Gordon E Batdorf
Military
Object Number - UPL 23751 - 1st Lt Gordon E Batdorf 63FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF.
Assigned to 63FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited 1 x damaged. Transferred to 9AF USAAF.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Post war remained in the reserves rising to rank of Colonel. Joined Mound Metalcraft in 1946, which later became Tonka Toys and Gordon was a driving force within the company, holding the position of President from 1964 till he resigned in 1969. After he left Tonka, he started a consulting company and invested in several start-up companies.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Bat Out Of Hell
- Unit: 495th Fighter Training Group 56th Fighter Group 552nd Fighter Training Squadron 63rd Fighter Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enlisted |
Unorganized Territory of Fort Snelling, MN 55417, USA | 10 November 1941 | Fort Snelling Minnesota |
|
Other E/A Damaged |
Germany | 20 October 1943 | Damaged Bf109 20-Oct-43. |
|
Other Transferred |
France | 11 January 1944 | Transferred to 9AF USAAF. |
|
Other Crashed |
Le Bourget, France | 9 October 1944 | Taxiing Accident Le Bourget/A-54 Cat 5 damage Cat 5 damage Lt Gordon E Batdorf, 9-Oct-44. C-64 43-35390 320TpS 27ATG 8AF |
|
Died |
Plymouth, MN, USA | 11 August 2015 | |
|
Based |
Boxted | 11 January 1944 | Assigned to 63FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Born |
Hennepin County, MN, USA | Son of Robert and Corinne Batdorf. | |
| Minneapolis, MN, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list / www.56thfightergroup.co.uk/personnel.htm
