9th Air Force
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42-106737
P-51 Mustang
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1st Lt Anthony E. Ladas in the cockpit of P-51B 42-106737, 382FS, 363FG, 9AF.
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Capt. John Brown and ground crew of the 382nd FS with their P-51B 42-106647 C3-D "Big Mac Junior" in France during July 1944. Tailplane in left of shot is 42-106737.
Assigned to 382FS, 363FG, 9AF USAAF. Transferred to 355FS, 354FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Lemons-Dreux, France area 8-Aug-44. Lt Garland Page abandoned A/C Evreux-Chartres area. MACR 8499
Service
Units
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354th Fighter Group
Group
The Group moved to England in the autumn of 1943 and was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in December 1943. The Group were the first to fly P-51 Mustangs operationally and in their bomber escort missions pushed to find the long-range limits of the... -
363rd Fighter Group
Group
Equipped with P-51s, the Group entered combat from England in February 1944, flying bomber escort and ground-strafing missions. They took part in the invasion of Normandy, protecting gliders and troop carriers on 6 and 7 June. In September 1944, now... -
355th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
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382nd Fighter Squadron
Squadron
People
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Anthony Ladas
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter pilot | 363rd Fighter Group
Assigned to 382FS, 363FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) penetration escort Frankfurt head-on mid air collision with P-47 42-26016. A/C destroyed pilot 2Lt Anthony E Ladas Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 5138. Awards: AM(3OLC), PH. -
Garland Page
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 354th Fighter Group
Assigned to 355FS, 354FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Lemons-Dreux, France area 8-Aug-44. Lt Page abandoned A/C Evreux-Chartres area. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8499 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Places
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Lashenden
Military site : airfield
Close to but completely separate from RAF Headcorn, Lashenden was built for the RAF during 1942-43 as an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG), initially as a light bomber base and then as a training base for mobile fighter squadrons. Enlarged and improved for... -
Staplehurst
Military site : airfield
Built during 1943 as an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG), Staplehurst was used briefly by RAF fighter squadrons during August to October 1943 and then allocated to the Ninth Air Force. Developed and improved during the winter of 1943-44, the station...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Inglewood, CA | 1944 |
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Built at North American. |
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| Assigned | Staplehurst, UK | 1944 |
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Assigned to 382FS, 363FG, 9AF USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Lashenden, UK | July 1944 |
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Transferred to 355FS, 354FG, 9AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Evreux, France | 8 August 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Lemons-Dreux, France area 8-Aug-44. Lt Garland Page abandoned A/C Evreux-Chartres area. MACR 8499 |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 20 October 2019 15:02:29 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, markings, description, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:14 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 8499 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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