VIII Fighter Command FO - 42 FIGHTER SWEEP

12 June 1943

Description

A formation of 44 P47s is despatched on a fighter sweep over the Calaise/St. Pol/Abbeville/Cayuex area of France. Enemy fighters are encountered and the fighters claim 0-2-0 on the enemy.

NOTE: Roger A. Freeman in his "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" reports 2 P-47s MIA in this encounter, but these have not been identified or documented with a Missing Air Crew Report.

Mission Details

CALAIS / SAINT-POL / ABBEVILLE / CAYEUX

Description: FIGHTER SWEEP

Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt

Notes: Fighter sweep of Calais/St. Pol/Abbeville/Cayeux area. 78th Fighter Group loses two Missing in Action (MIA). No record could be found concerning which two aircraft were lost.

From left to right: Captain Walker L. Boone, Flight Officer Manuel S. Martinez and Flight Officer Gerry E. Brasher, pilots of the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, sit on the bonnet of a jeep at Duxford air base. Passed for publication 28 October 1943. Printed caption on reverse: 'Thunderbolts - the "Guardian Angels" of Flying Fortresses. Here are pictures of Thunderbolts P-47s, the famous American fighter planes, which escort Flying Fortresses on their daylight missions over Occupied Europe. Pho

78th Fighter Group

Unit Hierarchy: Group
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Fighter

Mission Statistics

People missing in action: 2
Aircraft sent: 44
Aircraft missing in action: 2

Revisions

Date6 Jan 2015 17:20:32

ContributorLee8thbuff

Changes

Sources

Lee Cunningham 6-Jan-2015. Description based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman.

Date27 Sep 2014 18:43:20

ContributorAAM

Changes

Sources

Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.