23579,had beenassigned tothesquadron inthebeginning ofJuly1944like theother fewmodels 20.Captain Rogersbeing from afamily ofcowboysnamed it « Little Buckaroo ».Ashorttimelater,he received anewP-38,amodelJ25,with serial44-23677.Thisaircraft was also named « Little Buckaroo ».


Cap.Rogers’P-38belly landed byLt.RobertDillonatA-44lePeray (LillianDillon/archives367thFG)

Lts EdwinBrydgesand‘Doc’Livingston,392nd FSexaminingthewreck ofCap.Robert‘Buck’Roger’sP-38inA-44lePeray(LillianDillon/archives367thFG)

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Atruckwas parked closetothewreck,certainly totake away thepartsthat could be used asspare partsfortheother Lightnings ofthesquadron.Thepartbehind thetruckaretheshell boxesofthecanonandthemachineguns(LillianDillon/archives367th FG)

Thesame wreck,probably afewdays later,after allthespare partswere removed (JacquesLarrous/archives367th FG)

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Major« Buck »Rogersandhis ground crew infrontofhis new« Little Buckaroo »,aP-38J25,withserial44-23677 (archives367th FG)

LieutenantRobertDillonjust decorated oftheAirMedal.Thispicture was certainly taken inStoneyCrossasRobertwas anearly remplacementpilotassigned tothe392ndFSonJune 14th,1944,andhadtimetofly his 10sortiestoearn theAirMedalbefore themovetoIbsley (LillianDillon/archives367th FG)

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MeeMee’s SnackBarpanel

InJuly2007,adedication inhonor oflieutenantDonaldErickson,392nd FS,was organized intheLoireValley,France(seeNLissue#12).Thisevent was attended byGayle Reese andher sonKyleandgrandson Colton.Gayle is thedaughter ofLt.HughHallman,anorginal pilotofthe392nd who flew themissionduring which DonEricksonwas killed inaction.Afterthededication thefourofusheaded forNormandy tosee thesitesoftheALGs used bythe367th FG.During thetrip


TheMee Mee’s snackbarwooden panelwas still invery goodcondition63years after it was left inALG44LePeray.

Mee Mee’s snackbarwooden panelinthemiddleofGerman andAmericanextratanks.

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we madeastopatMarolles-les-Braux,avillagevery closetoLePeray.Therewe were welcomed bysome peopleofthevillagewho took ustotheformerALGA-44site.After atourofthearea,we were taken tothefarm ofoneofthegentlemenwho helped ustodiscover theairfield.Thislastwas proud toshowusthesouvenirshe had kept from theUSAirForceandstored inthehouse.Next he took ustohis barntoshowusthebelly tanksandrationsboxeshe hadhanged upattheroofofthebarn.What was my surprisewhen Isaw thewooden panelofMee Mee’s snackbarinthemiddleofthebelly tanks.Mee Mee was thenick name ofasergeant who was always abletofind eggs,meat,vegetablesandeager todohis bestforthemenoftheoutfit.LieutenantALDiefendorf,areplacementpilotassigned tothe392ndFSinmid-August1944,speaks aboutMee Mee’s snackbarinhis memoirs (see theissue12oftheNLforthearticleonAlDiefendorf):« Thepilotshad asnackbar,andMimi,themessseargent,always had eggs,ham,Bacon,andgood


Rationboxesamong thebelly tanksontheroofofthebarn

TheFrenchgentlemanwas very eager toshowtheReese family thepanelsandobjects left bytheUSArmy AirForceattheendof1944when thelastaircrafts andmenleft thearea

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coffee.Itwas agathering placeforbreakfastandarealpleasure toeat there (aircrews got some extrarationauthorization – abitinequitable,butc’estlavie)».

Inhis diary,JackPeterson,areplacementpilotofthe393rd fighter squadron wrote thefollowing entry:«October 10,1944– We havejust comefrom thesnackbarwhere Ihad some hotchocolate andahotdog.We havegot acorporalatgroupheadquarters,which is aboutamileaway,andhe can get alotofstuff that themesshallscan’t get.Idon’t knowwhere he gets them,butonceinawhile he hassteak,hamburgers,hotdogs,tomato juice,pies,etc.,inhis snackbar».

ThisbarnclosetoA-44is thefinalresting placeforthepanel.Ithad beenprobably built inStoneyCrossandfollowedMee Mee atIbsley andtwo airfields inNormandy.Why this panelwas left ALGA-44?We will never know.


Kyle,Gayle andColton Reese inthebarnbefore Mee Mee’s snackbarpanel.Theyattended thededication inhonor ofLt DonaldEricksonbefore we headed forMarolles-les-Braults+LePeray andfortheNormandy where we saw theplacewhere Gayle’sfather,Lt HughHallman,was shot downandescaped theGerman soldiers onhis heels

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HONORINGTHEPILOTS– 2nd Lt.DonaldD.Elgin,392nd Fighter Squadron

During thelate missiononseptember 8th atA-44LePeray,2nd lieutenantDonaldElginwas killed when his P-38crashlandedjust after take off.Thereasonn ofhis crashis notknown ofme.Alotofreason canbe imagined :dust intheengine resultingintheloss ofpower,other engine trouble,apartofthetarpaper which hurt theengine nacelleduring take off,sugarpourred inoneofthetanklike MrLouisBertrandsaid toFabriceAvoie,etc.Theloss ofanengine during take offwith fullpowerandanheavy planewas almost impossibletomasterastheaircraft would pass onits backduetothetorqueofthegoodengine.Whatever thereason,it was ahardthing forhis comrades tosee theball offire while they were gainingaltitudeafter take off.

