Foil: 6 Panel: Distinguished Flying Cross Society Column: 4 Line: 16

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

The action that brought about my being awarded the DFC came about on our 15th mission. This mission was to bomb targets in Germany. On our bomb run we and two other crews from the 549th Squadron were hit by antiaircraft fire. Capt. Pettenger and Capt. Whitlow's crews bailed out which I witnessed. We decided to feather our damaged engine and head back to England. We were attacked by many German fighters which lined up behind and above us and they would make basses, three at a time, at us. When they would get at firing range I would call out to the pilot to hit the rudder which he did and we would evade them. We did this with great success however we did lose two more engines and came across the English Channel with only one engine running.