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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

Commander of the 406th Fighter Squadron and Eagle Squadron veteran Maj. Edwin D. “Jesse” Taylor is seen here receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Commanding General, Ninth Air Force, Lt. Gen. Brereton in an awards ceremony held at ALG A-6 on July 11, 1944. (American Air Museum in Britain)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

On June 21, 1944 a P-47D of the 406th Fighter Group’s 514th Fighter Squadron (squadron code O7-U) suffered a mishap at ALG A-6 and the aircraft was destroyed by fire. This may have been the incident in which 406th Fighter Squadron NCO Sgt. Glen W. Bloodworth braved the dangerous conditions to help put out the fire for which he was later awarded the Soldier’s Medal. Note the cluster of fragmentation bombs precariously hanging from the pylon of the upraised wing of the P-47, likely a cluster of six M41 fragmentation bombs on an M1A1 bomb rack configuration. (US Army photo via Flickr)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

Victor L. Unruh was a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot from Pawnee Rock, Oklahoma assigned to the 406th Fighter Squadron. He was killed during an escort mission supporting Eighth Air Force heavy bombers on June 21, 1944 after his P-47 was hit by German anti-aircraft gun fire. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

The 405th Fighter Squadron encountered the German Luftwaffe in aerial combat for the first time on June 20, 1944 over Evreux, France. The Messerschmitt Me-109G fighters were from either the second group of fighter wing 3 (II./JG 3) based at Evreux or another unit, II./JG 5, which had deployed Me-109G fighters to Evreux that very day; it isn’t clear which group of Me-109s the 405th FS battled that day. Pictured here is an example of a Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 of JG 3 circa December, 1944 which shows the profile views of the aircraft to give some idea of the visual recognition challenge faced by Capt. McCormick and his flight on June 20. At a distance and from some angles, an Me-109 might appear similar to a P-51 Mustang, hence the need to close the distance to confirm that a bogie (unidentified aircraft) was indeed a bandit (enemy aircraft) before attacking. (Courtesy of Asisbiz.com, JG3 main list)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

A 406th Fighter Squadron P-47 pilot, John H. Shepard, who entered the service from Massachusetts, was attacking enemy troops at low level on June 18, 1944 when his aircraft was hit by ground fire. He could not bail out before his stricken Thunderbolt crashed and he was killed near St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte, France. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

An undated picture taken at ALG A-6 in the summer of 1944 shows a P-47D Thunderbolt of an unidentified unit undergoing rearming and refueling. This was likely taken in the early days of the airfield’s operations in mid-June, 1944. Note the fragmentation bombs beneath the wings, and the soldiers filling a refueling bowser from jerrycans which were likely flown in to A-6 on C-47 transport aircraft during the early days of A-6 operations. (US Army photo via Flickr)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

Glenn O. Banks was a 1st Lt. and P-47 Thunderbolt pilot assigned to the 404th Fighter Squadron, from Ponca City, Oklahoma. He was killed in action during a combat mission over Normandy on June 17, 1944, near Quettou, France. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

Capt. Uno A. Salmi from Lake Charles, Louisiana was a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in the 406th Fighter Squadron. He went missing in action on a combat mission over Normandy on June 16, 1944 after the formation he was leading encountered enemy anti-aircraft fire and he disappeared into the clouds. He remains missing to this day, and is remembered on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

Advanced Landing Ground A-6 near Sainte Mère Eglise, France was one of the first ALG’s to be established in Normandy after D-Day. Pictured here on/about June 14, 1944, soldiers of the U.S. Army 819th Engineer Aviation Battalion lay Square Mesh Track for the runway in La Londe (Beuzeville-au-Plain). In the left distance lie several derelict fighter aircraft which made emergency landings on the airfield grounds. They include a P-47 Thunderbolt from an unidentified unit and a pair of Spitfires, believed to belong to US Navy squadron VC-7 which used the aircraft to spot the fire of warships supporting the landings. (US Army photo via Flickr)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

