Urban L Drew
MilitaryIWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Urban L "Ben" Drew joined the US Army Air Force in 1942, and trained P-51 Mustang pilots after graduating from Marian, Florida. He arrived in England in October 1944 and joined the 361st Fighter Group. Drew completed 75 missions with the 361st and became an Ace, claiming 6 kills. Drew notably shot down two ME 262 on 7 October 1944, he had encountered an ME 262 on a previous mission, and reported his experience to Allied intelligence. On a mission in early October 1944, Drew was grounded for performing a victory roll. His punishment was repealed when intelligence reported Me 262s near Brux and Drew, with prior experience of the aircraft, was tasked with leading the mission. He was awarded the Air Force Cross for heroism, but as Drew's gun camera failed during the mission, and his appeal for the Distinguished Flying Cross was denied. He eventually received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1983 after the German Luftwaffe archives and the American Air Force archives confirmed both kills.
After completing his tour of duty in the European Theatre, Drew returned to the United States, working at various training bases. In 1945 he was transferred to Iwo Jima, Japan in the Pacific Theatre of Operations flying P-47 Thunderbolts with the 413th Squadron, 414th Fighter Group, 10th Air Force.
Following the War he started an aviation business in Britain and South Africa.
6 aerial kills, one ground kill, one water kill (shot down first ever two Me-262's), sank and burned largest aircraft in world, the Blohm & Voss BV238-V1 on 18 September 1944.Hitler was going to use it to bomb Washington and New York
AFC/ 2 DFCs/ 17 AMs
Connections
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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
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Hadstock
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Detroit, Michigan | 21 March 1924 | |
Other Shot down two ME 262 |
Near Achmer, Germany | 7 October 1944 | |
Other End Tour of Duty (ETD) |
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Other Promoted |
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Other Transferred to Pacific Theatre of Operations |
Iwo Jima, Japan |
Revisions
Biography: http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/drew.html
Account of shooting down two Me 262s: http://www.elknet.pl/acestory/drew/drew.htm
Awards: http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list / self, Fighter Aces of the U. S. A. and Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force