Hubert A Zemke

Military
Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 56th Fighter Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'First Lieutenant Hub Zemke, US Army Air Corps, 8th Pursuit Group, Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York. Taken just before dispersal to England as an Observer to the Royal Air Force.' media-456713.jpg FRE 9841 Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 56th Fighter Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'First Lieutenant Hub Zemke, US Army Air Corps, 8th Pursuit Group, Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York. Taken just before dispersal to England as an Observer to the Royal Air Force.' Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 9841 - Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 56th Fighter Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'First Lieutenant Hub Zemke, US Army Air Corps, 8th Pursuit Group,...

17 air victories with 56th FG flying P-47s, 2 1/2 with 479th FG flying P-51s. Lost 30 October 1944 when P-51 broke up in storm. Prisoner of War (POW) in Stalag Luft I. Was appointed as head of American Prisoner of War (POW)s while in camp. Retired from USAF in 1967. Aircraft included 'May Tavarish' and 'Oregon's Britannia'.

Also flew an experimental mission where they put a Bombsight in the nose of a droop snoop P-38J with Maj Arthur R Scroggins. Bombed an airfield in France but upon returning the A/C brakes failed and crew were lucky to survive the landing.

DSC/ SS/ DFC w/ 7 Oak Leaf Clusters/ AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters/ PH/ Army Commendation Medal / British DFC/ Croix de Guerre with Palm (France)/ Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgium)

17.75 confirmed aerial victories

Note: All official government documents for Col Zemke do not have a middle initial or middle name. His DSC, SS, DFC and AM award documents reflect ZEMKE, HUBERT and Missing Air Crew Report #10423, reflect ZEMKE, Hubert (nmi).

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

People

Irving Winston Brayer

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group Headquarters (56th Fighter Group)
  • Service Numbers: 0 574 019
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Communications and Photo Officer

Walter R Frederick

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 507th Fighter Group 56th Fighter Group 463rd Fighter Squadron 63rd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-2045114, T-223051
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot

Clayton Acre Nattier

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 369th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-753914
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Eugene W O'Neill

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 62nd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-432203
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
Lieutenant-Colonel Preston Piper of the 385th Bomb Group reports to intelligence officer First Lieutenant John Murray after a mission. Image stamped on reverse; ‘Keystone Press.’ [stamp], ‘Passed for Publication [illegible] Nov 1943.’ [stamp] and ‘292906.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'PRESENTATION OF AWARDS TO THE HEROIC FLYERS OF THE EIGHTH AIR FORCE. So many American flyers of the Eighth Air Force here achieved many high distinctions that the presentation of medals and awards ha

Preston Piper

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 385th Bomb Group 56th Fighter Group 551st Bomb Squadron 63rd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 3946A; O-401044
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

A shell hole in a damaged P-47 Thunderbolt (LM-Z, serial number 41-6330) of the 56th Fighter Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'B/D to 41-63300 LMZ on 2/9/43.'

41-6330

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Moy Tavarish мой това́рищ
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 62nd Fighter Squadron
A P-47 Thunderbolt (UN-Z, serial number 42-26413) of the 56th Fighter Group, flown by Colonel Hubert Zemke, strafes a marshalling yard near Paris, 16 July 1944. Handwritten caption on reverse: '42-26413, UN-Z. 16/7/44. Taken with oblique camera fixed in cockpit of Zemke a/c. A photo taken from a K-25 camera that hung on the armour plate of the Group Leader's P-47. Shows the strafing of a small marshalling yard S.E. of Paris on 16 July 1944. Two locomotives plus a number of R.R. cars set on fire by strafin

42-26413

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Happy Warrior / Oregon's Britannia
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron

42-67704

  • Aircraft Type: P-38 Lightning
  • Nicknames: Fubar
  • Unit: Base Air Depot 3 55th Fighter Group 56th Fighter Group 338th Fighter Squadron
The wreck of a P-47 Thunderbolt (UN-Z , serial number 42-75864) of the 56th Fighter Group owned by Colonel Hubert Zemke, but crashed by anther airman. Handwritten on image: '275864 Sal 17/3/44.' Zemke has handwritten on the reverse: 'This what happens when your aircraft is lent out. In Nov 1944 I was sent to the zone of interior on a visit to bases- & on bond ralleys. Somehow my personal aircraft was lent to someone nt quite up to its capabilities. On my return I noticed a later freshly painted model stoo

42-75864

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron

42-76471

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 405th Fighter Group 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron

Places

Dulag Luft 12

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Missoula, MT, USA 14 March 1914 Son of Benno and Anna M Zemke.

Other

Transferred to 479th Fighter Group

Wattisham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7, UK 12 August 1944

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Barth, Germany 30 October 1944 Prisoner of War (POW) . Stalag Luft I.

Died

Oroville, CA, USA 30 August 1994

Revisions

Date11 May 2021 14:37:53
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to middlename
Sources

Restored middle initial A based on signatures & handwritten signed letters written by Hub Zemke to Roger Freeman, held in IWM supporting documentation for the Roger Freeman Collection

Date11 May 2021 12:49:40
Contributordecwriter
ChangesChanges to middlename and biography
Sources

NARA award documents, MACR #10423, social security and all official registers for Col Zemke reflect no middle initial or middle name.

Date26 Apr 2021 08:35:51
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to middlename and place associations
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/record/69980030/hubert-zemke-social-security-deat…
https://www.fold3.com/record/628938878/hubert-zemke-1914-veterans-affai…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123396067/hubert-a-zemke

Date26 Apr 2021 00:32:13
Contributordecwriter
ChangesChanges to middlename, biography and awards
Sources

Col Zemke's bio photo show numerous decorations and awards. He wears the Army Commendation Medal as the AF Commendation Medal was approved in 1959, thus equivalent. AF members continued to receive the Army Commendation Medal until 1959. All foreign decorations are listed after US decorations and awards.

Date16 Nov 2020 19:32:09
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to awards, events and unit associations
Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123396067/hubert-a-zemke

Date2 Sep 2020 22:37:25
Contributorjmoore43
ChangesChanges to place associations
Sources

Added a connection to Stalag Luft 1 per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

Date26 Aug 2020 22:15:52
Contributorjmoore43
ChangesChanges to service number, biography and events
Sources

Removed a space in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
Updated the S/N and Added POW camp info to the POW event from WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

Date6 Jan 2016 12:43:38
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to biography and aircraft associations
Sources

AAM DB Entry [ Arthur R Scroggins ]

Date11 Feb 2015 14:40:17
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to place associations
Sources

Associated Stalag Luft I

Date4 Feb 2015 15:43:58
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to media associations
Sources

Associated images of Zemke

Date10 Oct 2014 08:58:10
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to biography and media associations
Sources

Associated media

Date3 Oct 2014 10:29:00
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to events
Sources

Update location pin for Stalag Luft I

Date3 Oct 2014 10:28:00
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to middlename, nickname, role, biography, awards, events, place associations, aircraft associations and media associations
Sources

MACR 10423 / 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 / The Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman; Who's Who in the Eighth Air Force and/or Biographical Directory Command & Staff Officers Eighth Air Force 1942-45 MACR 10423

Freeman, The Mighty Eighth, p. 276

Freeman, The Hub

Date27 Sep 2014 18:13:21
ContributorAAM
ChangesAAM ingest
Sources

Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list

Hubert A Zemke: Gallery (118 items)