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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Thomas William Colby
Military
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Tom Colby 352nd FG
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Pilots of the 486th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, in front of P-47 Thunderbolt (PZ-R, serial number 42-8412), named "Sweetie" at Bodney air base in March 1944. Left to right, top row: Lieutenant Woodrow W. Anderson, Lieutenant Stanley G. Miles, Lieutenant Frank A. Cutler, Lieutenant Martin E. Corcoran, Lieutenant Donald Y. Whinnem. Left to right, middle row: Lieutenant-Colonel Luther H. Richmond, Captain Stephen W. Andrew, Lieutenant Thomas W. Colby, Lieutenant Henry J. Miklajyck, Captain Edward J. Gignac, Lieutenant Alfred L. Marshall, Lieutenant Alton J. Wallace, Lieutenant Robert C. Frascotti, Lieutenant Donald H. Higgins, Major Willie O. Jackson. Left to right, front row: Lieutenant Lloyd A. Rauk, Lieutenant Warren H. Brashear, Captain Franklyn N. Green, Lieutenant Donald W. McKibben, Lieutenant Theodore P. Fahrenwald, Lieutenant Robert C. MacKean, Lieutenant Edwin L. Heller, Lieutenant Joseph L. Gerst.
P-51K s/n 44-11654 PZ+T "Lil Evey"
Service
Units served with
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352nd Fighter Group
Group
The 352nd Fighter Group were based at Bodney, Norfolk from July 1943 until November 1945 but in the winter months of 1944/1945 detachments moved to bases in Belgium to provide extra air support to ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge and to... -
486th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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44-11654 "Li'l Evey" 'Dotty'
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 486FS, 352FG, 8AF USAAF.
Associated Place
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Bodney
Military site : airfield
Before the Americans arrived Bodney was a grass-surfaced airfield. So when the 352nd Fighter Group arrived with heavy P-47 Thunderbolts, work was carried out to strengthen its roads and runways with steel matting, concrete and tarmac. Nissen huts also... -
Asch
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Seattle, WA, USA | 27 August 1922 |
| Based | Bodney | November 1942 – 22 October 1944 |
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Assigned to 486FS, 352FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Promotion | Bodney, Thetford IP26 5BX, UK | 7 June 1943 |
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Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
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| Promotion | Bodney, Thetford IP26 5BX, UK | 4 August 1944 |
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Promoted to Captain. |
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| End Tour Duty (ETD) | Bodney, Thetford IP26 5BX, UK | 9 August 1944 |
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End Tour Duty (ETD) [1] |
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| End Tour Duty (ETD) | Bodney, Thetford IP26 5BX, UK | 22 October 1944 |
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End Tour Duty (ETD) [2] |
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| Died | Chula Vista, CA, USA | 19 October 1997 |
| Buried | 1215 145th Pl SE, Bellevue, WA 98007, USA | November 1997 |
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Sunset Hills Memorial Park Bellevue |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 February 2018 17:12:30 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/record/72071174-thomas-w-colby |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 March 2017 03:22:57 | fugari | Changes to nickname, highest rank, role, biography, awards, events, place associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
cook |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:26:10 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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