JDK Posted November 11, 2008 Share #1 Posted November 11, 2008 Since today is Veterans Day, I thought I would share one of my favorite groupings.I have some great stories to share about this very brave P-47 fighter pilot with the510th Fighter Squadron 405th Fighter Group 9th AAF. I hope you enjoy the following,and remember to never forget what our veterans had to go through to keep us free!P-47 Pilot Lt. Robert Griffiths joined the 510th Fighter Squadron in August of 1944.He flew his first missions helping pave the way for US troops to gain groundin Europe. By the time he was flying, the Luftwaffe was virtually wiped out. Helonged for air to air combat, but it didn't look like he was going to see much.That all changed on December 26th 1944 otherwise known as the Battle ofthe Bulge. Griffiths was one of 11 P-47's from the 510th in the air when theyran into a flight of 30 FW-190's. The 2 flights circled each other for nearly5 minutes before Lt. Larry Gaughran became tired of the horsing aroundand cut into the FW-190's flight path with his guns blazing. The fight was on.In a matter of seconds it was all over. They had knocked down 6 Germanplanes, and had 3 probables. One 510th pilot was hit and forced to makea Emergency landing. He was picked up by Allied troops.Griffiths had 1 Aerial Kill that day as well as one probable. Griffiths was happyto have his chance at a real dogfight and now assumed that his excitementfor the war was more than likely over.He couldn't have been more wrong!Fast forward to April 20th 1945. The 510th was sent to Brandenberg Airfield in Germanyto knock out ME-262's that were based there. The flack was extremely heavy. AfterGriffiths had already knocked out 3 of the ME-262 jet fighters and was making another passover the field when a German gunner put a 40MM shell thru Griffiths wing making roughlya 5 ft diameter hole. His P-47 started vibrating heavily. He managed to climb his plane to4000 ft then trying to bail out. He quickly realized that his canopy was jammed and to makethings worse he realized that one of his 500 lb bombs would not release. He contacted hissquadron commander Capt. Ralph Jenkins with his Dilemma. Jenkins managed to find Griffithsand get level with him. He then tried to pry Giffiths 500 lb bomb loose with the tip of hisP-47's wing. After the 2nd try Jenkins wingtip snapped off. Any chance for Griffiths to make acrash landing was now gone. His plane was still vibrating fiercly. Jenkins called in for aemergency landing area for Griffiths. After recieving a clear strip, Jenkins escorted Griffithsthere. Griffiths managed to get his plane down sliding off the end of the runway. The bombnever let loose and Griffiths survived.For destroying the 3 ME 262's and getting his plane down, Griffiths was awarded the DFCCaptain Jenkins was awarded the Silver Star for the attempt at prying the bomb fromGriffiths wingtip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share #2 Posted November 11, 2008 Griffiths Plane After Crash LandingRalph Jenkins who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day. Griffiths DFCHis citation for the DFC His Flight Suit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FightenIrish35 Posted November 11, 2008 Share #3 Posted November 11, 2008 Im stunned,you have one GREAT grouping right here.Thanks for sharing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
316th FS 324th FG Posted November 11, 2008 Share #4 Posted November 11, 2008 Man, JDK! Very nice. I love those ground attack guys. Never seemed to get the same glory as the escorts did, but often took bigger risks and lost more men. Thanks for sharing. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted November 11, 2008 Share #5 Posted November 11, 2008 Wonderful grouping with a great story! Thank you for sharing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croix de Guerre Posted November 11, 2008 Share #6 Posted November 11, 2008 What an amazing grouping and what an amazing historical story! FANTASTIC! What ever became of Griffith? How did you come across his group? I don't mean to give you twenty questions but please tell the rest of the story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicjoy1945 Posted November 11, 2008 Share #7 Posted November 11, 2008 Hey !! Really nice grouping !! I don't think all P-47 pilots were designated as more bomber than fighter pilots. Maybe this was more prevelent in the ETO !?! I do have a very complete grouping to a Pacific theatre P-47 pilot who was an ace...so...I would think he saw plenty of dogfights. Probably a strategic vs tactical designation of the group/squadron !?! Thanks for showing !! Vic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted November 11, 2008 Share #8 Posted November 11, 2008 Griffiths Plane After Crash Landing A wing and a prayer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
