George W. Janovitz
GEORGE W. JANOVITZ, born on
the 15th of August, 1915 in Newark, New
Jersey. He grew up in the Hillside, New
Jersey area; attended local schools and graduated from Hillside High School, class of 1936. He volunteered for military service in
lieu of the 1940 draft and was assigned to the
44th Infantry Division at Fort Dix. His one
year of duty was extended after the bombing
of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He
applied for Officers Candidate School (OCS
and graduated as a 2nd Lt. in the Field
Artillery Ft. Sill, Okla.) October 1942. He
applied for flight training (in Grade) and
graduated from single-engine.school (Spence
Field, GA) class of 43-K. RTU was at Perry
Fld., Fla. in P-47G's. He was transferred, in
March 1944, to England and with subsequent assignment to the 511th Fighter Sqdn. (405th FG) at Christchurch, (Bournmouth,
England).
The Ninth Air Force flew some escort missions but the primary objective was close air support in support of Gen. Patton's 3rd
Army. The 511th sqdn. on D-30 arrived at
Picaville, France with subsequent (A-8,) at
A-14, Creteville; A-64, St. Dizier and during
the BULGE to Y-32 in Belgium, in support of
the 1st US ARMY. He flew 95 missions and
was Squadron Operations Officer at the time
of rotation (4th of May 1945).
Returning stateside he ferried fighters
from Romulus (Mich.) and Long Beach
(Calif.) to storage. In 1945 he was assigned to
the 1st (71st FS) Fighter Grp., March AFB
who were being outfitted with P-5O's. He was
assigned to the Air Tactical School, Tyndall
AFB, Fla. as maintenance officer for P-51 H's. Future assignments were to Alaska, Albuquerque (93FS), Korea, Minot, ND,
Hanscom Fld., Mass. Alaska Danang, SVN
and Orlando, Fla. He retired as a Lt. Colonel
with 30 years service in Jan. 1970.
He met and married Hazel Marie Huff
(TONI) whom he met in Pocatello, Idaho, in
(1947). They have no children. Their marriage took place in Andalusia, Alabama on 1 Nov. 1947.
He has been active in local civic affairs and
has been associated with the Real Estate
profession since his retirement, and since has
acquired degrees in Public Administration
and Real Estate.
Decorations include the DFC., Air Medal
with 15 Oak Leaf Clusters and the ETO
ribbon with 6 battle stars. A legion of merit
was awarded at retirement. The 511th FS
members received the "Belgian Croix de
Guerre" for its ,accomplishments during the
"Battle of the Bulge".
Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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John Abbotts
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P-47 transition followed at Pocatello, Idaho and Greenville, Texas after which he was assigned to the 56th Fighter Group in England. When the news of his arrival reached Berlin, Hitler retired to his bunker with his cyanide capsule and revolver. Eva found the news equally depressing.
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Asa A. Adair
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He returned to the States in August of 1944 after participating in the invasion "D" Day. He flew P-63's, P-51's, F-80's, T-33's, F-84's, T-38's, P-47's in numerous assignments during the following twenty years in in, Japan, U.S.A. and Europe before retiring after twenty-six years of Active Duty.
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Edward B. Addison
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The 507th Fighter Group, equipped with P-47N's, won the Presidential Unit Citation for destroying 32 Japanese aircraft in the air on one mission to Seoul, Korea. The average flying time for raids to Korea and Japan would be 7 to 9 hours flying time. In a total of 31 months, the 507th not only provided top cover for B-29's, but also
dive-bombed, napalm-bombed and flew low-level on strafing missions.
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Levon B. Agha-Zarian
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It is rumored that he, took his primary training on a flying rug. He flew Spits, briefly, in England, but as the, war moved to the East, he was sent to India as a Sgt. Pilot and first saw action from Ceylon, flying the Curtiss P.36, the Brewster Buffalo, and the Hurricane. At this point he might have opted for the rug! This was at the time of the fall of Singapore and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
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George N. Ahles
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Posted to A-20 light bomber squadron Barksdale Field, Louisiana. . Group moved to Hunter Air Base Savannah, Georgia. Qualified for Pilot training November 1940. Entered Aviation Cadets January 1942. Presented wings November 1942 class of 42-J. Married Mary Louise while in Advanced Pilot Training at Craig AFB, Selma, Alabama, September 1942.
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Roy J. Aldritt
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Shortly after the group moved to France he ran into some unseen flak and was forced to make a nylon descent behind the lines; some evasion and a lot of luck had him back with his unit
in 24 hours.
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Eugene J. Amaral
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After graduation from Stonington High School he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in December 1942 and was called to active duty in March, 1943. He received his wings and commission at Spence Field, Georgia as a member of the Class of 43-C.
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Talmadge L. Ambrose
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Flew 84 missions thru VE Day, was downed by 22mm ground fire over Siefried Line. He destroyed 11 enemy aircraft, 9 known confirmed in air and on
ground, including 4 FW 190-D's in one afternoon over Hanover, Germany, April 8, 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 17 man, Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, Pacific Theatre and European Theatre Meda1s with 5 Battle
Stars and Unit Citation Medal.
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John C. Anderson
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After P-47 transition he was assigned to the 406th Fighter Group, 512th Fighter Squadron. (E.T
.0.) He flew 56 missions through January, 1945 destroying supply routes, bridges, and railroads; he also flew close support missions with the ground forces, with attacks on tanks, artillery and enemy positions.
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William Anderson
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It was not always flak,two ME-109's beat the hell out of me one day. The central controller called me and said "Basher-Red Leader do you have contact Bandits," I replied, "I sure do, I'll bring them over the field in 3 minutes, they're chasing me home." Got all the usual medals including two Belgium and two French but one I'm most proud of is the Silver Star -it is the greatest.
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