Manford Oscar Croy Jr
Military“1st Lt. Manford O. Croy Jr., of Seattle, Washington, tells Major Harry L. Downing of Lincoln, Nebraska, operations officer of U.S. 8th AF 82nd Fighter Squadron, how he and his flight of North American P-51 Mustangs destroyed 10 locomotives and other transport hauling reinforcements and supplies to the German armies. Lt. Croy’s flight was part of the force of 800 Republic P-47’s and North American P-51’s that escorted more than 1,400 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 8th AF that attacked targets in Central Germany on 22 Feb 1945.”
NOTE : Harry Downing is on the right in this photo, Major Croy on the left.
Added photo
Manford Croy attended the Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska and later the University of Washington, graduating in 1941. He enlisted in February 1943 and trained as a Pilot. Sent overseas, he was assigned to the 78th Fighter Group / 82nd Fighter Squadron in England. He participated in many combat missions as a fighter pilot and he was Killed In Action 16 April 1945 in P-51 Mustang # 44-72165 on a bomber escort mission to Germany.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13028310 / O-406113 / 4742A
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 16 April 1945
- Date: 22 February 1945
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: "Duckpond"
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
4 November 1922 | the son of WWI veteran Manford Oscar (Sr) and Katherine Francis (Atkins) Croy | |
Enlisted |
18 February 1943 | ||
Other Killed In Action (KIA) |
16 April 1945 | on a bomber escort mission, flying P-51 Mustang # 44-72165 | |
Born |
|||
Buried |
Manford Croy Jr rests at Plot C, Row 10, Grave 70 |
Revisions
NARA WWII Enlistment records
ABMC website
Personal research on Manford Croy
ABMC, Roll of Honor / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list