Warren Charles Cooley

Military

Class of 44-B at Foster Field, TX; Fighter Pilot School at Bruning AFB, Neb. ; in England 8/44-12/44; flew P-47s & P-51s in 32 missions; memory of 12/26/44 -- flight leader of Blue Flt. into Battle of the Bulge area, pursued Fw190s into Germany, shot down 2 & was hit by flak over a German air field, n. w. of Cologne, captured by German civilians & beaten but rescued by Ger. soldiers, taken & interrogated at Dulag Luft then sent to Stalg Luft I for 4 months, liberated by Russians but still prisoner for awhile till air lifted to Camp Lucky Strike in France; 6 from the 359th FS returned to Martlesham - Capt. Tarbutton, Lt. Wong, Lt. Baite, Lt. Hull, Lt. Beach & Cooley



DFC/ AM



4 in Air

Connections

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Units served with

Aircraft

42-8549

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Elsie Fearless Fosdick
  • Unit: 356th Fighter Group 359th Fighter Squadron

44-15029

  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 356th Fighter Group 359th Fighter Squadron

44-15181

  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 356th Fighter Group 359th Fighter Squadron

Places

Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.

Stalag Luft I

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

6 July 1922 Son of Warren C Snr and Elsa F Cooley.

Based

22 August 1944 - 26 November 1944 Assigned to 359FS, 356FG, 8AF USAAF.

Other

Crashed

31 August 1944 Take Off Accident Martlesham Heath/Sta 369 Cat 3 damage Lt Warren C Cooley, 31-Aug-44. P-47D 42-8549 - 359FS 356FG 8AF

Other

Promotion

26 November 1944 Promoted to 1st Lieutenant.

Other

Hit by flak Baled out

26 November 1944 Hit by flak in P-51D 44-15029 over a German air field, NW of Cologne. Baled out POW. MACR 11078.

Other

Crashed

15 December 1944 Take Off Accident Martlesham Heath/Sta 369 Cat 3 damage Lt Warren C Cooley, 15-Dec-44. P-51D 44-15181 - 359FS 356FG 8AF

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

26 December 1944 Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I.

Died

28 December 2001

Buried

Cashion Cemetery Cashion, Kingfisher County, OK

Born

Prisoner of War (POW)

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Capitalized the words in the "Role/job" field to aid readability.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/record/57232433-warren-c-cooley
https://www.fold3.com/image/197594730?terms=Warren%20C%20Cooley
https://www.fold3.com/image/30641310
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmpilot.asp?Pilot=Cooley%2C+War…
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbapi.asp?Pilot=Cooley%2C+Warren…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7836857/warren-c.-cooley

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11078 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list / self MACR 11078