Frank William Holliday
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
This P51D serial number is likely one of these 4: 44-13390, 44-14188, 44-13336, 44-14307
44-14307 IV-P is the plane Holliday was flying the day he shot down an ME109 over Erfurt, and then was shot down himself over Meiches, Germany apprx 15 minutes later at around noon September 11, 1944
Uploaded
Object Number - UPL 6369 - 1st Lt Frank William "Bill" Holliday in P51D of 359th FG, 369th FS, photo taken at East Wretham, England circa August 1944. This is one of 16...
From his nephew: "He was promoted to 1st Lt shortly after being MIA. 1st Lt Frank William "Bill" Holliday was KIA, NOT in France, but just outside the German Town of Meiches apprx noon local time, on Sept 11, 1944. This information is clearly called out in his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) and his MACR file number MACR8643, both of which I am in possession."
"I have personally visited Meiches and spoken with an eyewitness to his crash, and an eyewitness to his body's exhumation by US Graves Registrations after the war. His rank of 1st Lt is carved on his grave marker at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands, Plot H, Row 9, Grave 22, and his medals have been verified at the American Battle Monuments Commission web site: http://www.abmc.gov/search/detailwwnew.php."
"He was officially credited with the destruction of 1 ME109 on 9-11-44 apprx 15 minutes before being shot down himself. He was earlier credited with damaging an ME109 and damaging 2 railroad coaches during missions. These victories have been confirmed by 359th FG official documents obtained through an FOIA request by me."
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
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
|||
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Meiches, 36369 Lautertal, Germany | 11 September 1944 |
Revisions
Added Event and information to the Biography field from Revision message by 'battleshipguy'.
His rank can be verified on his grave marker at the US Military cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands as 1st Lt. His rank and medals were also listed on the American Battle Monuments Commision web page if a seach is done for Frank W. Holliday. http://www.abmc.gov/search detailwwnew.php. Also his rank of 1st Lt is also mentioned in his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF).
Frank William "Bill" Holliday is my uncle. He was promoted to 1st Lt shortly after being MIA. 1st Lt Frank William "Bill" Holliday was KIA, NOT in France, but just outside the German Town of Meiches apprx noon local time, on Sept 11, 1944. This information is clearly called out in his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) and his MACR file number MACR8643, both of which I am in possession. I have personally visited Meiches and spoken with an eyewitness to his crash, and an eyewitness to his body's exhumation by US Graves Registrations after the war. His rank of 1st Lt is carved on his grave marker at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands, Plot H, Row 9, Grave 22, and his medals have been verified at the American Battle Monuments Commission web site: http://www.abmc.gov/search/detailwwnew.php. I hope his record can be updated soon. He was officially credited with the destruction of 1 ME109 on 9-11-44 apprx 15 minutes before being shot down himself. He was earlier credited with damaging an ME109 and damaging 2 railraod coaches during missions. These victories have been confirmed by 359th FG official documents obtained theough an FOIA request by me. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you need additional information.
MACR 8643 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
