355th FG pics

[drgondog]

I'll run a few through here

 

[drgondog]

a few more - all 354FS so far

 

[comiso90]

Very cool!

thanks

 

[Gnomey]

Excellent pics! Look forward to more.

 

[drgondog]

so far all the flak damaged Mustangs are shots that hit my father's a/c..

 

[Graeme]

Do you have a story to tell regarding the Russian-American handshake? And who is the artist (2nd last photo). Clever usage of converting 'tails' into 'crosses'?
Great photos, thanks for posting them.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

VERY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[drgondog]

The first two pics at the very top (of post 1) are Henry Brown getting the first DSC for the 355th - for attacking 5 Me 109s shooting at two 354FS Mustands, out of ammo, out turned them one at a time in a lufberry, causing each one to split S and dive away..

The second one is a DSC to Royce Priest for first Piggy Back rescue of his CO (my father).

Below are several more of his film clips, then Moon Elder in front of his Mustang with 357FS - the Licking Dragons served with distinction in WWII, Viet Nam, Gulf War and today

so the sequences afther the film clips are 357FS - at the bottom bunch is Norm Olson in Ma Fran OSP. Only Jug ace in 355th and only ace KIA (flak) in the group. The 355th may have been unique in that no air ace was shot down by a German fighter.

 

[Micdrow]

Very cool shots, the memorial looks great and I love the shots of the two seater Fw-190 and Bf-109

 

[drgondog]

Do you have a story to tell regarding the Russian-American handshake? And who is the artist (2nd last photo). Clever usage of converting 'tails' into 'crosses'?
Great photos, thanks for posting them.

Graeme - the photo is of Henry Brown - top ace in 355th... on the Shuttle Mission - Frantic VII, which my father was leading.

Brown was flying Yellow 1 and his flight was sent to break up an attack by JG51 Me 109s. He blew one up in a head on pass and hit another one, then strafed an airfield near Warsaw and damaged a Ju 87 and an Me 109 to finish up his day. His combat film is in his left hand with the the Russia segment map..

The picture below Brown is Bob White - retired Lt General, ex X-15 Test Pilot and got a DSC/AFC while flying with the 355th in Viet Nam.

The picture below the parafrag is of Jabby Jabara - later first USAF jet ace and number 2 in Korea behind McConnell

The artist is Art DeCosta - he did Miss Behave as well as several other Nose Art on P-47s and all the O Club Murals as well as being an accomplished oil artist. He did a portrait of my father which I still have.

He recently passed away after a long career at Univ of Penn (I think)..

 

[drgondog]

Now for some 358FS pics

The third from top and fourth from bottom are the Walter Gresham - the 358FS pilot and P-47 (YFT) that probably shot down Egon Mayer on 2 March, 1944. The two pics next to Gresham are of Billy Hovde - top 358FS ace

The pic of YFC with the 20mm flak holes in cockpit are German photos after Walburn shot down in this ship at Lechfield A/D - with only minor wounds and burns.

The last pic is Gilmore who had a close escape from 20mm flak on 15 August and then was killed by 20mm flak two weeks later on 355th's worst day of war -losing 8 Mustangs to flak around Metz on a fighter bomber sweep..two KIA, the rest Evaded and returned.

 

[mkloby]

Absolutely awesome pictures!

 

[Wildcat]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

 

[insomnia]

great pics, thanks for sharing

 

[drgondog]

some Scout Force (Experimental) formed from 355th FG at Steeple Morden in July 1944

Bud Peaslee - father of Scouts - ex 384BG, then Peaslee in his Calamity Jane.

Each of the 355th FG squadrons formed an E flight into which 4-6 Mustangs (brand new P-51D-5) were transferred.

James Kilmer, 354FS pilot transferred in. The 355th provided volunteers to serve as 'escorts' to the bomber pilots which came in from 1st and 2nd Division.

McNally in YF (bar) -J Morphine Sue from 358FS

 

[Aggie08]

Great shots! It's nice to see the earlier models, like the razorback and bubble-canopy mustang.

 

[drgondog]

More Scout Force - this series is 2nd SF

The first is the only known pic of all of the 2nd SF at Steeple Morden, the second Lt Col John Brooks, former Avalanche B-24 pilot at Ploesti, now 2nd SF CO getting a DSC for a mission in which he and Bill Whalen - only SF air ace - attacked 75+ German Fighters to break up an attack and shot down two each.

Brooks ship YF(bar) X

WR(bar) A was the Whalen ship in which he shot down three on November 26 when battling Erich's cousin in JG301, while flying Whitlow's wing.

Ceglarski was a combined air/ground ace in 2SF flying YF(bar) D.

Whitlow's WR (bar) R taken from 445BG B-24 on November 26 on way home after shooting down one Fw190A8

Castleberry, Rodebaugh and Wilkens each shot down an Me 262

 

[drgondog]

Some more 355fg HQ shots, including Decosta art in O club, Doolittle on WR-B Jane VII, some shots of Galland and a Fw190D, Duffy in a G Suit plus RAF Me109F visiting Steeple Morden in late 1943..

Kinnard's last Man O War about to go home. This ship went down in Korean War.

 

[thirtybg]

Splendid selection of photos here.

Thanks so much for sharing them with us.

some shots of Galland and a Fw190D

No Fw 190s to be seen here. This shot shows a Bf 109E.

This photo does not show a JG 27 bird as the filename says; it's from JG 51. The fellow
in the center of the photo is Werner Mölders, and the aircraft is his personal Bf 109F.

Thanks again for sharing these excellent photos with us!

 

[Thorlifter]

Fantastic. Thanks for posting these.