1st Air Division
Division
In December 1944, the 1st Bomb Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
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Alfred C H Sharp CBE DSO AFC
Military
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Lockheed P-38J Lightning 'Droop Snoot*' 44-23517 personal aircraft of Air Commodore Alfred C H Sharp RAF, pictured at No 51 MU Lichfield, Staffordshire between 1946-48. * The 'Droop Snoot' field conversion entailed the removal of the nose armament and associated equipment to make room for a prone bombardiers/observers position with the installation of a plexiglass nose, a Norden bombsight, side windows and an emergency hatch. The theory was for a formation of P-38's to drop their bombs on the formation lead 'Droop snoots' signal with the precision of the Norden bombsight ensuring the accuracy of the formations bombing. An idea championed by Lt Col Cass Hough and Lt Col Dan Ostrander.
RAF: - Plt Off (Probation): 16 Jul 1924, Plt Off: 16 Jan 1924, Fg Off: 18 Jan 1926, Flt Lt: 8 Oct 1930, Sqn Ldr: 1 Apr 1937, (Temp) Wg Cdr: 1 Mar 1940, (Temp) Gp Capt: 1 Mar 1942, Wg Cdr: 20 Nov 1942 [1 Oct 1941], Acting A/Cdre: 1 Feb 1943.
Appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, HQ 8th USAAF. 1-2-43.
Served as waist gunner on B-17 whilst 1st Air Division attacked Villacoublay. 14-7-43.
Served as waist gunner on B-17 whilst 1st Air Division attacked Hannover. 26-7-43.
On his return to RAF posting was gifted a new P-47 as a personal A/C, finding this not to his liking, managed to 'trade' it in for a new P-38 which he kept till 1947.
Awards CBE, DSO, AFC, SS, LoM[Cmdr]
Service
Units served with
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Headquarters (Eighth Air Force)
Headquarters
8th Air Force Headquarters opened in London under the command of General Carl A Spaatz on 19 June 1942. It oversaw all Commands, Wings and Groups engaged in the Strategic Bombing Campaign until February 1944, when it became US Strategic Air Forces in...
Aircraft
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44-23517
P-38 Lightning
RAF Air Commodore Alfred C H Sharp, a former Deputy Chief of Staff HQ 8th AF, was gifted this P-38 Lightning as his personal aircraft when he left to take up a new posting as 54 base commander. Initialy flown soley by Sharp. A 'Droop Snoot*' was lent...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 73
14 July 1943
The German air depot at Villacoublay, France and the German airfields Amiens/Glisy and Le Bourget at Paris, France are the primary targets for this mission. These attacks are made by three separate elements: 116 B-17s are despatched from 92BG (15);... -
VIII Bomber Command 77
26 July 1943
The German rubber industry at Hannover, Germany and the U-Boat shipyards at Hamburg, Germany are the primary focus of this mission. In addition, a German ship convoy and targets of opportunity at Wilhelmshaven and Wesermunde are bombed. The first...
Associated Place
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Northolt
Military site : airfield
At one stage the base of the 302nd Air Transport Wing.
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | 13 November 1904 |
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Born in Bangalore, India 13th Nov 1904. |
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| Post RAF Career | Boston, MA, USA | 1953 – 1956 |
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Executive Vice-President of Industrial and Management Associates Inc. in Boston, Mass. He later became Director of Sale for the Glenn L Martin Corporation. |
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| Retired | 1 February 1953 | |
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Retired: 1 Feb 1953 |
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| Died | Baltimore, MD, USA | 1 February 1956 |
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Died: 1 Feb 1956 Baltimore, USA, having suffered a heart attack. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 01 January 2016 23:16:50 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, suffix, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
