Henry L Ayres Jr | American Air Museum in Britain

1st Lt Henry L 'Hank' Ayres Jr 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF.

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Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133S, transferred to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF
Shot down by fighters on 28 Jul 43 in P-47 41-6238 near Gouda, Holland. Ayres was injured and taken to hospital. Prisoner of War (POW).

Awards: AM (OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME.

Service

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

41-6238

P-47 Thunderbolt
Crash landing due to Engine Failure at Debden/Sta 356 Cat 3 damage Pilot Lt Aubrey C Stanhope, 4-3-43. Shot down by fighters and crashed on 28 Jul 43 near Gouda, Holland. Pilot Lt Henry L Ayres POW.

Missions

VIII Fighter Command FO-83 BOMBER ESCORT

28 July 1943
A combined force of 123 P-47s from: 4FG; 56FG; and 78FG are despathed to escort the VIII Bomber Command mission #78 against Kassel and Oschersleben, Germany. The escort encounters approximately 45 German fighters attacking the bomber stream. These P...

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	Indianapolis, IN, USA	19 January 1920
19 January 1920
Joined RAFVR	Canada	1940
Joined Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Assigned	Biggin Hill, London SE19 3HY, UK	1941 – 9 October 1942
Assigned to 133 Sqn RAF.
Transferred	Debden, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11, UK	9 October 1942 – 28 July 1943
Transferred to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF.
Promoted	Debden, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11, UK	April 1943
Promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
Shot down	Gouda, Netherlands	28 July 1943
Shot down by fighters on 28 Jul 43 in P-47 41-6238 near Gouda, Holland.
Prisoner of War (POW).	Stalag Luft III Żagań, Poland	28 July 1943 – May 1945
Died	San Diego, CA, USA	24 December 1971
Died - 24 December 1971 San Diego, CA

Date	Contributor	Update
06 March 2019 12:50:24	general ira snapsorter	Changes to service number, biography and events
Sources
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from: - Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
Date	Contributor	Update
10 November 2015 17:41:12	Al_Skiff	Changes to nickname
Sources
http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/uploads/8/2/0/3/8203817/336_ay...
Date	Contributor	Update
06 November 2015 16:05:19	Al_Skiff	Changes to role, biography, awards, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations
Sources
http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/uploads/8/2/0/3/8203817/336_ay...
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:12:43	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR, Losses of the 8th & 9th AF Vol. I by Bishop & Hey p. 203