# June 5th and 6th, 1944 from the 352nd FG



## B-17engineer (Jun 6, 2013)

Just caught this on Facebook, had two member of the 352nd post their D-Day experience 



> Returning from a mission over Europe on the early afternoon of June 5th we pilots were quickly advised by the Crew Chiefs of our Mustang fighter planes that they had been ordered to get every plane “painted” with black and white stripes, . That meant about 90 planes. These, we came to know later, were the “invasion stripes” painted on every Allied aircraft to make it easier for all the ships involved in this operation to identify us as friendly to avoid our being exposed to “friendly fire.” And rightly so, as we passed over these hundreds of ships as many as six times on June 6th, D-Day for the invasion of Normandy .
> 
> Our base at Bodney , England , and all others like it, had been closed off completely. No one could enter or leave and we still had not been told why. Of course, we figured the big day had come. We were told to get all the rest we could as there would be an early mission. Our mission briefing was at midnight when we learned we our first squadron would be taking off at 2:00 am with the other two squadrons taking off about 30 minutes later. It was to be our first night takeoff and the first of three combat missions on that historic day. In the briefing, our Flight Surgeon told us he had been ordered to “keep us flying until the beaches were secure . . . even if he had to give us pep pills. This was not necessary, however, as the excitement of D-Day provided us sufficient adrenalin.
> 
> ...



And here is another



> Greetings:
> 
> It is early morning of June 5,1944 at the "A" flight dispersal area of the 487th Fighter Squadron. All six of the Mustangs are combat ready. The weather is closed in. Missions are planned and scrubbed. The base is closed at about 3:30. Enlisted men are called off the line to do perimeter guard and to man our few anti-aircraft guns.
> 
> ...



:salute :salute


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## Airframes (Jun 6, 2013)

Good stuff H.


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## Gnomey (Jun 7, 2013)

Good stuff Harrison!


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