# Looking for WWII Pilot Biographies



## [email protected] (Oct 10, 2006)

P47Pilots.com and (the recently launched) P51pilots.com needs your help to preserve history! We are looking for WWII pilot biographies. 

If you're a WWII pilot we want to hear your story! If you're related to or if you know a WWII pilot, we want to hear their story! 

HELP US PRESERVE HISTORY!

Please visit P47 Pilots Association  and P51 Mustang Pilots Association  to see the work we are doing. If you have a story to tell, please contribute it!

Our websites focus on preserving history from the perspective of the people who lived the experience. True history lives in the personal experiences of the men and women who were there, not in the statistics and figures in history books. It is an unfortunate truth that history and context is being lost from the great WWII era -- every day more of it fades from memories, get tucked away in shoeboxes, and is lost forever as our heroes pass on.

P47Pilots.com and P51Pilots.com is building an extensive archive of pilot biographies, pilot stories, and photographs from the era. Our hope is to preserve this important history online where it can touch and connect generations to come. The electronic format of online archives allow data to easily be accessed and searched by anyone in the world. 

A community of people with a special love for the era, pilots, and the aircraft has spawned from this project. We have succeeded in reaching out and connecting friends and families of folks whose lives were touched by P47 and P51 Pilots. 

We need your help to make this grow. 

War memories, photos, friends, biographies - any information that can help people make connections - share it with us before it's too late. Don't let the personal stories from this amazing era in history slip away. 

P47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association 
P51 Mustang Pilots Association


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## Erich (Oct 10, 2006)

hmmmmmmmm

why don't you simply check with each Air Force that is listed on the web and then break it down to theater of ops and then each individual fighter group for personal stories.....through the fighter groups representative.

work at it............... I have for over 40 years. it takes time


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## [email protected] (Oct 16, 2006)

Thanks Erich!

I plan on contacting each of the fighter groups and asking for their assistance. Looking for "low hanging fruit" to start - I'm guessing that folks who contribute to great wwii forums like this one are likely to be more internet saavy and may have alot of this information in electronic format already. I just recently made the decision to expand out from the P47Pilots.com website, so I'm still in the process of finding sources for the info. A big thanks to you for sponsoring this forum and creating a community where we can reach out for projects like this one!

By the way - P47Pilots.com has:

Over 550 pilot biographies in our archives (many with photos!), with at least 100 more on their way. 
A photo gallery with photo comments which is growing. Currently we have over 120 photos in the collection. 
A guestbook signed by over 1300 people dating back to June 1998!

... not a bad start! Thanks again Erich for this great resource!


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## jhor9 (Nov 25, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> P47Pilots.com and (the recently launched) P51pilots.com needs your help to preserve history! We are looking for WWII pilot biographies.
> 
> If you're a WWII pilot we want to hear your story! If you're related to or if you know a WWII pilot, we want to hear their story!
> 
> ...



I assume that you are only interested in fighter pilots, this lets me out since I was a B17 pilot


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## ken dye (Apr 3, 2009)

HI:

I'm a new member and would like to submitt a story about my dad, Captain Lawrence "Larry" Dye. 

Dad flew P-51's while assigned to the MINN ANG during Korea. 

I will also write a story about the "Margie H" an A-36 that dad was flying when he was shot down in Italy. Its a pretty good story if i do say.

Please reply to [email protected]

Thanks for your attention, I look forward to hearing from you.

Ken Dye


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## mkloby (Apr 3, 2009)

jhor9 said:


> I assume that you are only interested in fighter pilots, this lets me out since I was a B17 pilot



You're still up there in my book! Air power is way more than just fighters. My grandfather was a bombardier in the 100th Bomb Group 349th Sqdn.


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## RabidAlien (Apr 5, 2009)

My grandfather was a groundcrewman for -24's in Italy, so my heart goes out to the bomber crews!


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## drgondog (Apr 6, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> P47Pilots.com and (the recently launched) P51pilots.com needs your help to preserve history! We are looking for WWII pilot biographies.
> 
> If you're a WWII pilot we want to hear your story! If you're related to or if you know a WWII pilot, we want to hear their story!
> 
> ...



I sent you the 355th/2SF ace bios two(?) years ago - I would suggest that Dr. Frank Olynyk's Stars and Bars is a resource you want to acquire as he has at least a WWII bio on every US Fighter ace...(USAAF/USMC/USN - all ship types) if there is someone you want to add yourself.

Regards,

Bill


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