Arman Peterson
Military ROLL OF HONOURUploaded
78th FG 84FS. Col Arman Peterson, came from Flagstaff, Arizona, and called his Thunderbolt “Flagari”. He was the first CO of 78th Fighter Group at Duxford and was killed in action 1st July 1943 on the day the group had destroyed four FW 190s, and damaged five others. ‘ “The day ‘Pete’ didn’t come back “ reshaped the course of the 78th. Officers flew frantic and vain search missions. Ground personnel went around, scuffing their shoes into the dust and digging their hands deep into their pockets. Bob Hope and Francis Langford arrived to entertain us, but their show began to fall flat. “What’s wrong with these guys” Hope wanted to know. He was told. And what a show that trouper put on in the old theatre hangar, in an attempt to help the boys forget.’
‘The regard with which this man is held is still a source of amazement to visitors. In a way he has grown into a legend or a myth – a myth that is perhaps bigger than was the man himself. The fact that his life was cut off at the height of his glory when the group was outstanding in the E.T.O. adds to the story.’
‘There was something about Pete that eased nervousness and tension. I met him after he had finished his fight the other day. – wheeling slowly away from his plane on a bike. […] The young colonel rather shyly accepted congratulations on having shot down a German plane.[…] Pete had a bullet hole in his plane and asked why he had not said anything about it over the radio, he replied, “ I was doing all right. Just cut down my speed a little, that’s all.” ‘
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
20 May 1915 | Thatcher, Arizona | |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
1 July 1943 | Crashed into the North Sea | |
Enlisted |
Revisions
Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a Separator to aid readability.
Updated awards and bio section.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167013674/arman-peterson
Three Years with the Fighter Group (0484), 78th Fighter Group History (0473) March 1945, Duxford Diary, “When “Pete” didn’t come back” by Hugh Baillie