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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Carl Edward Decklar
Military
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P-51D 44-11360 “Dot Darlin” 354FS, 355FG with pilot Carl E. Decklar and C/C John E Bert
Assigned to HQ Sqn, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 354FS, 255FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 370FG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Service
Units served with
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355th Fighter Group
Group
Where the 353rd Fighter Group had pioneered ground strafing techniques, it was the 355th Fighter Group who destroyed more enemy aircraft by ground strafing than any other Eighth Air Force Group. Based at Steeple Morden from July 1943 to July 1945, the... -
370th Fighter Group
Group
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354th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
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Headquarters (355th Fighter Group)
Headquarters
Aircraft
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44-11360 'Dot Darlin'
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 354FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF.
Associated Place
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Steeple Morden
Military site : airfield
Originally used from 1940 as a small, grass airfield, satellite for nearby RAF Bassingbourn, Steeple Morden was allocated to the Eighth Air Force in August 1942 as a potential bomber base. It was used briefly by the 3rd Photographic Group during the... -
Florennes / Juzaine
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Dubuque, IA | 12 May 1922 |
| Based | Steeple Morden | 19 November 1944 – 9 December 1944 |
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Assigned to HQ Sqn, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Based | Steeple Morden | 9 December 1944 – 27 September 1945 |
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Transferred to 354FS, 255FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Promotion | Steeple Morden, UK | 11 February 1945 |
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Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
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| Based | Florennes / Juzaine | 27 September 1945 |
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Transferred to 370FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Hillsboro, OR | 24 September 2013 |
| Buried | Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, OR | October 2013 |
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Willamette National Cemetery |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 December 2018 12:37:17 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, highest rank, role, biography, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117624892/carl-e-decklar |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:05:05 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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