Ben Freeman Mays
MilitaryJoined RAFVR, service pilot training in US, shipped overseas to ETO, operational training at OTU, assigned to 71[Eagle] Sqn RAF Jan 42. Shot down in Spitfire AB810 by Fw190s on fighter sweep to Hazebrouck 12-4-42 shot down south east of St Omer, France. P/O Ben F Mays Killed In Action KIA. Ben was tail end Charlie in a formation of four Spitfires, a common fate for new inexperienced pilots.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: Spitfire
- Unit: No 71 'Eagle' Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Died |
Saint-Omer, France | 12 April 1942 | Ben, as a newby, was tail end Charlie in a formation of four Spitfires when he was shot down in Spitfire AB810 by Fw190s on fighter sweep to Hazebrouck 12-4-42, A/C coming down south east of St Omer, France. Killed In Action KIA. A common fate for inexperienced pilots. |
| Texas, USA | |||
|
Born |
Wharton, TX 77488, USA | Born son of Edgar Elmo and Delia Elizabeth Mays, of Wharton, Texas. | |
|
Buried |
Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Route des Bruyères, 62219 Longuenesse, France | Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery. | |
|
Other Joined RAFVR |
Canada | Joined Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. | |
|
Other Service pilot training |
Tulsa, OK, USA | Underwent service pilot training. | |
|
Other Shipped overseas |
Merseyside, UK | Shipped overseas to ETO. | |
|
Other Operational training |
Great Britain, United Kingdom | Operational training at OTU. Conversion onto Hurricanes and Spitfires. | |
|
Other Assigned |
Debden, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11, UK | Assigned to 71[Eagle] Sqn RAF. |
Revisions
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Combat Chronology / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia