James Averell Clark Jr

Military
media-20928.jpeg UPL 20928 Lt Col James Clark Jr 334FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF.

Object Number - UPL 20928 - Lt Col James Clark Jr 334FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF.

Initially assigned to the 71st Eagle Squadron in June 1942. With the founding of the 4th Fighter Group that September, he was assigned to the 334th Squadron, where he eventually became its Commanding Officer.



In March 1944 he became Group Operations Officer, and in September, as a Lieutenant Colonel, he became acting Group and Station Commanding Officer, in the absence of Donald Blakeslee.



In 1944, prior to becoming Group Operations Officer, he served as Assistant Military Attache for Air at the US Embassy, London.



He was credited with 16 enemy aircraft destroyed and was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross w/2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal w/3 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Unit Award.



Grover Hall in '1000 Destroyed', says of Jim Clark:

“Clark could lead the group and carry the courses, altitudes, weather conditions and rendezvous times in his tawny head, but ask him his age (24) and usually he couldn’t remember off-hand…Clark was an aloof man of strange diffidence who once argued against his promotion to captain and insisted he shouldn’t be awarded the DFC.”



Post War:

1946-50: Stockbroker, Clark Dodge,

1950: Returned to USAF, CO fighter training unit,

1953: President, Lamson Aircraft Company,

1959: Joseph Walker & Son, Manhattan,

1963: President, Condor Mining Company,

1973: Pegasus Air Freight,

1980: Clark retired.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 4th Fighter Group 335th Fighter Squadron 336th Fighter Squadron Headquarters (4th Fighter Group) No 133 'Eagle' Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-885264
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Fighter pilot, Commanding Officer
Captain Henry W "Baby" Brown and Lieutenant-Colonel Claiborn H "Zoot" Kinnard Jr of the 355th Fighter Group with Brown's P-51 Mustang (WR-Z, serial number 42-106448) nicknamed "The Hun Hunter ~ Texas". Image stamped and signed on reverse to pass base censorship. First handwritten caption on reverse: 'HW Brown (Left) & unknown commander 355 FG.' Second handwritten caption on reverse, in different script, refers to the "unknown commander": 'He is Lt Col Kinnard.'
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 355th Fighter Group 356th Fighter Group 354th Fighter Squadron 360th Fighter Squadron Headquarters (355th Fighter Group) Headquarters (4th Fighter Group) Headquarters (65th Fighter Wing)
  • Service Numbers: O-383753
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot / Commanding Officer

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 495th Fighter Training Group 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron 551st Fighter Training Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 371st Fighter Group 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron 405th Fighter Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

New York, NY, USA 7 September 1920

Based

13 December 1941 - 9 June 1942 Assigned to RAF.

Based

Kirton-in-Lindsey 9 June 1942 - 15 September 1942 Assigned 71st Eagle Squadron RAF.

Based

Debden 15 September 1942 - 15 September 1944 Transferred to 334FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF

Other

Promotion

Debden, Loughton IG10 3SW, UK 2 July 1943 Promoted to Captain.

Other

Promotion

Debden, Loughton IG10 3SW, UK 19 October 1943 Promoted to Major.

Other

Promotion

Debden, Loughton IG10 3SW, UK 29 March 1944 Promoted to Lt Colonel.

Died

Manhattan, New York, NY, USA 11 January 1990
Westbury LI, New York

Other

Married Lady Bridget Elliott

London, UK

Other

Promotion

Debden, Loughton IG10 3SW, UK Promoted to 1st Lieutenant.

Revisions

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Marriage announcement in the Ottawa Journal, 19 April 1944 via newspapers.com
The bride's mother was the former Marian Cook of Montreal who married the Earl of Minto, when he was aide-de-camp at Government House, Ottawa.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Correspondence with Clark's son, Christopher:
'My father James Averell Clark also was given the Croix de Guerre from the French.'

Date
Changes
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list;
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia ;
- / http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/pilots.html

Date
ContributorWD-C Mustang
Changes
Sources

Associated media already in database

Date
ContributorWD-C Mustang
Changes
Sources

The other entry about this same person

Date
ContributorWD-C Mustang
Changes
Sources

Added pictures of him from another entry about him.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

AAM DB entry.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

AAM DB entry.

Date
Contributorapollo11
Changes
Sources

All information correct as far as I am aware

Date
Contributorapollo11
Changes
Sources

All information correct as far as I am aware.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Fighter Aces of the U. S. A. and Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force; Who's Who in the Eighth Air Force and/or Biographical Directory Command & Staff Officers Eighth Air Force 1942-45

James Averell Clark: Gallery (16 items)