LieutenantDonElginwas areplacementpilotofthe‘C’flightofthe392nd FS.Hehad beenassigned tothe367th FGon17August1944.Heearned his wings atMooreFieldinMission,TX,with class44-B.Hewas born in1921andwas from Iowa.Hewas married toNinaandhad ason,DonaldD.Elginborn inNovember 1944(sourcefindagrave website).

Oneofhis tent matewas lieutenantAlDiefendorf.Hewrote thefollowing lines inhis memoirs :« Atlandingground A-44(near Peray – LeMans),Slingerland,ElginandIgot athree day pass toParisshortly after its liberation.We had liberated aGerman staffKubelwagen (theGerman equivalent totheU.S.jeep).We painted whitestarsonit,along with our goupnumber,andheaded out.Abut half-way,we lost thefanbelt,so we used rope,wire andanything else tokeep it running.Westumbled onasmall Army motor pool,andafter some dickering traded it offforasmall gasoline truck.Itran well,butnow itwas getting dark.Theheadlights didn’t work andaswe got totheParissurbubs we laidonthefrontfenders with flashlights.Therewere few,ifany,street lights,butthere was enougth lighttonavigate by.We finaly found asmall hotel onside street90degrees totheArcdeTriomphe.We had brought our own Cand10in1rationswith us,andwe gavethem tothehotelstaffwho prepared allofour meals,andofcoursethey ate well themselves.We had also bumped into a9thAirForcestaffweather officer,amajor,andhe moved into thehotel with us.Hehad ajeepandwe drove alloverParissightseeing andgetting alotofcheers from alotofcitizens.We went totheLidoonenightanddrank alotofchampagne.We left thetruckandmadeour way home.Sadly,DonElginwas killed ontake offonly fourdays later ».

AlDiefendorf decided tostay intheAirForceafter WWII.Hehad alongandfantastic carrier.After thewar he was assignedtoWilliamsfield inArizonaandwas assigned totrainpilotsfortheir transitiontotheP-47Thunderbolt.In1946he was

Lts « Dief »Diefendrof (infront),Elgin(thought tobe atthewheel)andSlingerland with their small truckinParisinSeptember1944(DavidDiefendorf /archives367th FG)

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CadetDonaldElgininyearly bookofclass44-BatMooreFieldinMission,TX

Onthewall,theplaqueunvailed inhonor ofLt DonaldElgininSeptember 18th,2011inJaugé,inthedepartement ofSarthe,France

GraveofLieutenantDonaldElginintheAmericancemetery inSaintJamesinthesouthern partintheCotentinpeninsula inNormandy,France

Closeupoftheplaqueinhonor ofLt DonaldElgininSeptember 18,2011inJaugé,inthedepartement ofSarthe,France:« Inmomory of2nd Lt DonaldD.ElginpilotoftheUSAAF392ndF.S./367thF.G.1921/1944deceased inJaugéonSeptember 8th, 1944 »

sentwith two other pilotsofWilliamsFieldtoanAirShowatClovis,NewMexico,with 3P-47.Therehe had thesurprisetomeet NinaElgin.

InSeptember 2011aplaquewas unveiled onawall oftheWWIandWWIImonumentinthelittle villageofJaugétohonorthememoryoflieutenantElgin.Unfortunately Ihavenopicture ofthededication.

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Books,DVDsandLinks

My Experiences intheArmy AirCorpsandtheUnitedStatesAirForce1942– 1975,byAllenJ.DiefendorfAllenDiefendorf,formerpresident ofthe367th FGassociation,wrote his memoirs after he retired from theAirForce.Oneofhisson,David,had thevery goodidea tomake abookofthese memoirs andillustrate them with many pictures anddocuments.« Dief »had avery well writing stylethat makes this bookreally easy toread.Hehad agreat career intheArmy andmetalotoffantastic pilots.Heworked with thefamous RobinOlds and« Chuck »Yeager.See issue#12toread thearticleonaspecialmissionflown by« Dief »inKorea.Youcan get intouch with DavidDiefendorf (he is inthemailinglist ofthis newsletter)ifyouwant toorder acopy.

Veterans History Project–InterviewofDonaldJ.Hulinghttp://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.45097/Donwas amember oftheControln NetworkSystemserviceofthe392nd FS.Inthis interviewDonspeaks aboutis traininginthearmy andalso ofsome storieswhen he was with the367thFG.See this same « Books,DVDs andLinks »pageofissues#8and9tohavethereference ofthebookswritten byDon:«Atriponthedrunken duchess » and« Commendation »

Coming in the next Newsletter

- The advanced landing grounds in France, part 4

- A special book

- Honoring the pilots, part 9

Sarthe,août1944byFabriceAvoieThisbookdealswith theliberation oftheSarthedepartment inAugust1994.FabriceAvoiehasdone atremendous work ofresearch.Hehasillustrated his bookwith alotofdocuments,pictures andstoriesoftheGerman,AmericanandFrenchsides.Themainamerican troops shown inthebookarefrom infantry andarmored divisionsbutawhole chapter isdedicated totheAmericanAdvancedLandingground inthedepartment.

367 fighter group newsletter –issue # 15 -november 2017€¦ · 2 367thfighter group newsletter...

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