P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 #42-22535 belly-landed in a field near Neerwinden, Belgium 20 March 1944. Pilot : Howard P. Maupin (evaded) – The photo comes from page 2 of German report J-710 at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/131494581, which mixes-up two losses, that of Maupin’s Thunderbolt (Neerwinden) and Charley Garvey’s one, #42-74638 (Loksbergen)…
Nose art of P-47 #42-22535 belly-landed in a field near Neerwinden, Belgium 20 March 1944. Pilot : Howard P. Maupin (evaded) – The photo comes from page 4 of German report J-710 at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/131494581, which mixes-up two losses, that of Maupin’s Thunderbolt (Neerwinden) and Charley Garvey’s one, #42-74638 (Loksbergen)…
Due to too heavy cloud cover, Maupin and wingman Lt William Johnson had to fly back to base. As it was flying at about 4000ft over Belgium, Maupin's Thunderbolt #42-22535 was hit by Flak from the battery at Brustem near Liège, Belgium. With the radio out and his plane damaged, he belly-landed his P-47 in a field near Neerwinden, Belgium and hurriedly left the place, managing to evade capture. Helped by Belgian citizens and members of the Résistance, he found himself last hidden in a secret camp in the Belgian Ardennes, liberated by US troops on 5 September 1944. See the story of his evasion and other details at http://www.evasioncomete.org/fmaupinhp.html
Group
The 356th Fighter Group flew 413 missions between 15 October 1943 and 7 May 1945 and suffered the highest ratio of losses to enemy aircraft claims of any Eighth Air Force Group. This gave the Group the reputation of being the 'hard luck' outfit. The...
Squadron
Military | Flight Officer | Fighter Pilot | 356th Fighter Group
Forced to make an emergency landing NE of Neerwinden, Belgium on 20 March 1944 in P-47D #42-22535 on a support mission to Frankfurt, Germany. Evaded (EVD). With the help of Belgian citizens and members of the Belgian Resistance, Maupin made it to the...
20 March 1944
A force of 594 fighters of types: P-38; P-47 and P-51 are despatched to escort heavy bombers attacking at Frankfurt and Mannheim, Germany. Dispatch summary follows:
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Military site : airfield
Opened in 1917 as home to the RFC Aeroplane Experimental Unit, Martlesham Heath became well known during the 1920s-30s as home to the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment. Used as an RAF fighter station from 1939, with only a grass airfield...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Neerwinden, Belgium | 20 March 1944 |
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Maupin's Thunderbolt #42-22535 was hit by Flak from the battery at Brustem near Liège. He belly-landed his P-47 in a field near Neerwinden, Belgium and hurriedly left the place, managing to evade capture. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 07 July 2020 12:53:21 | ED-BB | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
Corrected A/C ID letter |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 July 2020 12:35:04 | ED-BB | Changes to nicknames, markings, description, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 3394 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:17 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 3394 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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