Alvin Dewey Callender
Military
Object Number - UPL 34770 - Alvin D. Callender with Spitfire Mk IXc, HL-P, in North Africa
Alvin D. Callender flew the Spitfire Supermarine Mk Vbs in North Africa and Sicliy, as part of the 12th Air Force, 31st Pursuit Group, 308th Pursuit Squadron. After completing 127 missions he rotated back to the US and spent 18 months as a P-51 flight instructor in St. Petersburg, FL. His next combat assignment sent him to India for a secret mission that never materialized. From there he was then sent to Kungming in western China, to join the 14thAF, 312th FW, 311 FG, 529th FS. While in China he flew an additional 53 missions in P-51s, as CO of the 529th, for a total of 180 missions. He is officially credited with 4 kills but lost a coin toss to Capt. Frank Hill (personal story) while in N. Africa for a shared kill so we give him credit for 4 1/2.
Medals
DFC w/2 Oak Leaf clusters, Air Medal w/16 Oak Leaf Clusters, Victory Medal, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, EAME Campaign Medal, American Theater Campaign Medal, Chinese Cloud & Banner.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force Twelfth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Vicksburg, Mississippi | 9 August 1918 | |
|
Died |
16 April 2009 | ||
|
Buried |
Maxie Cemetery, Lafayette, Louisiana | Maxie Cemetery, Maxie Louisiana |
Revisions
This picture if from the personal records of the Callenders
Family history and military records.
Family history and military records.
Family history and military records.
family records
from family records
From personal military records.
Major Callender flew 127 missions in Spitfires with the 31st fighter group before finishing his tour before the 31st moved from Sicily to Italy. He returned to the US and was assigned to the 3rd Fighter Command at Pinellas AFB in Florida where he was a P-51 RTU instructor and Flight Commander. His second deployment was in October 1944 in western China in the 529th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, 14th Air Force. He was promoted to Operations Officer, then Squadron Commander, of the 529th, and served there for the remainder of the war.
Daily Iberian, New Iberia, LA / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
