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Edward W. Miller
EDWARD W. MILLER- "The luckiest flier in the AAF". Those were the words
Lt. Edward W. Miller used to describe himself
to a hometown newspaper reporter. He had
flown 85 missions in his P-47, the "Ila A"
and was hit on only 4 missions, making him
the least hit pilot in the 493rd Fighter
Squadron.
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on 30
May 1921, he graduated from Cushing Academy in nearby Ashburnham. He then went
south and attended Sunflower Junior College
in Moorhead, Mississippi. There he participated in Civil Pilot Training (CPT) and
married lIa Alvaretta Cade of Hollandale,
Mississippi. Enlisting in the Aviation Cadet
Program, he graduated from Craig Field,
class 43-J. He took P-47 RTU at Seymour-Johnson Field and fighter gunnery at Bluthenthal Field, both in North Carolina.
His first assignment was to the 9th Air
Force, 48th Fighter Group, 493rd Fighter
Squadron, then in Longueville, France. During his attachment he traveled to Elecon,
Villa Coublay and Combrai, France and St.
Trond, Belgium. He racked up a total of 158
hours of combat time. Lt. Miller used a total
of 5 planes in the war, all named "Ila A."
They were all pranged by fellow pilots,
including his squadron commander.
After completing his missions, he was
assigned to the 7th Armored Division as a
FAC (birdman). He frequently called in his
old outfit for air strikes. In his second week as
a tanker, he accompanied the tank spearhead
commander behind enemy lines at Hemer,
Germany, site of a Russian prison camp the
Germans wanted to turn over to the Allies.
While there, he talked to a Tiger tank commander who demonstrated the tank's maneuverability, which was very impressive. The
city was eventually surrendered and the
25,000 prisoners were liberated.
Ed completed 31 years of service, retiring
as a Lt. Col. He became jet qualified in 1948
and had tours in Africa, Thailand and England. He now resides in Albuqueruqe, New
Mexico and is a representative for John
Hancock Life Insurance Company. He has 2
daughters carrying on the military tradition.
The older is married to a Marine Lt., the
younger is an Ensign in the Navy.
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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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