Hayden Hayes Holton

Military

1st Lt Hayden H. Holton was flying Mustang 44-13581 on an escort mission to Leipzig, Germany on 21 November 1944. About 5 minutes from the target area, en route to base, at about 27,000ft, Green Flight leader 1st Lt Kenneth H. Dahlberg found out his radio was out and asked Holton, his second element leader, to take over the flight. Immediately after taking over, Holton saw two German fighters and went to investigate. He was seen to drop his wing tanks and about 15 seconds later to stall out at the top of his turn and then to spin into the overcast, 2,000ft below. No crash could be observed and no search was conducted. Pilot Holton was made Prisoner of War (POW) - Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 10518.

Connections

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Units served with

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Nicknames: The Prodigal Son
  • Unit: 354th Fighter Group 353rd Fighter Squadron

Places

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Orconte, Champagne-Ardennes

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

17 June 1920 Castleton, Stark County, Illinois, the son of Alva H. and Retta (Harmon) Holton

Enlisted

29 December 1941 as a Private in the Air Corps in Peoria, Illinois

Other

Bailed out

21 November 1944 of his P-51 44-13581 after stalling and spinning down on return from an escort mission to Leipzig

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

21 November 1944 - 29 April 1945 Interned at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan, Poland. Force-marched from there to Stalag 7A in Moosburg, Germany. Liberated there by US troops on 29 April 1945. NARA WWII Pow records : "Returned to Military Control 8 May 1945."

Died

1 October 1978 Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois
Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois

Buried

Hayden Holton rests at the Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

MACR 10518
US CENSUS 1930
NARA WWII Enlistment records
NARA WWII POW records
Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File