Re:Joker Squadron
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09/01/2008 10:47:45 AM
Short answer: Matuch, George Jr., O-659739, 60FS, 33FG, was one of the two new pilots that accompanied the five veterans from the 60 FS to the 1st Fighter Group
Detailed answer: On the 29th of December five veteran pilots of the 60th FS and two of their new replacement pilots boarded a truck at Telergma, where they were stationed, for the long drive down to Biskra. They were being loaned out to the 1st Fighter Group. The veteran flyers were 2nd Lts Harry E. Dowd, William H. Martyn, George P. Means, Edwin (Ed) J. Moses and Virgil E. Radcliffe. (2nd Lts Harry E. Dowd, O-660120, (KIA , 3 March 1943, 27th FS, 1FG), William H. Martyn, George P. Means, Edwin (Ed) J. Moses and Virgil E. Radcliffe, ( got his wings on May 19th, 1942, he and nine of his 42-E classmates were assigned to the 60thFighter Squadron of the 33rd Fighter Group), Lts. Dowd, O-660120, and Radcliffe had been together since Primary Training. Ed Moses joined them at Randolph Field and they got their wings in the class of 42-E. Matuch, George Jr., O-659739, 60FS, 33FG, was one of the two new pilots that accompanied the five veterans from the 60 FS to the 1st Fighter Group. Three of those pilots from the class of 42-E were 2nd Lts Virgil Radcliffe,[class=pfont1]O-660197, Ed Moses and Harry Dowd. Other Lts. with this group were William Martin, George Means and Frank Matuch. Moses and Matuch would return to the 60th. Martin, Dowd and Means would be lost in combat. Virgil Radcliffe would finish his tour with the 27thFS, 1stFG,) Sgt. David S. Gray, grounds crewman for the 71st, remembered their arrival in his diary. January 2nd “Some
new pilots had some hair raising experience taxiing the 38’s today. Some had 30 hrs ferrying 38’s and others have 300 hrs
on P-40-F’s.”
Cannot confirm the 2 new pilots to the Joker Sqdn, it appears they might have been P-38 ferry pilots out of England, going by Sgt David Gray.
Regards
Rob