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Lieutenant Colonel Roy W. Evans.
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A large group of 4th Fighter Group pilots sitting on or standing in front of a P-47 Thunderbolt at Debden air base. The 4th Fighter Group flew P-47 Thunderbolts on missions between March 1943 and February 1944.
Standing L to R:
Selden Edner, Earl Carlow, Clemens Fiedler, Leon Blanding, Frank Bayles, Charles Anderson, Bernard McGrattan, James Happel, Paul Ellington and James W, Dye.
On the wing of the aircraft L to R:
Don Young, Kenneth G. Smith, Don Ross, ??, Cecil E. Manning, Robert Patterson, James H. Brandenburg, ?M. Thorpe?, Albert Schlegel and George Carpenter.
On the fuselage L to R: Roy Evans, Fonzo "Snuffy" Smith, Cadman V. Padgett, ?Ernest Beatie?, James Steel and ??.
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Lieutenant Colonel Roy W. Evans is pictured second from right.
(L-R) Lt Col. Chesley 'Pete' Peterson, Maj. Oscar Coen, Col. Don Blakeslee and 2nd Lt. Roy W. Evans talk with Lt Gen. Ira Eaker, commander of the Eighth Air Force at Debden in late 1942.
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(L-R) Lt Col. Chesley 'Pete' Peterson, Maj. Oscar Coen, Col. Don Blakeslee and 2nd Lt. Roy W. Evans talk with Lt Gen. Ira Eaker, commander of the Eighth Air Force at Debden in late 1942.
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Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb AD511 AV-E and Pilot Officer Roy W Evans 121 [Eagle] Sqn RAF, later transferred to 335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF.
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Lieutenant Colonel Roy W. Evans, commander of the 335th Fighter Squadron from August 1943 until February 1944, who recorded 6 air kills during World War II, shaking hands with his crew chief.
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Thunderbolt P-47C-2-RE 41-6206 'WD-H' 335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF. Went on to be transferred to 551st FTS, 495th FTG, 8th AF.
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An Ace, Lt. Col. Roy W. Evans, Deputy Group Commander and Flying Executive of the 359th Fighter Group, joined the Group on 4 October 1944. He flew 18 combat missions with the 359th before being hit by flak and bailing out on 14 Februray 1945. The Colonel was captured and held as a POW in Stalag 9-C in Bad Sulza Saxed-Weimar.
Having previously served with the RAF and the 4th Fighter Group, Lt. Col. Evans claimed one aerial victory with the 359th FG and five with the 4th FG.
As a youth, he was raised on a ranch near Santa Rosa, California. When his parents separated, he and his siblings lived with an English couple. While working at the railroad he wanted to be able to serve in defence of his country, so he took up Civilian Military Training. He also managed to earn a pilots' licence and attempted to join the Army Air Corps. He was turned down on the basis that his job was considered vital to the country and exempted him from military service. Roy then contacted the Clayton-Knight Committee, which was recruiting pilots for the RAF. He was accepted and went to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for training.
He earned the rank of Pilot Officer, and was the only one of his class to graduate as a fighter pilot. He then went to England for further training with the RAF at an Operational Training Unit. Again he excelled, and was the only one of his class to be assigned to No. 11 Group in the south of England, where the action was.
The military equipment he received, although it was the best available was unfortunately, well worn from the Battle of Britain - he flew a war-weary Spitfire which not very air worthy.
Roy loved to go on strafing trips, sometimes accompanied by Duane Beeson and sometimes with Frank Smolinski.
With news of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and since he was in an Eagle Squadron, he shortly found himself in the 4th Fighter Group with plenty of action, flying P-47s and later P-51s.
On one occasion Roy was leading an escort mission to Paris where the Group destroyed 17 German aircraft, a record number for one day. Having finished their escort duties and beingmindful of their low fuel situation they headed back toward England. They encountered a bomber group which was very late and unescorted, and about to be attacked by a large formation of German fighters. The Group turned into the Germans in a spread formation and from a long distance, though low on gas, they started firing their guns, knowing full well that the Germans were out of range. This attack caused the Germans to turn and run for home. The bombers then turned and followed the fighters safely back to England. Roy received the Silver Star for this action.
As time went on Roy became an "Ace", on the same mission, incidentally, as his friend Duane Beeson. He became C.O. of the 335th Squadron and attained the rank of Colonel. After his tour of 300 combat hours he applied for, and was allowed an additional 25 hours before his mandatory return to the States.
He was proud of the fact that no German ever put a bullet hole in his plane, but he did, however, have to bail out over the North Sea due to Flak damage. His aircraft AA752 a Spitfire from 4FG/335FS experienced a mechanical failure on a 'Rhubarb' to the French coast and he ditched into the English Channel, but managed to swim ashore near Foulness, Essex and returned to duty. He was a 1Lt at the time.
After Roy's last flight with the 4th, Colonel Blakeslee told him General Anderson wanted to see him. General Anderson thanked him for his outstanding service and introduced him to eight others, all Generals or Colonels, who likewise thanked him. Officially, he ended that tour with three Distinguished Flying Crosses, Purple Heart, and 11 Air Medals in addition to his Silver Star and other awards including the Distinguished Unit Award.
