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Sunsetters - Pilot groupings of the 7th Air Force and more


Waltz41
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Nice stuff! Looking forward to seeing the rest. Hopefully I didn't miss the mention, but he was also discussed in depth on the old history channel show Dogfights.

 

JD

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Johnny Signor

Waltz 41 ,if you ever want leather patches made of either the 47th Squadron or 15th Group I can make them for you .......................

Johnny

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What a tragic and gut wrenching story. No doubt similar things happened countless times in countless places. It's great that these items have a devoted caretaker. May Lt. Scanlon rest in peace

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Up next is a grouping to fell 47th Fighter Squadron pilot, 2nd Lt. White. I actually was able to reunite some pieces of this grouping back together, as several years ago I picked up his logbook and several original mission reports. This past summer, a forum member had up from his estate some more paper work and some photos. Although at first I thought I missed getting the rest of it on here, a really really great member picked it up for me knowing my interest in the 7th and that I had his logbook. So big thank you to you sir, you know who you are!

 

White was from California and starts with his orders as he will now be a part of the 7th Air Force. And just by chance, 2nd Lt. Scanlan has the same exact orders as seen here, both being part of the same 'shipment'!

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And then it's off to war.....

His logbook in the back has some great mission remarks

This first mission was one of the few close air support missions on Iwo that were flown in the very first days of the P-51's arrival

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Here is an original mission report from April of 1945 in which White was part of. Turned out to be uneventful, and White had some engine troubles on the way back.

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April 22 is a big day for White and the squadron. It was a strafing attack to Suzuka Airfield, Honshu. White is in the 3rd row, 3rd from the right. Whtie is credited with 0.5 probable and 1 damaged in the air, and 0.5 probable and 1 damaged on the ground. It would be his only claims of the war.

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Several more missions in May....and then June 1st. If you know anything about the VLR missions, then you know and have heard of the one on June 1st. It would eventually become known as the 'Black Friday' mission. for the first time, all 3 VLR units (15th, 21st, and 506th FG) would be sent together to escort B-29's on an bombing run to Osaka. After take off and on the way, the leading navigator B-29's ran into a massive weather front. They decided to try to go through it. 184 P-51 Mustangs followed. What happened next was described as pure chaos by the pilots who flew that mission and returned. When it was all said and done, 27 P-51's did not make it back, along with 25 pilots.

 

2nd Lt. White was one of those pilots that never came back.

 

One of the navigating B-29's, after realizing the weather was too difficult to go through, turned around, and went straight back at the rest of the formation. The P-51's followed, and between them coming in at each other head on as well as pilot's not being able to see their wingman 5 ft next to them, aircraft crashed into one another and were thrown by the weather all over. Screams and yells and Maydays were heard on the radios. Pilots frantically tried to find their way out of the 'soup' with 0 visibility.

 

White was with the reserve flight that day. He was needed though and joined up with a flight of 78th FS Mustangs. From the mission report that day:

 

"Lt. D.O.White - Went from Premier Red Reserve to Remedy Red Flight and it is the opinion of Lt. Col. Thomas whose wing he was flying that one of the 506th planes which spun through this flight might have hit Lt. White. Listed as missing."

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Here's the 47th FS pilots after their briefing and just before takeoff on June 1st. White is standing, 2nd from the left.

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