John McGarity

Those who keep ‘em flying are just as vital as those who fly ‘em. Here fighter pilot Lt. Leonard Fuller makes a point to pose in front of his P-51 with his crew chief, S/Sgt. John McGarity, in 1944. S/Sgt. McGarity worked tirelessly, often all night long, to prepare Lt. Fuller’s ship for the next day’s mission. Both their names are painted near the plane’s cockpit. John went on to become a dentist near Macon, Georgia, where he died in 2014. 1

Keep 'em Flying

Did you or a family member serve in the Army Air Forces during World War II? Please contribute your own biography, or that of a loved one, to the Keep ‘em Flying memorial at the AAF Collection. Contact the curator for details.

Keep ’em Flying

Robert Brocklehurst

ABC News aired a story tonight about Bob Brocklehurst, a World War II fighter pilot.  Recently at age 96, he went up again in a P-51 Mustang, the same type of plane he flew in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  Interestingly, he wore a cap that indicated “41-G.”  I recognized that immediately as his graduating class number, meaning he graduated as a fighter pilot in 1941.  I found his picture in the AAF Collection in a class book from Kelly Field, near San Antonio, Texas. 2

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America’s Finest

Lt Leonard B. Fuller

First Lieutenant Leonard B. Fuller represents America’s Finest.  A farm boy from rural New York, in March 1944 he was a fighter pilot based at Steeple Morden, England in the 357th Fighter Squadron.  Four months later in July 1944 he had flown 40 missions over enemy territory, with 180 hours of combat flight in a P-51 Mustang.

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When Danger Lurked in Paradise

Portrait
Jack Voisin at Miami Beach, Florida, 1943

My father, John E. “Jack” Voisin, was stationed at Miami Beach, Florida for basic training from August to September 1943.  He returned there in March 1944 for air crew classification processing.

The United States Army Air Forces operated Basic Training Center #4 at Miami Beach.  Jack was housed some of the time in the Netherland Hotel, a seven-story ocean-side hotel on the beach. This sounds luxurious, but as early as 1942 the Army Air Force had bought or leased 452 hotels and converted them into schools and barracks to process the huge number of recruits. 3  He later stayed in “tent city,” which was a vast group of canvas tents.

Jack was an 18 year old from Michigan who also liked photography.  He took several photographs of the South Beach area along Ocean Drive, among the Art Deco hotels where he stayed and underwent training.  He sent these prints home and wrote descriptions on most of them for his parents.  In studying these I discovered some details that are historically very interesting.  Even though Miami Beach was a paradise, it was essentially a military installation.  It was guarded against enemy attack; something you would not consider while sitting on the beach today.

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One Way Ticket to Hell

One Way Ticket to Hell
One Way Ticket to Hell

One of the things I love about America is our willingness to stand up to threats.  Not only to stand up against them, but to respond to them head on.  In a class book from Pampa Army Air Field 4 published near the end of 1943, I noticed something.

One Way Ticket to Hell” it said, and there was space to write one’s name.  “This ticket entitles the above pilot to a one way trip to Hell.  Ticket also entitles bearer to stop over enroute at Japan to enjoy the AAF Stag Party on the Roof Garden at Tokyo.”  It’s signed, “Here’s lookin’ down your chimney, Tojo.”

Strange, I thought at first.  Then I did a little digging and found a news report from April 22, 1943.

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2/Lt. Ralph I. Jones

2/Lt. Ralph I. Jones
2/Lt. Ralph I. Jones

2/Lt. Ralph I. Jones was killed August 28, 1944 over Boskovštejn, Czech Republic on his first combat mission.  I recounted his heroic story in an earlier post.

Now for the first time, his picture adorns the monument dedicated to a once-unknown American P-51 fighter pilot. The seventieth anniversary memorial service for 2/Lt. Jones was held last August 30.

 

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Lt. James E. Hoffman, Jr.

Memorial Service for Lt. James E. Hoffman, Jr.
Memorial Service for Lt. James E. Hoffman, Jr.

A ceremony marking the seventieth anniversary of the death of Lt. James E. Hoffman, Jr. was held last August 23 near Věžky, Czech Republic.  Lt. Hoffman was a decorated P-51 pilot who was shot down August 22, 1944.

A monument to this American hero was erected in 1946.  This year a photograph of Lt. Hoffman now adorns the monument.

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A Hero Not Forgotten

Air Cadet Ralph I. Jones Primary Flight School, Gibbs Field, Fort Stockton, Texas, circa 1943. (AAFC, 2014)
Air Cadet Ralph I. Jones
Primary Flight School, Gibbs Field, Fort Stockton, Texas, circa 1943. (AAFC, 2014)

Monday, August 28, 1944. It was a bright sunny day in the small village of Boskovštejn, in then Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. Shortly before 9:00 am, five hundred miles to the south, nineteen year old Second Lieutenant Ralph I. Jones climbed aboard “Birmingham Boomerang,” his P-51B Mustang, a single-seat, single-engine fighter airplane. That day was his first combat mission. It was also his last.

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