Tiring of the Stateside duty he was soon returned to England as Deputy C.O. of the 359th Fighter Group, becoming acting C.O. until he was hit by Flak in P-51D Mustang 44-14894 'Lucky' 14-2-45, and became a POW. He had the dubious distinction of being the last of 37 Eagle squadron pilots to do so. His imprisonment caused him to go from a weight of 225 pounds to 167 pounds until he was liberated.
Service
Units served with
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Group
The 359th Fighter Group flew 346 missions from East Wretham between December 1943 and April 1945. In the main these missions were escorting bombers flying over occupied Europe. The Group, soon after converting from Thunderbolts to Mustangs, were...
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Squadron
The 335th Fighter Squadron was the offspring of No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron RAF. Formed on 21 May 1941, No. 121 was the second of the three Eagle Squadrons composed of American volunteers flying out of England. They were known as the "Chiefs" and were...
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Squadron
'On 14 May 1941, No. 121 was reformed at Kirton-in-Lindsey as the second 'Eagle' Squadron to be manned by American volunteers. Equipped with Hurricanes, it began defensive patrols in October but in November it converted to Spitfires. It moved to North...
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Aircraft
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Spitfire
Supermarine Spifire AA752 Mk Vb, Const #2153 Built at Chattis Hill.
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Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire AD511 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
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P-47 Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt P-47C-2-RE 41-6206 'WD-H' 335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF. Later on strength with 551st FTS, 495th FTG, 8th AF. Crashed 1 mile east of Condover, Shropshire, during local aerobatics training flight, Cat 5 damage DBR. Pilot Charles R Griffin KIFA, 2...
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P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47D Thunderbolt 42-74686 Assigned to 335th FS 4th FG 8th AF 9-43, later on strength with 514th FS, 406th FG, 9th AF.
Crashed Belly Landing, Ashford/Sta 417, Cat 3 damage Pilot Bernard J Sledznik, 514FS 406FG, 9AF 12-5-44.
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P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47D Thunderbolt 42-7863 assigned 335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF. Don Blakeslee's assigned A/C.
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P-51 Mustang
P-51D Mustang 44-14988 'Herbert' Assigned to 369th FS, 359th FG, 8th AF, Roy William Evans assigned A/C. 26-11-44 Damaged Bf109 Kassel pilot Roy W Evans. 26-11-44. Destroyed Bf109 Kassel pilot Roy W Evans.
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P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred 22FS, 36FG, 9AF USAAF.
Missions
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20 November 1942
2 Spitfires from 4th Fighter Group are despatched on a 'Rhubarb' near the French coast. 1 Spitfire, AA752 with 1Lt Roy W. Evans experiences a mechanical failure and is ditched into the North Sea. Lt. Evans manages to swim ashore near Foulness, Essex.
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Associated Place
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Military site : airfield
An RAF Station with US lodger units. USAAF Spitfires and P-38s were attached to RAF No 11 Group stations in mid-1942 for training; also used for special operations by British and US forces.
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Military site : airfield
RAF Debden, construction of which began in 1935, is perhaps most famous as a Battle of Britain fighter airfield, partly responsible for the defence of London in 1940. In 1942 it was also home to three RAF 'Eagle Squadrons’ of volunteer American pilots...
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Military site : airfield
East Wretham was not improved to Class A standard. It retained its shorter runways, although eventually pierced-steel planking was laid to make take offs and landings easier for the Thunderbolt, and then Mustang, pilots. Steel matting was also laid to...
Events
Event |
Location |
Date |
Born |
Carthage, MO 64836, USA |
20 August 1914 |
Born 20th Aug 1914 in Carthage, Missouri, USA.
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Pilot training |
Tulsa, OK, USA |
1941 |
Went to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for pilot training.
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Shipped Overseas |
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May 1941 |
Overseas to join RAF.
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Enlisted |
England, UK |
June 1941 |
Further training with the RAF at an Operational Training Unit.
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Assigned |
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1942 |
Assigned to 121 [Eagle] Sqn RAF.
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Became Ace |
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22 August 1942 – 26 November 1944 |
He became an ace while in the 4th FG, shooting down an Hs-126, two Me-109’s, and two Fw-190’s. His sixth kill came while he was deputy commander of the 359th FG flying P-51's, where he downed a Me-109 on 26 Nov 1944.
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A/C hit by AA baled out |
Scheßlitz, Germany |
14 February 1945 |
Hit by flak in P-51D Mustang "Lucky" 44-14894. Bailed out near Schesclitz, Germany. POW, fractured leg. 14-2-45. MACR 12330.
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Prisoner of War POW |
Bad Sulza, Germany |
14 February 1945 – 10 April 1945 |
Prisoner of War held at Stalag 9C, Bad-Sulza, Saxe-Weimar.
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Died |
Victor Valley Hospital, Victorville, CA 92395, USA |
1 November 2009 |
Died 1st Nov 2009, Victor Valley Hospital.
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Buried |
Victor Valley Memorial Park, 15609 11th Street, Victorville, CA 92395, USA |
5 November 2009 |
Buried Victor Valley Memorial Park.
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Lived in |
Santa Rosa, CA, USA |
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Lived in Santa Rosa, California, USA.
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