Aged 30, Richard Claeys joined the US Army in early summer of 1941 and was discharged in the Fall for being over age. He then decided to enlist in the RCAF, which he did on 28 November 1941 at No.1 Manning Depot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He completed training at No.3 Initial Training School in Victoriaville, Quebec, then went to No.21 Elementary Flying Training School at Chatham, New Brunswick and ultimately at No.2 Service Flying Training School in Ottawa, Ontario. He was then sent overseas to join the RAF (Royal Air Force) on 21 November 1942 as a Sargent Pilot. In England, he was stationed at 14 (P) AFU (Ossington) from 22nd March 1943 to 4th May 1943. Having decided to join his American comrades, he was discharged from the RCAF on 24 May 1943 and immediately enlisted in the USAAF. He tried many times to join a combat unit, but was prevented from flying on combat missions. Finally, on 27th July 1944, with the rank of 2nd Lt, Dick Claeys joined the 306th Bomb Group at Thurleigh and was assigned to the 368th BS. Ending the war with 71 missions to his credit, he was awarded the Air Medal and 11 oak-leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross, the most such decorations of any Officer of the Group. After a brief furlough in the States, he returned to the European Theater and flew transport flights. Unfortunately, on 19 August 1946, his unarmed C-47 (of the 305th Troop Carrier Squadron) lost its way during bad weather and inadvertently flew over Yugoslavian territory . Without sufficient forewarning, the plane was shot down by Vladimir Vodopivec, a pilot in the Yugoslav Air Force, flying a Yak-3. Richard Claeys and the four other men on board were killed in the crash.

Service

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Saint Charles, Illinois, United States	3 May 1910
Enlisted	Chicago, Illinois, United States	27 March 1941
Was discharged in the Fall of 1941 for being over age. He then enlisted in the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force)
Died	Koprivnica, Slovenia	19 August 1946
Shot down on a mail run from Udine, Italy to Vienna, Austria, by a Yugoslav Air Force Yak-3 while inadvertently flying outside of the allowed neutral corridor.
Buried		25 September 1946
In a common grave together with the four other men on the C-47 he piloted on 19 August 1946 : Captains Ben H. Freestone and Harold F. Schreiber; Corporals Matthew Comko and Chester J. Lower.
Lived in	Saint Charles, Illinois, United States