Coin Shop Find ... WW2 Fighter Pilot Purple Heart

[illegitimi non carborundum]

I stopped by my local coin shop today on my day off.   Asked if they had any medals.   She pointed to the case and said, "These have just come in."  The lot includes:

 

1. Named Purple Heart in case and box of issue with forwarding card from the War Department

2.  Victory Medal

3.  Defense Medal

4. Good Conduct Medal

5. Pilots Wings marked "sterling" turned into a bracelet

6.  Air Forces Ring dated 1942 and marked "Jostens Sterling" inside

 

The price was $500 for the group.   I left the shop and went to my car and prepared to head home but I wanted to Google his name.

 

The Purple Heart is named "Leonard R. Werner".  I saw the results and immediately went back in and bought them.

 

Leonard Robert Werner was born in the Bronx and was living in Mount Vernon, NY at the time of the war.   

 

He was a 1st Lieutenant and pilot with the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force.  He had 2 confirmed victories and one additional plane damaged.  He earned an Air Medal with 6 OLC (sadly not with the group).  

 

He flew a P-51 (44-13411 / QP-Q) named "Frankie" (his wife was named Agnes Frances).

 

On November 20, 1944, to quote uswarmemorials.org ...

 

"[H]e was lost on a bomber escort mission, aborted once the group was aloft and decided to go looking for targets to strafe in Coblenz area, with extensive cloud cover over the area. This secondary mission was abandoned and his aircraft became detached from a section in the cloud whilst returning to base and may have suffered from instrument failure in the cloud. He was last sighted over Ijmuiden, Holland.

1Lt Werner was declared "Missing in Action" on 21 November 1945. His name is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom." 

 

Not a bad find for the local coin shop.

 

A few questions I have about the group:

 

1.  Did he serve with the British "Eagle Squadrons" before joining the 334th?  Many of the pilots had.

2.  Would his Air Medal have been named?

3.  If not would you add one?  And a EAME medal too?

4.  What kind of value on the group?  Hopefully I didn't overpay!

 

[illegitimi non carborundum]

Pictures below.

 

 

 

 

 

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[KurtA]

KIA P51 pilot with kills.

You got a great deal.

[illegitimi non carborundum]

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1st Lt. Werner ...

 

http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/uploads/8/2/0/3/8203817/334_wernerlrweb_a.pdf

[gijoeonthego]

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[KASTAUFFER]

Very nice!!!

[blademan]

You did fine!  Good call on buying the group! 

[Scarecrow]

Great grouping!  Take it from someone who collects 4th FG, that is a special grouping.  Great find.  Lt. Werner was not a member of the earlier Eagle Squadrons though.  Thanks for posting.

Paul (aka Scarecrow)

[illegitimi non carborundum]

Thanks for the responses.   I collect WW2 but mostly things with a British connection and not much to the Air Force so I was flying a bit blind so to speak.   Too bad about the Eagle Squadron, that would have fit right in as I could have thrown on a couple of Brit stars!   He must have been with some other unit before June 44??  Any way of knowing which?   

 

Still curious about the Air Medal.  Would his have been named?

 

He was a local lad to me in Westchester County.  Funny enough I just had jury duty at the Mount Vernon City Court a few weeks ago.  At lunch I went out to the plaza and was staring at the names on the WW2 memorial.  His name must have been there!

[decwriter]

Here’s some data on Lt. Werner. It looks like his only unit was the 334th FS due to lengthy training. More than likely his Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters would be named and presented to his wife. He wasn’t eligible for the American Defense Service Medal (ADSM) as he enlisted on Jan. 22, 1942 but would be eligible for the American Campaign Medal, so have no idea why the ADSM IS in the mix. 
 

Nice pick-up!

[illegitimi non carborundum]

Decwriter,

 

Thanks so much for all these clippings.  Fascinating story.  I have no idea how the Defense Medal got in there.  I have a spare American Campaign I will add.  Will probably add a EAME medal too.  The ring makes sense being dated 1942 given his enlistment.  

[Brian Dentino]

Wow, great find!  From a coin shop?

[illegitimi non carborundum]

It was sitting there in the case right next to a bunch of proof sets.  They said it had come in from a house clearance.  Found these images of "Frankie" online.  QP-Q had previously been flown by Captain Shelton Monroe (8.83 victories, KIA in Korea).  1st picture found here: http://www.4thfightergroupassociation.org/aircraft.html

2nd picture found here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205382474

[JDK]

Great find! 4th FG items are very hard to find. Thanks for sharing this brave pilots story so his story of his sacrifice will continue on! 
 

JD

[aerialbridge]

According to this website,  on 11/20/44  Werner's plane, "Frankie" collided with another Mustang in his squadron,  P-51D 44-13615 piloted by 1/L  D.L. Bennett, who survived and became a POW.   It says the wreckage was excavated in July 1971.   As for the anomalous American Defense Medal in your group,  I have a named  Army KIA PH and SS group (Anzio) that came out of the wood in a 75 year old  framed group with cert, accolade and  other paper that also included an American Defense Medal with "Foreign Service" clasp that shouldn't have been there, since he enlisted in 42 or 43.   I'm guessing it was an Army error when they gave the medals to the NOK.

 

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/49637