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Military
Left to right: 2nd Lt. Herman S. Rasmussen, 1st Lt. Robert A. Cammer and Lt. Robert C. Buchholz.
1 January 1945 - Pilots of the 335th Fighter Squadron pose for the camera. TOP ROW L-R: Maj. Pierce W. McKennon (CO), Lt. August W. Rabe, F/O Lucian W. Freeman, Lt. Hugh W. Lindsay, Lt. Thomas H. Elffner, Lt. Calvin W. Willruth, Lt. Mack D. Heaton, Lt. Kenneth Green, Lt. Robert Hunter, Lt. George D. Green and Lt. Robert L. Couse. SECOND ROW L-R: Lt. Orval C. Miles, Capt. William H. George, Lt. Charles L. Brock, Lt. Herman S. Rasmussen, Lt. Enoch Jungling, Capt. Albert J. Davis, Capt. Sheltoin W. Monroe, Lt. Robert A. Cammer, Lt. Loton D. Jennings and Lt. Robert C. Buchholz. BOTTOM ROW L-R: Capt George H. Davis, Lt. Charles E. Konsler, Lt. Olin A. Kiser, Lt. Stanley W. Conners, Lt. Robert J. Mabie, Lt. Paul J. Lucas, Lt. David R. Allen, Lt. Henry A. Lee, Lt. Leslie L. Burgess, Lt. Robert C. Hawley, Lt. Charles B. Greenlese and Lt. James E. Halligan, Jr.
Caption from p.103 of '4th Fighter Group - Debden Eagles' by Chris Bucholtz: 'Two unnamed pilots pose alongside the last Mustang (P-51D 44-13779) assigned to Col Don Blakeslee when Commanding 0fficer of the 4th Fighter Group.' By the time this photo was taken, Colonel Blakeslee had rotated home and 44-13779 had been reassigned to Second Lieutenant (Previously Flight Officer) Olin A Kiser. The extended red nose band (24") appeared in early December 1944 and lasted until about 1st January 1945 when it was swept down under the nose to a point which ended and centered at the wing leading edge. As can be seen, 335th Fighter Squadron aircraft had white rudders with a thin red outline. This embellishment dated from about 10th October 1944.
2nd Lt. Herman S. Rasmussen was killed in action (KIA) when he was hit by flak while strafing the Munich-Bruntthal aerodrome on 9 April 1945. He baled at low altitude from his P-51 Mustang #44-13788 near Neuberg, but his 'chute did not open in time.
Squadron
The 335th Fighter Squadron was the offspring of No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron RAF. Formed on 21 May 1941, No. 121 was the second of the three Eagle Squadrons composed of American volunteers flying out of England. They were known as the "Chiefs" and were...
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. A/C struck by flak in left wing tank while strafing a dispersal area containing German aircraft SE of Munich. Pilot Lt Herman S Rasmussen pulled his A/C up to about 400ft then “dropped his wing and went out the right...
P-51 Mustang
This was the last Mustang assigned to Col. Donald Blakeslee, Commanding Officer of the the 4th Fighter Group.
As Blakeslee rotated home in November 1944, the aircraft was reassigned to Lt. Kiser having been repaired.
Military site : airfield
RAF Debden, construction of which began in 1935, is perhaps most famous as a Battle of Britain fighter airfield, partly responsible for the defence of London in 1940. In 1942 it was also home to three RAF 'Eagle Squadrons’ of volunteer American pilots...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Oakland, California, USA | |
| Killed in Action (KIA) | Germany | 9 April 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 07 April 2015 18:32:17 | apollo11 | Changes to middlename |
| Sources | ||
Personal research & 'The Debden Eagles' by Garry L. Fry. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 March 2015 19:17:57 | apollo11 | Changes to role, biography, events and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Personal research & 'The Debden Warbirds' by Frank E. Speer. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:01 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 13946 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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