|
Samuel F. Marshall
SAMUEL F. MARSHALL, born
December 3, 1918 in Savannah, Georgia.
Attended Savannah High School, Armstrong
Junior College and University of Georgia.
Enlisted in Aviation Cadets April 1942 and
graduated from Moore Field, Mission, Texas
in class of 43-H.
Assigned to 373rd Fighter Group, 411th
Fighter Squadron in September 1943 at
Westover Field, Mass. Departed for overseas
with 373rd in March 1944, destination
Woodchurch, Kent, England for duty with
the 9th Air Force.
The 373rd Fighter Group had a brilliant
career from before D-Day until Germany's
surrender in May 1945 doing mostly close
support work for General Patton's 3rd Army
and also the 1st and 9th Army. Sam remained
with the 373rd during this entire period and
completed two tours of duty.
Here are some highlights of the 373rd's
battle records: Aircraft destroyed 300, probably destroyed 37, damaged 279 for a total of
616 - robot planes 8, military vehicles
2,507 - tanks 458 - locomotives 254 -
railroad cars 8,204 - gun emplacements
379 - hangars 83 - tons of bombs dropped
4,155 rounds of ammo. Fired 3,354,513.
They flew 819 missions, 13,372 sorties and
had 34,681 operational hours.
One unusual mission Sam recollects is the
only known kill of a Nazi submarine by a P-47
near Kiel, Germany early May of 1945. The
Submarine, fleeing to Denmark, is alleged to
have contained high ranking Nazi personnel
and valuables.
Marshall reached the rank of Major as
Operations Officer of the 411th Fighter
Squadron and flew 110 combat missions. He
was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished
Flying Cross, Air Medal with 14 Clusters and
has 6 Battle Stars on the European Theatre
Ribbon.
Married 1st Lt. Rebecca Quirin, Army
Nurse Corps on June 15, 1945 in Verdun,
France. (Becky is most certainly the only
"gal" to fly piggy-back in a P-47 overlooking
the Rhine River during combat conditions!)
Released from active duty in November
1945 the Marshalls moved to Houston, Texas
to enter business with Tom McHenry, a pilot
of the 373rd Fighter Group. Sam is active in
the real estate business in Houston and has 5
children, plus 5 grandchildren. His hobbies
are fishing and hunting.
|
Pilot Name
|
Biography Summary
|
|
John Abbotts
|
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.
|
|
Asa A. Adair
|
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.
|
|
Edward B. Addison
|
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.
|
|
Levon B. Agha-Zarian
|
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.
|
|
George N. Ahles
|
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.
|
|
Roy J. Aldritt
|
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.
|
|
Eugene J. Amaral
|
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.
|
|
Talmadge L. Ambrose
|
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.
|
|
John C. Anderson
|
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.
|
|
William Anderson
|
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.
|
|
|