8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Donald Earl Adams
Military
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1st Lt (Later Major) Donald Earl Adams 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF.
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Major Donald Earl Adams 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF.
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. 2 x missions. Credited with 2 destroyed and 2 damaged (ground).
Post war: Returned to the US after duty in Occupation Forces Jun-47. Remained in USAF flying both F-80 Shooting Stars and F-86E Sabre jets. Deployed to Korea in F-86E Sabre jets with the 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Group, credited with 6.5 MIG jet kills and 3.5 damaged. Killed whilst flying an F-89C Scorpion near Detroit Airport at an airshow 30-Aug-52.
Service
Units served with
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31st Fighter Group
Group
The 31st Fighter Group only flew missions from England between June and September 1942 but during this period they supported the Dieppe raid, the assault on occupied Europe, predominantly by the Canadian army. The attack was forced into early retreat... -
55th Fighter Group
Group
The 55th Fighter Group were the first P-38 Lightning Group to go fully operational from England. The pilots flew long-range escort missions for bombers flying over occupied Europe and racked up 'kills' of their own by destroying enemy aircraft in... -
56th Fighter Group
Group
Flying P-47 Thunderbolts throughout their time stationed in England, the Group, known as "the Wolfpack", had more ace pilots than any other Eighth Air Force Fighter Group. The 56th Fighter Group also destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any... -
343rd Fighter Squadron
Squadron
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62nd Fighter Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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44-63231
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Personal aircraft of Major Eugene E Ryan. Re-assigned to 1st Lt Donald E Adams post war. -
44-15372 'Sweet Mary'
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 376FS, 361FG, 8AF USAAF.
Missions
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8th Air Force 935
9 April 1945
"Heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force once more struck at the source of German air power when over 1,250 Fortresses and Liberators, protected by approximately 750 fighters, hammered ten airfields in the vicinity of Munich, besides attacking an oil depot... -
8th Air Force 957
17 April 1945
Associated Place
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Wormingford
Military site : airfield
Wormingford was a Royal Flying Corps/RAF anti-Zeppelin aircraft Landing Ground First World War, rebuilt for the Eighth Air Force 1942-43. It was a Ninth Air Force base from 1943-44, and home to the 362nd Fighter Group. Switching back to the Eighth Air...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Caton, NY 14830, USA | 23 February 1921 |
| Lived in | Mt Clemens, MI, USA | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Rochester, NY, USA | 10 October 1942 |
| Based | Wormingford | 22 March 1945 – May 1945 |
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Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Korean service | South Korea | November 1951 – June 1952 |
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Deployed to Korea. Flying F-86 Sabres credited with 6.5 MIG jet kills and 3.5 damaged. |
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| Died | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Detroit, MI 48242, USA | 30 August 1952 |
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Crashed due to Structural Failure Detroit Major Airport, Wayne, MI Cat 4 damage |
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| Buried | Charter Twp of Clinton, MI, USA | September 1952 |
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Clinton Grove Cemetery |
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Revisions
