James W Ayers
Military
Personal research & 'Eighty-One Aces of the 4th fighter Group' by Frank Speer.
Object Number - UPL 13473 - Lt. Colonel James W Ayers.
At the age of 19 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became an Aviation Cadet, graduating in January 1944 at Foster Field, Texas. As Cadet CO, he opted for P-51 training at Winter Haven, Florida. On completion of his training, he was flown to England and put into a replacement pool. He was soon assigned to the 4th fighter Group, 334th Squadron for his combat career.
He flew a tour, with three extensions, and was one of only two out of his pool of 15 replacements to survive and return to the states unscathed. Although he survived, his career was not without mishap - he survived a few crash-landings.
At war's end he returned to the States with a mixed bag of nine enemy aircraft destroyed and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 7 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born End Tour of Duty (ETD) |
Tahlequah, OK 74464, USA | 12 February 1925 | |
|
Other Assigned |
Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 11 June 1944 - 18 July 1945 | Assigned to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Other Crashed |
Charlton Horethorne, Sherborne DT9, UK | 22 July 1944 | Landing Accident RNAS Charlton Horethorne Cat 3 damage Lt James W Ayers, 22-Jul-44. P-51C10 42-103781 - 334FS 4FG 8AF |
|
Other Promoted |
Debden, Saffron Walden CB11, UK | 11 September 1944 | Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
|
Other End Tour Duty (ETD) |
England, UK | 18 July 1945 | Ended Tour Duty (ETD). |
|
Died |
25 January 2010 | ||
|
Buried |
Broken Arrow, OK, USA | Floral Haven Memorial Gardens Broken Arrow Tulsa County Oklahoma, USA. |
Revisions
Personal research & 'Eight-One Aces of the 4th fighter Group' by Frank Speer.
'1000 Destroyed' by Capt. Grover C. Hall, Jr.' / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
