Edward J Gignac
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
UPL 72039
UPL 72039
Captain Edward J. Gignac of the 486th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, beside his aircraft, P-47 Thunderbolt (PZ-G, serial number 42-22548), named "Gig's-Up". 1943 - June 1944.
Roger Freeman Collection
Cropped from image media-377027.jpg (media id 2432)
IWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Object Number - UPL 72039 - Captain Edward J. Gignac of the 486th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, beside his aircraft, P-47 Thunderbolt (PZ-G, serial number 42-22548),...
Edward Gignac was one of the top ski jumpers in the country pre-war, and had lived in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He attended Kimball Union Academy and Middlebury College, both in skiing scholarships. Enlisting in the Air Corps in April 1941, he served in the Pacific with the 40th FS of the 35th FG in New Guinea, where he was injured in a firefight with Japanese bombers on 18 June 1942, flying a P-39. Badly injured, he managed to fly back to base, crash-landing his ship. That action won him the Silver Star. After a stay in the US, he shipped out for England, where he was assigned to the 352nd Fighter Group/486th Fighter Squadron out of Bodney, England. On 7 June 1944, he was Killed in Action (KIA) when the P-51 he was flying #42-106661 was hit by flak near Le Merlerault, France and the aircraft exploded. He is buried in Epinal American Cemetery. His ETO planes were "Gig's-Up" P47D and "Gig's-UP II" P-51B. A memorial for him was erected in 2000 by the municipality of Voisins-le-Bretonneux, Yvelines Department, France.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Hot Stuff
- Unit: 352nd Fighter Group Headquarters (352nd Fighter Group)
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Gigs Up
- Unit: 352nd Fighter Group 406th Fighter Group 486th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Little Rebel
- Unit: 352nd Fighter Group 486th Fighter Squadron 325th Fighter Group 317th Fighter Squadron
Missions
- Date: 7 June 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Royal Air Force Bodney
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Lebanon, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States | 7 September 1918 | the son of Clovis and Agnes Gignac |
|
Enlisted |
Boston, Massachusetts, United States | 28 April 1941 | |
|
Died |
7 June 1944 | While strafing German prime movers headed to Normandy, the plane Gignac was flying (PZ-J "Hot Stuff" of Willie O Jackson) was hit by light flak in the wing ammo bay and exploded. This was witnessed by Bernard Karl, his wingman and by 1st Lt Richard B. Press. | |
| Lebanon, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States | US Census 1920 | ||
| Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States | |||
|
Buried/ Commemorated |
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial | Edward Gignac rests at Plot A, Row 33, Grave 28 |
Revisions
NARA WWII Enlistment Records
US Census 1920
WWII Memorial Registry page by his sister Marilyn
This edit was made by Marc Hamel, author and Assistant Historian, 352nd FG Association. Hamel is also researcher and biographer of Gignac.
Brought in information from duplicate record. Source:
MACR 5556 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5556 / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
