Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
19 August 1943
Not yet known
A combined force of 178 P-47s are despatched from: 4FG; 56FG; 78FG; and 353FG to provide escort for the B-17 formations despatched to bomb the Gilze-Rijen and Woensdrecht airfields in Holland. 4FG and 78FG provide fighter cover on the penetration and 56FG and 353FG provide escort for the withdrawl. The bombers actually make two orbits which causes the fighter support to stay longer than planned. 1 P-47 from 56FG sustains an engine failure and the pilot is forced to bale out over eney occupied territory in Holland and is captured. 1POW.
FIGHTER SWEEP
P-47 Thunderbolt
The bombers made two orbits in the target area before abandoning the mission. This caused the fighters to remain in the area much longer than planned. The 4th Fighter Group and 78th Fighter Group cover withdrawal and the 56th Fighter Group and 353rd Fighter Group escorted the penetration. One 56th Fighter Group P-47 is lost, pilot Missing in Action (MIA).
Group
The 353rd Fighter Group was assigned to the Eighth Air Force on 7 June 1943. The group flew P-47 Thunderbolts, and from October 1944, P-51 Mustangs, as escorts for bombing missions across occupied Europe and to strafe targets on the ground. Tactical...
Group
Some of the pilots of the 4th Fighter Group had seen many hours of combat by the time they joined the 4th Fighter Group as they had volunteered with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The three 'Eagle Squadrons' of RAF Fighter...
Group
Flying P-47 Thunderbolts throughout their time stationed in England, the Group, known as "the Wolfpack", had more ace pilots than any other Eighth Air Force Fighter Group. The 56th Fighter Group also destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any...
Group
The 78th Fighter Group was initially based at Goxhill but moved to Duxford in April 1943 and stayed there until October 1945. The 78th FG flew each of the three US built principal fighters of the AAF in the ETO. In their Thundetbolts, the 78th FG ...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 175 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 1 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 1 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Destroyed by Fighter Command | 9 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Probably Destroyed by Fighter Command | 2 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Damaged by Bomber Command | 4 |
Military | First Lieutenant | 353rd Fighter Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 56th Fighter Group
On 19-Aug-43 while flying P-47C 41-6216 escorting B-17s on withdrawl from an attack on the German airfield at Glize-Rijen, Holland, the aircraft sustained an engine failure at 27,000 feet over the North Sea. 2LT Hodges stayed with the aircraft and...
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47C-2-RE 41-6216 was assigned to the 56FG/63FS at Halesworth, UK. The aircraft was being flown by 2LT Glenn L. Hodges on 19-Aug-43 on a mission to provide fighter cover for the B-17 formation withdrawing from an attack on the German airfield at...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2015 19:45:16 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 24-May-2015. Added fighter claims per "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 May 2015 18:49:29 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to name and description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 24-May-2015. Added Mission Narrative based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:19 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'. |
||
