Merle B Barth
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Photo courtesy Robert B. Hatter.
Archived by Char Baldridge, Historian, 359th Fighter Group Association.
Posted by Janet Fogg, 359th Fighter Group Historian.
Object Number - UPL 38413 - Lt. Merle B. Barth, from San Leandro, CA, enlisted in San Francisco on 3 February 1942. Earning two aerial victories while flying with the 368th...
Assigned to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited with two confirmed aerial victories, aborted over the English Channel when he radioed that he was on fire in P-51D 44-14062. He was forced to bail out less than 10 miles from shore when his cockpit filled with smoke. Killed in Action (KIA). 20-Nov-44. MACR 10474.
Awards: AM (4 OLC), PH.
Connections
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Units served with
![Three P-51 Mustangs of the 369th Fighter Squadron, 359th Fighter Group fly together in formation. The aircraft foreground to background are: (IV-P, serial number 44-14543) nicknamed "Precious Pat", piloted by Lieutenant Ralston; (IV-Z, serial number 44-15007) piloted by Lieutenant Klem; and (IV-D, serial number 44-15394). First handwritten caption on reverse: 'November 15 1944- 369th FS Lts. Ralston (P), Klem (Z), [illegible] (D).' Second handwritten caption on reverse: '15/11/44 369th Fighter Squadron, 3](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-377226.jpg.webp?itok=RQw6Mu-P)
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enlisted |
San Francisco, CA, USA | 3 February 1942 | |
|
Based Killed in Action (KIA) |
East Wretham | 11 July 1944 - 20 November 1944 | Assigned to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Died |
10 miles Off Orford Ness, Woodbridge IP12, UK | 20 November 1944 | Aborted over the English Channel when he radioed that he was on fire in P-51D 44-14062. He was forced to bail out less than 10 miles from shore when his cockpit filled with smoke. Killed in Action (KIA). 20-Nov-44. MACR 10474. |
| San Leandro, California | |||
|
Buried |
Tablets of the Missing Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. | ||
|
Born |
Alameda, CA, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 10474 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
