Dist. FLying Cross WWII question

Factual Questions
1

My Grandfather Served two tours in Europe durring WW2.
He has multiple medals and momentos from his time there. He has quite a few Dist. flying crosses (5 if memory serves) Plus a few British medals. I was wondering if there is some way I can look up on the net what he did to be awarded these medals?
I have always been fasinated as to what exactly he might have done as a pilot (not to mention the rest of his life he is a facinating man.) ANyone out there who might be able to help?
He does not talk about those particular times he views it as things he did in service for his country and not worth mentioning as they were “just part of the job.”

Can anyone help me shed a bit of light my way?

thanks in advance

Osip

2

The only information I could find came from a page on the Air Force’s site:Air Force Awards and Decorations.

There are pictures and brief descriptions of the decorations, but nothing else. My granddad had quite a few of these and some other medals, but I never had a chance to ask him about them. :frowning:

3

You can verify the USAAF medal awards by writing to your National Archives and Records Administration , Air Force Reference Branch, at the address listed on this webpage:

http://www.nara.gov/regional/mprawr.html

If you can find out from your Grandfather what squadron (fighter or bomber group, etc) he was with, you may be able to find out some more info by researching that group at pages like this:

http://members.aol.com/veterans/warlib5a.htm

Remember that the Air Corps was part of the Army back then, not a separate service as it has been since 1946.

It seems a little unusual that he would have British medals–although by no means impossible. Were they awards or did he pick them up as souvenirs? What do the British medals look like? What are the colours of the ribbons (if any are still attached)? I can certainly ID the British medals for you if you can give a brief description, and that might tell you where to look for more info.

4

http://www.dfcsociety.org/History.htm
Gives a little history and other links. Might give you a broad overview of what he may of done to have been awarded.

5

As you note, it was certainly possible for Americans to get Canadian or British medals. Many Americans went to Canada and joined up prior to the U.S.'s entry into the war. From a site about John Magee, who wrote the wonderful poem “High Flight”:

6

It has been many many years since I have seen his medals. I saw them when I was a child at his home. The british medals were awarded not souvenirs.

Here are bits and pieces of what I know of his WW2 carreer from various family sources.

He started out in OSS but transfered to Air corp after doing amazingly well on tests and his dislike of the OSS. (he mentioned this in passing.)

He was rated (cleared) to fly almost any plane they had at the time excluding one. I cannot recall what plane I believe it was a fighter of some sort P something or another.

He was a Lt. Col. when the war ended.

In between tours he flew planes from Englad to US and back. Once even flew the current US secretary of Defence trans-atlantic.

He flew more missions than anyone else at the base he was stationed in. He claims it was because his last name was Alligood and he was always at the top of the list alphabetically and with personel turn overs they updated the list quite often for pilot rotations.

He had a Gurka bodyguard. I found a picture of him when I was a child and asked innocently who the little asian boy with the neat knife was in the picture. side note I have the knife he gave my grandfather as a gift hangin on my wall.

My grandmother once told me he recieved a Dist. flying cross and one of the english medals for landing a cargo plane in a field in (Belgium?) to evac a company of british solders who were surrounded and had heavy casulties. (not verified except word of mouth by my grandmother)

When VE day came he was in New York and was asked to pose for a picture in the newspaper shaking hands with a Russian Col. and he refused since he believed Uncle Joe (Stalin) was going to become a long term problem for the US.

I shall try to dig up more information as to what unit(s) he served in and such. If I can get hold of my uncle he should be able to shed more light on the subject.

Thanks everyone!
Osip

7

Wow, what an interesting guy. I can offer some speculation which might help you, but no solid citations.

It looks like your grandfather concentrated on Europe. With his OSS background, I would guess that he transferred to some sort of air unit that supported American OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and British SOE (Special Operations Executive) operations in Europe.

That probably meant he did a lot of nightime air drops of personnel and supplies into German-occupied Europe, probably at night. This was an extremely dangerous sort of job, as the Germans had good radar, antiaircraft, and night-fighters. In those days, night flying was more of an art than a science.

One type of insertion involved dropping “Jedburgh” teams (possibly derived from the Scottish term “Jedburgh justice,” which implies punishing someone for a crime and then trying them afterward, which is what these guys could expect from the Germans) into France. These teams consisted of an American OSS man, a British SOE man, and a Free French man, and they had to be precision-dropped in areas where they could be assured of meeting sympathetic locals–they wore uniforms in the hope that they would not be executed as spies if captured. (The Spy Book, pp. 299, 408-409). There were at least 93 of these missions flown. This type of mission strikes me as the kind which would most likely net your grandfather awards from our British friends.

If he was a Jedburgh pilot, it would also explain why he warranted a Gurkha bodyguard, obviously a courtesy extended by the Brits. However, I cannot identify what air unit performed these types of flights. I wouldn’t be suprised if this unit was quietly tucked away among the 8th Air Force or Bomber Command, or possibly even the 1st Airborne Army for security purposes.

I’d also guess that the plane he never checked out on was the P-38. It was a twin-engine fighter which was extremely expensive, and some say it was difficult to fly well. In the first half of WWII the planes and their pilots were husbanded like some sort of treasure, because it was the only allied plane at the time which had a good enough range and performance to cover bombers most of the way to their targets inside Germany.

Anyway, I hope I haven’t steered you down the wrong path. Good luck in your search, and please let us know what you find out!

8

I should also add that the evac mission sounds a little like something in support of Operation Market-Garden, the ill-fated “Bridge too Far” mission in which airborne troops were dropped all at once halfway across the Netherlands in an attempt to capture a bridge over the Rhine. However, I have never heard of such a mission. Another possibility might be Operation Varisity, flown on 24 March, 1945, which was better organized–or at least more successful–than Market-Garden.

Again, it’s all just guesswork right now.

9

A lot (but not all) of men who were in combat situations have post traumatic stress disorder that has never been treated, and talking about it causes them relive it emotionally. Because they were of the generation where no one sought a shrink, they’ve learned to deal with it by closing down. :frowning:

10

Ok I fired off a few e-mails to family to see if anyone else can shed a bit more light.

I would like to say you all ROCK!

Sofa King: If you think what he did then was interesting you should hear about the rest of his life. The man has lived a very interesting and full life.

Thanks again Sofa King,Cerowyn, Rodd Hill,D12, Dp White and Broken Spoke.

If I get any more information I shall pass it along.

Osip

11

Clarify please.

It is my understanding that during WWII you signed up “for the duration,” and not a specific time limit.

12

Yes, you were in for the duration. But not all of that was necessarily served in combat theaters. Many aircrews, after having served a specified number of missions, were sent back to the US for R and R and reassignment. In the 9th Air Force Medium Bomber Division, that specified number was 65 missions (in 1944-45). The reassignment might be another tour of combat duty; in the Pacific, or the ETO or the MED. Or it could be a training assignment or any other for which the service involved thought you were needed.

Once you raised your hand at the swearing in, you were destiny’s tot.

13

Ok I can do that. I had no idea that is how it worked in regards for military service durring WW2. I must have twisted what I knew into a misunderstanding.

I wrongly used the words tours. Knowing this now I can gather he flew combat missions was reassigned to a non-combat roll flying transport to and from europe then was assigned later to another combat roll.

Thanks for pointing it out duckster. I honestly did not realize I was twisting the truth in such a manner.

Osip

14

Many US servicemen have received medals from foreign governments, especially durning WWI and WWII. This did not require service in a foreign military organization, just actions that were recognized by foreign military officers in whose opinions said actions were worthy of commendation.