Glen Walter Edwards
Military
Pilot
47th BG - 86th BS - 12th AF
Later gained fame as a test pilot. He was killed in the crash of a YB-49 at Muroc AAF. The base was
renamed Edwards Air Force Base in his honor.
Object Number - UPL 47682 - 1LT (later Captain) Glen Walter Edwards Pilot 47th BG - 86th BS - 12th AF Later gained fame as a test pilot. He was killed in the crash of a...
Captain, U.S. Air Force, prolific test pilot of
experimental aircraft.
Glen Edwards was born in Alberta, Canada,
and his parents relocated to California in
1931, settling in the Lincoln area.
On July 15, 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air
Corps.
During World War II, Glen participated in
numerous air campaigns in North Africa and
Europe, for which he was awarded four
Distinguished Flying Crosses and six Air Medals.
In 1948, while assigned to the Muroc Army
Airfield in California as a test pilot, Captain
Edwards, along with four others, where killed
when their experimental Northrop YB-49
"Flying Wing" disintegrated in mid-air.
On December 8, 1949, Muroc was re-named
Edwards Air Force Base in his memory.
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: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Engle Field
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Medicine Hat, AB, Canada | 5 March 1918 | |
| Berkeley, California | 16 October 1940 | 2515 Durant Avenue student at the University of California | |
|
Other Combat Mission |
Gabes, Tunisia | 30 December 1942 | December 30, Youks-les-Bains We went over Gabes [a seaport near Tunisia's border with Libya] and bombed hell out of things. In the meantime we got hell shot out of us. No casualties however. This afternoon nine of our ships went back again and really got worked over. Stryson came back with his plane shot up more than somewhat and had to belly land it. One of the 15th Squadron gunners got shot up pretty badly. Seems the flak wasn't too bad but some Messerschmitts jumped them while the P-38s were engaged elsewhere. From the stories they sure had a hot time. Lost three P-38s on the morning raid and one other down towards Tripoli. [Lieutenant Virgil] Smith, our ace with six victories, was shot down. Dave Bensley and I moved on over the hill today in a big hole. |
|
Other Diary Entry |
Youks-les-Bains, Tunisia | 9 January 1943 | January 9, Youks-les-Bains This evening I went duck hunting with Captains Simpson, Miles, and Horner. All we had was two decrepit twelve-gauge shotguns with eighteen-inch barrels. We drove the jeep all over North Africa trying to find a marsh and just at dusk located same. There were plenty of ducks but it was too dark to see same so we came home empty handed. |
|
Other Combat Mission |
Faid Pass, Tunisia | 30 January 1943 | January 30, Youks-les-Bains Led a six-ship mission out today to bomb a column of tanks between Maknassy and Sidi bou Zid and really screwed up the detail. My compass was way off due to some additional armor plate which I installed in the plane so I missed Maknassy by quite a ways. Stooged around between Gabes and Sfax for quite a while and ended up bombing what we think was our own column, although they shot down one P-39 which was flying low and strafing. Do better next time I hope. [They were enemy trucks, near the Faid Pass.] |
|
Enlisted |
Meknassy, Tunisia | 14 February 1943 | We came back at noon today and had a mission late this evening. Took off at 5 p.m. and bombed Maknassy. Had several Spitfires for cover. Ran into a lot of ground fire and flak but not accurate. Got back just at dark. The squadron got three missions today. Germans seem to be kicking hell out of us in general on this front. Got letters from both Wilma and Camille with three pictures from Camille taken in the snow. Hot dawg. * * * * This is the diary's first mention of Wilma, a friend from Berkeley, when he'd worked as a bus-boy in her sorority house. In a letter home, he called her "my blonde beauty from Dunsmuir." Camille was evidently another sweetheart. The February 14 missions were flown in response to a major German breakout. According to an American communique: "The 12th Air Force, in conjunction with the Royal Air Force, has been providing instant airborne support to our ground troops by rapidly attacking along and behind the enemy front to disrupt the offensive and give our ground troops time to organize and begin a massive counter-offense." But the Afrika Korps rolled on, for its last success in what had become a forlorn defense of Tunisia. On February 16, German tanks were within cannon-shot of the American airfield at Thelepte. |
|
Died |
Muroc Army Airfield (now Edwards AFB), CA | 5 June 1948 | In May 1948, Edwards was selected to join the team of pilots and engineers at Muroc who were then evaluating the Northrop YB-49, the all-jet version of the exotic flying wing bomber. After his first few flights, he was not favorably impressed, confiding to his diary that it was "the darndest airplane I've ever tried to do anything with. Quite uncontrollable at times." Then, on June 5, 1948, he was flying as co-pilot with Maj. Daniel Forbes when the airplane departed from controlled flight and broke apart in the sky northwest of the base. All five crew members were killed. |
|
Buried |
Lincoln, California | 15 June 1948 | Lincoln Cemetery Lincoln, Placer County, California, USA Plot Women's Club Section, Plot 140, Grave 1 |
|
Based |
Eye | Awaiting N. Africa deployment. |
Revisions
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/43995_03_0…
https://www.warbirdforum.com/grim.htm
"Glen Edwards - The Diary of a Bomber Pilot" - Daniel Ford
http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/YB-49_crash_site.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Edwards_%28pilot%29
My Uncle, William H. Maddox, was in the same Squadron. See his page.
http://www.47thbombgroup.org/reports/86_replacement_roster.html
