Capt John Follen: Served as a co-pilot & Pilot with the 447th Bomb Group Rattlesden, 83rd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group Duxford, 708th Bombardment Squadron, with the 8th Air Force during WWII, where he was stationed at RAF Rattlesden Air Base, Suffolk, England & Duxford. John “Jack” Follen was Commander of a B-17 at age 20, and was the youngest member of the crew that served with him. He flew 44 successful combat missions over Germany with the 8th Air Force, despite being shot down over Nazi Germany, where he was rescued by the French Resistance and after a harrowing set of circumstances, eventually made it back to Rattlesden Air Base in England. After which he re-upped and served with the Eagles of Duxford. From the time of his enlistment in 1943 to his honorable separation/discharge in 1946, he racked up 875 flying hours and 275 combat flying hours, including his participation in Operation Overlord the D-Day Invasion and Battle of The Bulge. Jack’s first flight out of Rattlesden was onboard a B-17 was with Col. Willam J. Wrigglesworth, who took a liking to Jack and invited him to play on his officers basketball team at Rattlesden.



Jack was awarded the

Air Medal, 5 Oak Clusters/1 Silver Oak Cluster,

Bronze Star

Distinguished Flying Cross

European Theatre Ribbon,

3 Battle Stars for the Rhineland, Ardennes & Central Europe battle/campaigns,

American Theatre Ribbon,

Victory Medal,

Good Conduct Medal,

1 Overseas Service Bar.



He was officially a member of the 8th Air Force Lucky Bastards Club.

Pilot B-17 "Task Force" 42-6052 Pilot B-24 Liberator, Fighter Pilot P-51 Mustang & P-47 Thunderbolt.

He was a P-51 Flight Instructor stateside, after the war.



Jack, a Native Californian, attempted to enlist in the USAAF immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor but was only 17. With permission from his parents he was accepted into an officers training program that mandated he first complete his graduation from Loyola High School in Los Angeles, then complete a year of college. He attended Berkeley University for one year, then went through officers training in preparation for his enlistment. He remained friends with pilot George W. Bowling who he served with at Rattlesden, long after the war. Like George who worked with the union for many years, Jack found tremendous satisfaction in serving the needs of the working man and became an organizer with AFL-CIO, where he served in several capacities over many years, from Business & Union Representative to President of the Orange County Labor Board. He was always a kind and humble man who seldom spoke of the war. An avid sportsman, golfer, fisherman, basketball player, swimmer, who briefly played semi pro baseball after the war, Jack coached his sons sports teams, as well as Little League and Pop Warner Baseball. He died in 1989 from heart failure after a series of heart attacks and was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Los Angeles with full military honors, a color guard and 21 gun salute. He left behind a wife Yolanda, 8 children and several grandchildren. He’s remembered in Garry L. Fry’s 1991 book, The Eagles Of Duxford, with an honorable mention.



Capt John “Jack” Edward Follen Jr. July 25, 1924 - February 1, 1989