316th FS 324th FG Posted November 11, 2008 Share #9 Posted November 11, 2008 Vic It is interesting, there were P-47 aces, most of them in the 8th AF, although, some in the 9th, 12th and 15th as well. I know though that the 324th only had two aces and both of them were in P-40's, before they got 47's. Lots of groups like the 324th were used heavily in ground attack roles, in fact, the 324th earned one of its two DUCs at Cassino on 12-14 May 44. In the 83 missions my grandfather flew between Dec 44 and April 45, only one resulted in a dog fight - 12 P-47's, 12 109's - the luftwaffe lost 6 109's to the 324th's loss of one P-47. JDK, sorry ti hijack, again, great grouping! D Hey !! Really nice grouping !! I don't think all P-47 pilots were designated as more bomber than fighter pilots. Maybe this was more prevelent in the ETO !?! I do have a very complete grouping to a Pacific theatre P-47 pilot who was an ace...so...I would think he saw plenty of dogfights. Probably a strategic vs tactical designation of the group/squadron !?! Thanks for showing !! Vic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share #10 Posted November 11, 2008 What an amazing grouping and what an amazing historical story! FANTASTIC! What ever became of Griffith? How did you come across his group? I don't mean to give you twenty questions but please tell the rest of the story! No problem! I guess I kind of left it hanging. After WWII he left the AAF, and never joined the AirForce like many other WWII vets did. He started a insurance company. He passed away in 1992. This grouping of his A-2 flight jacket and other items came directly from his wife. They had no children to pass it on to. All the information on his day in April of 1945 came from his wife. Robert (Bob) had written it for the P-47 Pilots association magazine. It's nice to have the whole story besides just the DFC citation stating the more basic events of the day. The info on the dogfight came from the groups history book....... Thunder Monsters Over Europe. I came across that one on my own. I have about 15 original WWII negatives as well as a bunch of pilots manuals from him as well. Thanks for the kind responses. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share #11 Posted November 11, 2008 Forgot to mention, Griffiths finished the war with 1 Aerial Victory, 1 Probable Aerial Victory, and 4 Ground kills including the 3 ME 262's. He was also present when Hans Ulrich Rudel surrendered by flying his plane to the base where the 510th was stationed. The 510th Pilots took Rudel and 2 other pilots into custody. It must have been a pretty neat way to end the war. Capturing one of Germanys most glorified pilots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted November 11, 2008 Share #12 Posted November 11, 2008 I never get tired of the killer groups posted here! One day it will be me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted November 11, 2008 Share #13 Posted November 11, 2008 Beautiful group! Being able to See groups like this keeps me coming back!I like the engraving on the DFC too. I have seen others engraved the same way. I believe it to be PQMD ( official ) engraving.Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted November 12, 2008 Share #14 Posted November 12, 2008 Wonderful group and story! Glad you got to preserve it. Thank you for sharing it with us and remembering an intrepid WWII Fighter Pilot on Veteran's Day. Rest in Peace, Lt. Griffiths! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon_rss18 Posted November 12, 2008 Share #15 Posted November 12, 2008 Truely a great story, and what an amazing man! That is honestly, in my opinion, the best Army Air Corps grouping I have ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted November 12, 2008 Many thanks again for the comments. This group and a couple of others will never leave my posession. I hope to hand them down to my 2 boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJohn#3RD Posted January 24, 2009 Share #17 Posted January 24, 2009 Thank You For Sharing The Pictures and Information. I am sure your boys will appreciate this grouping and anything else that is a time capsule of our nation's military history.RegardsJohn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted January 25, 2009 Share #18 Posted January 25, 2009 I missed that one the first time around. A very nice group indeed!!! The jacket is priceless!! -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share #19 Posted January 25, 2009 Thanks again guys! J.