Elwood Donald Raymond
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Scanned and uploaded by Stephen Scott Jackson.
Photo of Elwood was found in an old trunk belonging to his aunt.
Object Number - UPL 82026 - Elwood Donald Raymond
"Elwood D. Raymond, from New Jersey, was a 2nd Lieutenant of 63rd Fighter Squadron, part of the 56th Fighter Group, known as “the Wolfpack.” The 63rd FS was the first to be equipped with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, in late May, 1942, and the 56th Fighter Group the only one to fly the P-47 continually throughout its service in Europe during WW2. It was also the Fighter Group that destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any other – 674 enemy aircraft on air, 332 on ground claimed, with 678 tons of bombs dropped.
2nd Lt. Raymond was killed in action during the worst day of the 56th Fighter Group, September 18th, 1944. During a mission in support of the operation Market Garden, in Arnhem, Netherlands, sixteen pilots failed to return; one of them was Raymond, who died after his P-47 crashed into North Sea. For this mission, the 56th Fighter Group was awarded its second Distinguished Unit Citation. Raymond was awarded with the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Purple Heart."
-WW2 Wings of Glory
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
23 December 1920 | ||
|
Died Killed in Action (KIA) |
Near Bradwell Bay in UK | 18 September 1944 | Crashed into North Sea in P-47 #42-26057, Killed in Action (KIA). "The next incident involving the 56th took place on Monday, September 18, 1944, at 17.30hrs. Second-Lieutenant Elwood Raymond, of New Jersey and serving with the 63rdFS, was limping his P47D home with a badly flak-damaged tail. He had been supporting B24 Liberators dropping supplies to paratroopers at Arnhem when he was hit. The aircraft, 42-26057 (UN-W) finally “gave up the ghost” over Burnham and crashed half a mile from the sea wall at Court Farm on the Southminster Marshes, where it promptly sank into the mud, with Second-Lieutenant Raymond still in the cockpit. A recovery team from RAF Bradwell Bay investigated and reported that the aircraft was “eight feet down” and that “nothing could be done”. Elwood Raymond is still officially listed as “Missing; crashed in the North Sea”.He was posthumously awarded the American Campaign Medal, Victory Medal and Purple Heart." -Maldon Standard |
Revisions
Scanned and uploaded by Stephen Scott Jackson.
Photo of Elwood was found in an old trunk belonging to his aunt.
Scanned and uploaded by Stephen Scott Jackson.
Photo of Elwood was found in an old trunk belonging to his aunt.
Added a "-" to the A/C tail # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Removed dup info in the "Role/job" field.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8997 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
