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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Charles Albert Cook Jr
Military
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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, Spartan Aeronautical College, assigned to 133S, transfer to 336th FS, 4th FG 8AF USAAF, shot down 26 September 1942 in Spitfire IX BR640. Prisoner of War (POW).
Service
Units served with
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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
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BR640
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire BR640 Mk IX, Built at Rolls Royce Hucknall. ...
Missions
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VIII Fighter Command 133 SQ. RAF
26 September 1942
14 aircraft and pilots took off from Great Sampford for Bolthead, Devonshire, landing there at 1230 hours. At 1350 hours and after a very sketchy briefing, 12 aircraft of the Squadron took off together with 401 with orders to make rendezvous with a...
Associated Place
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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... -
Duxford
Military site : airfield
RAF Duxford, now a museum and still a working airfield, was operated by the USAAF from 1943 to 1945. The base was briefly the home of the 350th Fighter Group in late 1942, but it was not until April 1943 that it became a fully American station when the... -
Eagle Squadrons Memorial
Other location
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | 1922 | |
| Joined RAFVR | Canada | 1940 |
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Joined Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. |
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| Service pilot training | Tulsa, OK, USA | 1940 |
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Service pilot training. Spartan Aeronautical College. |
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| Assigned | 1941 – 14 September 1942 | |
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Assigned to 133 [Eagle] Sqn RAF. |
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| Transferred | 14 September 1942 – 26 September 1942 | |
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Transferred to 336th FS, 4th FG 8AF USAAF. |
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| Prisoner of War (POW) | Zagan, Poland | 26 September 1942 – 8 May 1945 |
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Held at Stalag Luft III, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) later moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 8-May-45. |
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| Shot down | Brest, France | 26 September 1942 |
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Shot down 26-9-42 in Spitfire IX BR640. |
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| Died | 1986 | |
| Buried | Parkersburg, WV, USA | 1986 |
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Mount Olivet Cemetery |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 25 February 2016 11:44:41 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
EAGLES of the RAF - The World War II Eagle Squadrons by Phillip D Caine. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 08 November 2015 22:11:28 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, suffix, biography, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
EAGLES of the RAF - The World War II Eagle Squadrons by Phillip D Caine. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 November 2014 18:34:40 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to suffix, biography, awards, events and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 16-Nov-2014. Added POW event. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 October 2014 17:11:24 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 28-Oct-2014. Added mission association within web site data. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 October 2014 17:47:11 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 22-Oct-2014. National Archives Records Administration (NARA) POW database. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 October 2014 17:40:00 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to service number |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 22-Oct-2014. National Archives Records Administration (NARA) POW database. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:05:24 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces by Bishop and Hey, p. 32 |
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