![P/O William A Arends 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF on the wing of Spitfire EP168.](http://americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/media/media-18907.jpeg?itok=02lgHT1L)
Donald Lambert
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group
Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133S, transferred to 336FS 4FG 8AF USAAF, transferred to 109th Obs Sqn, flight instructor until 1944.
...
The American Air Museum is Open
Please click here for more information, there is also plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
William Albert Arends
Military
-
![P/O William Albert Arends 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF. The cartoon, from his own hands, depicts the 'four horsemen of the apocalypse' and referred to him and three buddies from his home town area. Arends and Logan would not make it through the war.](http://americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/media/media-18841.jpeg?itok=0CqeFvgb)
P/O William Albert Arends 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF. The cartoon, from his own hands, depicts the 'four horsemen of the apocalypse' and referred to him and three buddies from his home town area. Arends and Logan would not make it through the war.
-
Pilots and Officers of No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron at Biggin Hill, June 1942. Standing L-R: Lt. Leonard T. Ryerson, Lt. George H. Middleton, R. Beatty, E. Miller, D. Gudmundsen, D. Lambert, Dominic S. Gentile, J. Emerson (Intelligence Officer), F. Chapman (Medical Officer), J. Stavely-Dick (Adjutant), Grant E. Eichar and Carl H. Miley. Sitting L-R: G. Harp, William Arends, G. Omens, E. Taylor, Coburn C. King, T. Thomas (Commanding Officer), Donald J. M.Blakeslee, George B. Sperry, E. Doorley, K. Kimbro and W. Baker.
-
![P/O William A Arends 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF on the wing of Spitfire EP168.](http://americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/media/media-18907.jpeg?itok=HgM3YDfV)
P/O William A Arends 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF on the wing of Spitfire EP168.
-
133 Eagle Squadron pilots during Operation Jubilee. 19 August 1942. Left to right: Chesley Robertson, Bill Arends, Charles Cook, Edwin "Jessie" Taylor, and Don Blakeslee. Note: Blakeslee's name is written on the left side of his life jacket.
Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133S, crashed in Spitfire P8595 [written off] nr Epworth, Lincolnshire, after a collision in the air with P8438 [P/O Samuel Fisk Whedon successfully deployed his chute, but killed in landing]. 3-4-42.
Lost on fighter sweep to St. Omer in Spitfire Vb EP168. On the return, attacked by a half dozen Fw190's. Managed to take one with him before succumbing to the odds. Killed in Action (KIA) 20-6-42.
Service
People
-
-
George Middleton
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot
Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133S, transferred to 336FS 4FG 8AF USAAF, shot down 26 September 1942 in Spitfire IX BS301 near Morlaix, France. Prisoner of War (POW). -
Samuel Whedon
Military | Pilot Officer | Pilot
Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133 Sqn RAF Mid air collision in P8438 with P/O Wilbert A Arends in P8595 nr Epworth, Lincolnshire, baled out and successfully deployed chute, but killed in landing. 3-4-42. KOAS.
Units served with
-
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. ... -
336th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
The 336th Fighter Squadron was constituted by the War Department on 22 august 1942, and was activated at Bushey Hall, England, on 12 September. It had been designated as No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron, and was made up of American volunteers to the Royal Air... -
No. 133 'Eagle' Squadron
Squadron
'On 1 August 1941, No. 133 reformed at Coltishall as the third 'Eagle' Squadron manned by American personnel. Equipped with Hurricanes it became operational at the end of September. The next month the Squadron moved to Northern Ireland, returning to...
Aircraft
-
EP168
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire EP168 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory. Delivered to No 9MU 27-5-42, assigned to 133S 13-6-42, shot down by Fw190 on sweep 20-6-42 P/O W A Arends killed. -
P8438
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire P8438 Mk IIa, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory. ... -
P8595
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire P8595 Mk IIa, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory. ...
Associated Place
-
Biggin Hill
Military site : airfield
An RAF Station with US lodger units. USAAF Spitfires and P-38s were attached to RAF No 11 Group stations in mid-1942 for training; also used for special operations by British and US forces. -
Debden
Military site : airfield
RAF Debden, construction of which began in 1935, is perhaps most famous as a Battle of Britain fighter airfield, partly responsible for the defence of London in 1940. In 1942 it was also home to three RAF 'Eagle Squadrons’ of volunteer American pilots... -
Eagle Squadrons Memorial
Other location
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Tulare, CA 93274, USA | 1917 |
|
Son of Harm A and Pearl F Arends, of Tulare, California, USA. |
||
| Lived in | Visalia, CA, USA | 1940 |
| Joined RAFVR | Canada | 1940 |
|
Joined Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. |
||
| Assigned | Biggin Hill, London SE19 3HY, UK | 1941 |
|
Assigned to 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF. |
||
| Crashed Mid Air | Epworth, North Lincolnshire, UK | 3 April 1942 |
|
Crashed in Spitfire P8595 [written off] nr Epworth, Lincolnshire, after a collision in the air with P8438 [P/O Samuel Fisk Whedon successfully deployed his chute, but killed in landing]. 3-4-42. |
||
| Died | Saint-Omer, France | 20 June 1942 |
|
Lost on fighter sweep to St. Omer in Spitfire Vb EP168. On the return, attacked by a half dozen Fw190's. Managed to take one with him before succumbing to the odds. |
||
| Buried | Pihen-lès-Guînes, France | 1945 |
|
Pihen-les-Guines Communal Cemetery, Pihen-les-Guines |
||
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 10 November 2015 14:20:46 | Al_Skiff | Changes to nickname |
| Sources | ||
http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=3498 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 November 2015 18:36:17 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=3498 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:27:34 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Combat Chronology / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia |
||
