Lt. Cecil W. Crawford of Demopolis, AL, joined the 369th Fighter Squadron in April 1943. He was KIA on his 16th combat mission with the 359th Fighter Group, flown 3 February 1944. Lt. Crawford's name is inscribed on the Wall of Memory at the Cambridge American Cemetery.



3 February 1944: The Group lost a pilot to intense flak over Emden, and won a victory in isolated combat between an element of two aborting Thunderbolts and two FW 190s. The victory was not discovered until next day, as the claimant, 1st Lt. Robert C. Thomson, 369th Squadron, landed at Woodbridge with battle damage. Lt. Crawford, flying on Major Swanson’s wing, ran into heavy flak at 24,000 feet at Emden. He did not return from the mission, and all three other aircraft in the flight suffered flak damage. As the mission summary reports, the weather was brutal, the Group stayed to the limit, and 23 of the 54 on the mission landed at other fields.



Assigned to 369FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort to Wilhelmshaven in P-47D 42-22791 last seen entering overcast over Texel Island Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2132



Awards: AM (OLC), PH.