Lt Harlow Hayden White

Foil: 3 Panel: 1 Column: 1 Line: 68

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Glen D. Drew

Harlow Hayden White, a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, flew 39 missions in the European Theater of Operations between December 1944 and May 1945. As a pilot in the 9th Air Force, 373rd Fighter Group, 410th Squadron, he flew the P-47D Thunderbolt. This Fighter Group played an important role in disrupting enemy supply lines by destroying ground transportation, including trucks, trains and other vehicles, and by destroying enemy airports.
While the P-47 had been designed for bomber escort work at high altitudes (25,000-35,000 ft), its range was not adequate for the deeper penetrations into Germany that were required of the heavy bombers as the War in Europe drew to a close. At the time that Lt. White flew the P-47, its role had changed to ground support in which this plane excelled because of it ruggedness, heavy armament, and ability to attain high speeds in dives.
After his discharge from the Army Air Forces in September 1945, Harlow White graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in February 1947. For the next 3 years he worked for Bell Aircraft Corporation in Niagara Falls, NY, where he did design analysis work on the Bell X-2 and Bell X-1A. During his years at Bell Aircraft, he also enjoyed recreational soaring in a Schweitzer TG 3A two-place sailplane.