Bill’s blog archive: Daily Posts

333rd FS, 318th FG, 7th Army Air Force
333rd FS, 318th FG, 7th Army Air Force
333rd FS, 318th FG, 7th Army Air Force
333rd FS, 318th FG, 7th Army Air Force
333rd FS, 318th FG, 7th Army Air Force

Memorial Day: 1945

Memorial Day, May 30, 1945.  The War in Europe is over, but the bloody struggle in the Pacific continues on, with no end in sight. P-47 "Jugs" of the 318th Fighter Group were raiding targets on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.  This mission was a so-called “Heckler” mission. These raids had no specific target; the intent was to harass and attack whatever target they might come across. The weather was bad; it was listed as “completely closed in” at the base of the 318th on the...
P 47 366fg Thruxon
P 47 366fg Thruxon
P 47 366fg Thruxon
P 47 366fg Thruxon
P 47 366fg Thruxon

“A Steady Stream of Gray Smoke”

The visibility was poor - 800 to 1000 feet - with localized rain squalls. The P-47 ‘Thunderbolts of the 366th Fighter/Bomber Group were going after German troop concentrations in the area of Bayeux, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. P-47 tail # 42-26292 was being piloted by 1st Lieutenant Arthur T. Krause, of Wyandotte County, KS. He had more than 35 missions to his credit. 1st LT Peter W. White was the last Allied flyer to see LT Krause. He provided the following testimony of what proved...
P 47 Thunderbolt In Bomb Blast
P 47 Thunderbolt In Bomb Blast
P 47 Thunderbolt In Bomb Blast
P 47 Thunderbolt In Bomb Blast
P 47 Thunderbolt In Bomb Blast

“Hit By My Own Blast”

The target of the 353rd Fighter Group on June 6, 1944, was a grouping of German armored trucks and other vehicles, six miles south of Mortain, France. A P-47 Thunderbolt, piloted by Flight Officer Earl W. Green, dove towards the target. His flight leader, Captain James N. Poindexter (himself shot down and killed over Germany months later, on January 3, 1945) reported that: F/O Green, 23 years old, from Klamath Falls, Oregon, had been in the military just short of four years. He was...