On June 8, 1944 F/O Edwin S. Humphreys, Jr. of Chicago, Illinois was a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot of the 404th Fighter Squadron who went missing in action after aerial combat during a mission protecting the beachhead over Normandy. He remains missing to this day, and is remembered on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

Alvin M. Pollingue hailed from Vineland, New Jersey. A 1st Lt. in the 405th Fighter Squadron, he was knocked out of the sky by the explosions set off when he strafed an enemy train at low level and killed near La Fleche, France on July 17, 1944. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

U.S. Navy tank landing ship LST-138 seen here disgorging a jeep was likely one of the several LSTs which brought various echelons of the 371st Fighter Group to France. The big OMAHA placard indicates a vessel destined for Omaha Beach, where elements of the group’s rear echelon landed on July 7/8 1944, completing the movement of the group across the English Channel from Great Britain to France and ALG A-6. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Second Campaign: The 371st Fighter Group in Normand

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1st Lt. Harry W. “Pop” Strahlendorf was an older P-47 pilot in the 404th Fighter Squadron. He was shot down and killed by German 88mm anti-aircraft gun fire while attacking the same guns near Cherbourg, France on June 24, 1944. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the E.T.O.)

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Novel F-15 EX Eagle II makes its debut landing in Portland, Ore.

Oregon Air National Guard Majors, Calvin “Knife” Conner and Brandon “Wiggles” Wigton, assigned to the 142nd Wing, 123rd Fighter Squadron, in Portland, Oregon, prepare for takeoff with the newest F-15EX in Berkley, Missouri June 5, 2024. This is one of eighteen new EX models being finalized at the Missouri facility. Once finished all of the aircraft will be assigned to the 142nd Wing at Portland Air National Guard base, in Portland, Oregon. (National Guard photo by Aaron Perkins, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

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Novel F-15 EX Eagle II makes its debut landing in Portland, Ore.

F-15 EX Eagle II, tail 008 makes its descent into Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., as Mount Hood looms in the distance, June 5, 2024. The arrival of the first EX marked a historically significant moment for the 142nd Wing and the U.S. Air Force as this the first EX aircraft to be delivered to an operational unit. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Nichole Sanchez)

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Novel F-15 EX Eagle II makes its debut landing in Portland, Ore.

F-15 EX Eagle II, tail 008 lands at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., making history as the first EX aircraft to be delivered to an operational unit, June 5, 2024. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Nichole Sanchez)

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The Ultimate Comeback: 116th ACS Airman accepted into Air Force Academy

Senior Airman Noah Mariotti, a command and control battle management operations specialist assigned to the 116th Air Control Squadron, mans a workstation in the Air Control Squadron detachment located at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., April 6, 2024. Mariotti was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy in early 2024, following a life-altering event which prompted him to follow his dreams. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Yuki Klein)

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The Ultimate Comeback: 116th ACS Airman accepted into Air Force Academy

Senior Airman Noah Mariotti, a command and control battle management operations specialist assigned to the 116th Air Control Squadron, throws up the hand symbol for the Longracks, the 116th squadron mascot, April 6, 2024, Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore. Mariotti was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy in early 2024, following a life-altering event which prompted him to follow his dreams. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Yuki Klein)

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Commander’s Key Support Program hopes to make a difference for Portland Guardsmen

Volunteers with the Commander's Key Support Program (CKSP) pose for a group photo at the Resiliancy Center on Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore. May. 4th, 2024. The CKSP is a volunteer organization where service-connected volunteers work to provide support and resources to our families and Airmen. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander Frank)

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Remembering Air Warrior “Rocky” Gray on Memorial Day, 2024

This is a Gun Camera Machine Report completed for the gun camera film shot by Maj. Rockford V. Gray of the 371st Fighter Group during a combat mission flown on August 7, 1944. Other multiple sources indicate he flew this mission with the group’s 405th Fighter Squadron, as opposed to the 404th FS listed here. Gun camera film was a common source of data to help verify pilot claims for aerial victories. In this case, Maj. Gray claimed that he had damaged a Luftwaffe Ju-88 bomber on the ground. (Official History of the 371st Fighter Group, Disc/Reel B0344, Air Force Historical Research Agency)

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