19 August 1942
2d Lt Samuel F Junkin Jr of 309th Ftr Sq, 31st Ftr Gp, flying a Spitfire in support of the amphibious raid on Dieppe, shoots down a German fighter, this being the first aerial victory won by an Eighth AF fighter pilot flying from the UK.
31st Fighter Group despatches 123 Spitfires in support of the landings at Dieppe, France. 8 are lost. These are the first operations of VIII Fighter Command units under VIII Fighter Command control.
52nd Fighter Group despatches 4 Spitfires on a defensive patrol to intercept a suspected enemy aircraft off Northern Ireland. This is the first operational sortie for 52FG.
INVASION SUPPORT
Spitfire
Despatched by 4th Fighter Group in support of the landings at Dieppe, France.
Group
Some of the pilots of the 4th Fighter Group had seen many hours of combat by the time they joined the 4th Fighter Group as they had volunteered with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The three 'Eagle Squadrons' of RAF Fighter...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 123 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 8 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 4 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 2 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 2 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Destroyed by Fighter Command | 1 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Probably Destroyed by Fighter Command | 5 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Damaged by Bomber Command | 1 |
INTERCEPT
Spitfire
4 Spitfires despatched by 52nd Fighter Group to intercept suspected enemy aircraft off the coast of Northern Ireland. No intruder found.
Group
Two of the Squadrons of the 52nd Fighter Group flew Spitfires with RAF Fighter Command in August and early September 1942 from Northern Ireland. After these preparatory missions, the Group joined the Twelfth and then Fifteenth Air Force in the...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 4 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 4 |
Military | Pilot Officer | Pilot | 4th Fighter Group
Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133S, Morlaix disaster, crash landed in his Spitfire IX BS148 in a field near Kingsbridge, Devon due to fuel starvation. Critically injured, but survived his injuries. 26-9-42.
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Colonel | Fighter pilot, Commanding Officer | 4th Fighter Group
Don Blakeslee was born on 11 September 1917 in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. As a boy, he became captivated with planes while watching the Cleveland National Air Races held only 30 miles away from his home at 529 7th St, Fairport Harbor, Ohio. In 1938,...
Military | Squadron Leader | fighter Pilot/squadron commander
Joined RAF, trained at 58 OTU, assigned to 92Sqn, transferred to 133Sqn.
Shot down 26 September 1942 near Morlaix, France in Spitfire IX BS313. Became a Prisoner of War (POW) and was executed for his part in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 31st Fighter Group
Lost supporting the Dieppe landings in Spitfire 19 August 1942.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 31st Fighter Group
Killed in Action (KIA). Lost flying with the Kenley Sector in Spitfire 19 August 1942.
Military | Wing Commander | Pilot / Wing and later Group commander
Took command of Debden Wing [3 x Eagle Sqn]
...
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter pilot
Albert joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before the USA joined the war and served a fighter pilot.
...
Military | Major | Fighter Pilot | 4th Fighter Group
Don Gentile was born on December 6, 1920, to Italian parents in Piqua, Ohio. As a boy, he had always been fascinated with flying and built, as his mother remembered, hundreds of model airplanes. Don used to say to his mother, “I hope someday I'll be...
Military | Pilot Officer | Pilot
Joined RAFVR, assigned to 133S, along with the rest of Sqn flew 4 x missions over Dieppe 19-Aug-42. Shot down on escort mission over France. 6-Sep-42. Killed in action (KIA).
Had completed the process to allow transfer to USAAF from RAF.
Military | Major | Pilot | 4th Fighter Group
He graduated from Cement High School. He attended the University of Oklahoma for one year before attending Spartan Air School. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 1-May-41.
...
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire BL255 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
...
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire BL338 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
Delivered to No 8 MU 15-11-41, assigned to 72S 21-11-41, FA Cat CB 14-3-42, to AST, assigned to 308th FS, 31st FG USAAF 5-42, FTR Dieppe raid 19-8-42. MACR 16481.
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire BM401 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
Delivered to No 8 MU 24-4-42, assigned to 121S 5-5-42, damaged by fighters and abandoned off Dieppe 19-8-42, SOC.
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire BM405 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
...
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire P8589 Mk IIb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory
...
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire AD569 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 05 September 2019 11:58:59 | Emily | Changes to official description |
| Sources | ||
Air Force Combat Chronology |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 February 2015 18:09:46 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 15-Feb-2015. Edited fighter claim statistics. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 February 2015 18:06:21 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 15-Feb-2015. Added fighter claims to statistics per 'The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 November 2014 21:49:35 | Lee8thbuff | Created event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 12-Nov-2014. "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 November 2014 21:44:44 | Lee8thbuff | Created event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 12-Nov-2014. " The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 November 2014 21:38:46 | Lee8thbuff | Created entry with name, date, description and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 12-Nov-2014. Descriptions based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman. People associations from "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE |
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