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurent M. Posted July 28, 2011 Share #20 Posted July 28, 2011 Hello J.D., you have got a stunning collection. As well as stories that go with those unbeliveable A-2 jackets. I really enjoyed going through this topic. Thanks a lot fot sharing all this with us. Laurent M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygary Posted July 29, 2011 Share #21 Posted July 29, 2011 Wow! That was a great story, I was actually on the edge of my seat reading it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted July 29, 2011 Share #22 Posted July 29, 2011 Man, I'm surprised I missed this one! Great grouping and great story! I may be contacting you about one of my future projects on 9th AF P-47 pilots! Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share #23 Posted July 29, 2011 Man, I'm surprised I missed this one! Great grouping and great story! I may be contacting you about one of my future projects on 9th AF P-47 pilots! Jon Thanks again guys! Sure Jon. I've got a couple more of the same caliber, just let me know. I'm always happy to help. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorgeaguilera Posted August 2, 2011 Share #24 Posted August 2, 2011 Since today is Veterans Day, I thought I would share one of my favorite groupings.I have some great stories to share about this very brave P-47 fighter pilot with the 510th Fighter Squadron 405th Fighter Group 9th AAF. I hope you enjoy the following, and remember to never forget what our veterans had to go through to keep us free! P-47 Pilot Lt. Robert Griffiths joined the 510th Fighter Squadron in August of 1944. He flew his first missions helping pave the way for US troops to gain ground in Europe. By the time he was flying, the Luftwaffe was virtually wiped out. He longed for air to air combat, but it didn't look like he was going to see much. That all changed on December 26th 1944 otherwise known as the Battle of the Bulge. Griffiths was one of 11 P-47's from the 510th in the air when they ran into a flight of 30 FW-190's. The 2 flights circled each other for nearly 5 minutes before Lt. Larry Gaughran became tired of the horsing around and cut into the FW-190's flight path with his guns blazing. The fight was on. In a matter of seconds it was all over. They had knocked down 6 German planes, and had 3 probables. One 510th pilot was hit and forced to make a Emergency landing. He was picked up by Allied troops. Griffiths had 1 Aerial Kill that day as well as one probable. Griffiths was happy to have his chance at a real dogfight and now assumed that his excitement for the war was more than likely over. He couldn't have been more wrong! Fast forward to April 20th 1945. The 510th was sent to Brandenberg Airfield in Germany to knock out ME-262's that were based there. The flack was extremely heavy. After Griffiths had already knocked out 3 of the ME-262 jet fighters and was making another pass over the field when a German gunner put a 40MM shell thru Griffiths wing making roughly a 5 ft diameter hole. His P-47 started vibrating heavily. He managed to climb his plane to 4000 ft then trying to bail out. He quickly realized that his canopy was jammed and to make things worse he realized that one of his 500 lb bombs would not release. He contacted his squadron commander Capt. Ralph Jenkins with his Dilemma. Jenkins managed to find Griffiths and get level with him. He then tried to pry Giffiths 500 lb bomb loose with the tip of his P-47's wing. After the 2nd try Jenkins wingtip snapped off. Any chance for Griffiths to make a crash landing was now gone. His plane was still vibrating fiercly. Jenkins called in for a emergency landing area for Griffiths. After recieving a clear strip, Jenkins escorted Griffiths there. Griffiths managed to get his plane down sliding off the end of the runway. The bomb never let loose and Griffiths survived. For destroying the 3 ME 262's and getting his plane down, Griffiths was awarded the DFC Captain Jenkins was awarded the Silver Star for the attempt at prying the bomb from Griffiths wingtip. Beautiful jacket!!! I wish I had one like that!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croix de Guerre Posted August 2, 2011 Share #25 Posted August 2, 2011 Absolutely stellar grouping and presentation! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! What a wonderful story, I can’t believe Capt. Jenkins was only awarded the Silver Star for that action. Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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