8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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42-106809
P-51 Mustang
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North American P-51B 42-106809 'Little Liquidator' and pilot Lt George F Baker Jnr 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF.
Assigned to 504FS, 339FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Personal aircraft of Capt George F Baker Jr. Failed to Return (FTR) training mission, pilot radioed that propeller governer had failed and baled out over North sea. Died non Battle (DNB). A/C crashed Scarborough. MACR 12296.
Service
Units
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339th Fighter Group
Group
In the years before deployment to the UK, the Group had been designated as a Bombardment Group (Dive) and trained in A-24 and A-25 dive-bombers and P-39 Airacobras. When, in April 1944, they joined the Eighth Air Force in Britain though, the pilots... -
359th Fighter Group
Group
The 359th Fighter Group flew 346 missions from East Wretham between December 1943 and April 1945. In the main these missions were escorting bombers flying over occupied Europe. The Group, soon after converting from Thunderbolts to Mustangs, were... -
368th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
Distinguished Unit Citation: Germany, 11 September 1944. -
504th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
People
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George Baker
Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 359th Fighter Group
Assigned to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Completed tour. Credited with 4.5 aerial kills, 1 x probable and a ground kill. Awards: WWII Victory, EAME. -
Henry Thompson
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 359th Fighter Group
Assigned to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) training mission in P-51B 42- ...
Places
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East Wretham
Military site : airfield
East Wretham was not improved to Class A standard. It retained its shorter runways, although eventually pierced-steel planking was laid to make take offs and landings easier for the Thunderbolt, and then Mustang, pilots. Steel matting was also laid to... -
Fowlmere
Military site : airfield
Just as nearby Duxford was known as the 'Duck pond' by American airmen, so Fowlmere was known as 'the Hen Puddle' because of the wet conditions that pervaded the bases during the winter of 1943-1944. The 339th Fighter Group had no choice but to persist...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Inglewood, CA, USA | 1944 |
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Built at North American. |
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| Delivered | California, USA | 1944 |
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Delivered to USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Fowlmere, Royston SG8, UK | 1944 |
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Assigned to 504FS, 339FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Transferred | Wretham, Thetford IP24, UK | 1945 |
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Transferred to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Cayton, Scarborough YO11, UK | 7 February 1945 |
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A/C abandoned. Pilot Baled Out over North sea. A/C crashed Scarborough. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 29 August 2016 09:39:47 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/search.php?searchString=106809&Submit=Search |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:14 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 12296 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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