Wilson V Edwards
MilitaryPhoto provided by family
Wilson V. Edwards had already volunteered in a so-called Eagle Squadron of the RAF before the USA entered the war in 1941
Later he was transferred to the American forces and worked in the Headquarters of the 4 FG which was stationed at Debden in England. On 13 July 1944 Edwards took part in the fighter escort of a bomber formation flying to Munich. At c 09.30 hrs he was detected by the Saarbrücken flak, fired at and hit. He bailed out and landed near Schwollen, his aircraft hit the ground near Hattgenstein. Edwards survived and became a POW.
Joined RAFVR
Spartan Flight School Tulsa
133S Nov 41
transferred to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF 20 June 1944 — 13 July 1944
C/O 336th FS
He was shot down in P-51 44-13608 [which crashed at Hattgenstein] 13-Jul-44. MACR 6711. Hit by flak, he parachuted near Metz, France and was in the process of being beaten and lynched by local civilians before being “rescued” by German soldiers. He spent the rest of the war in Luft I POW camp in Barth. Prisoner of War (POW).
Remained in the USAF for 26 years, holding posts in the ATC and ADC. He also served overseas in France, Germany and Italy. His last assignment was as Director of Maintenance, McCord AFB, Washington, DC.
Lt. Colonel Edwards retired from the Air Force in 1968.
1968-72 City Planner, City of Colorado Springs
1972-80 Worked as USAF consultant on DEW line and on the Middle East
1980 Flight Instructor, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2001 Inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Headquarters
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Unit: 4th Fighter Group 336th Fighter Squadron Headquarters (4th Fighter Group)
Missions
- Date: 13 July 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: "Duckpond"
- Site type: Memorial
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Los Angeles, CA, USA | 19 July 1918 | |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Barth, Germany | 13 July 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I. |
Died |
Colorado Springs, CO, USA | 7 August 2009 | |
Buried |
Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO | 10 August 2009 | Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado |
Colorado Springs, CO, USA | |||
Based |
Debden | 13 July 1944 | Transferred to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. |
Based |
Biggin Hill | Assigned to 133 Sqn RAF. |
Revisions
EAGLES of the RAF - The World War II Eagle Squadrons by Phillip D Caine.
http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=3538
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=4
http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/uploads/8/2/0/3/8203817/336_e…
EAGLES of the RAF - The World War II Eagle Squadrons by Phillip D Caine.
http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=3538
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=4
http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/uploads/8/2/0/3/8203817/336_e…
Wilson V. "Bill" Edwards, was one of the American volunteers, that flew with the American Eagle Squadron, RAF. He flew Hurricanes and Spitfires. He later would fly P-47's and P-51's with the 4th fighter group, 8th Air Force, USA. On July 13th, 1944, While piloting a P-51, on a bomber escort mission, over Munich, flack hit his radiator. He had a hard parachute landing and injured both knees and broke his tail bone. He spent the last year of the war at Stalag Luft I, POW camp, in Barth, Germany. He retired as a Lt. Colonel from the Air Force in 1967.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 6708;/6716