Hi,
June 8, 1944 (62 years ago last month) my dad, 1st Lt. David A. Donovan, in his P-51 Mustang got hit with
antiaircraft fire while straffing a troop train near Libourne France. The Mustang, named "Mary Joyce" after his 8 month old daughter back in Bayonne, New Jersey, lost it's coolant but was still able to climb high enough for my dad to bail out. He avoided capture and came in contact with the French Underground. Three months latter My mom received a tellegram stating he was safe. 

My dad passed away in 1994. He very rarely talked about the war. I had no idea he had 33 combat missions untill I recived most of his war memorobelia including his pilot's flight log after he died.

The reason for my message is to see if anyone out there has any information about the 358th FG, Steeple Morden, French Underground or anything else around that time. My dad recived the Air Medal and Flying Cross. I would like to learn more about these awards. Can anyone help.

Thank's
Jack

Hello Jack,

only this information I found in my database:

MACR#5564 08.06.1944
P-51B 7NA #43-6879
8th AF; 355th FG; 358th FS
Donovan, David A. 1Lt

Ulf

Jack,

You may already have the information below, and what is purported to be a photograph of your father's P-51, but in case you don't I provide you with it here.

As you mention that you have your father's flight log, can you (hopefully) provide a tail number for Mary Joyce as recorded by your father on one of his thirty three combat missions?  I see three different tail numbers in this thread; Ulf's posting of 43-6879, my narrative posting's 43-6875 and the photograph's ***76.

Your father's log book would be the authoritive source.

Take what you like and leave the rest....

Andy


http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=355
 
"Lt. Thomas H Warth. 358th Fighter Squadron. P-51B 43-6875 YF-A "Helen II" (L) Snookie Too (R). Helen II seen here following a belly landing by Lt. Warth on 23 April 1944 at Station 122 Steeple Morden.
 
This a/c was subsequently reassigned to Lt. David A Donovan as YF-K and was named by him ‘Mary Joyce’."

[image]local://upfiles/10103/D4434851AEA64A2F9AF53BFFCCAD7C78.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Thanks for the information.

Hello Jack:
 
I know exactly what you mean when you say you have become interested in you fathers activities and I am interested in how you recieved your fathers log. Was it something that that was in your family or did it come to you from another source. How a great independance day
Brian A

Andy,
Thanks for the information. Unfortunately I only have one small snapshot of my father's mustang and the tail is not in view. I think my sister Mary Joyce has a picture of the intire plane. I'll ask her if she can get a tail number.
The Log Book does not have anything that looks like a tail number. The entry my Dad filled out for the day he was shot down is as follows:
DATE; 6/8/44  MAKE of AIRCRAFT; North American  CLASS; left blank  TYPE; P51B  CERTIFICATE NUMBER; Army  MAKE of ENGINE; Packard  H. P.; 1525  REMARKS; Shot down by 20 mm flak, got 2 Loco's and Troop Train, 1 Truck killing 12 Germans, MIA untill 18th of Sept.  FROM; Steeple Morden  TO; Bordeaux
Jak

Brian,
My dad's Log as well as a scrap book and medals were given to me by my mom after my dad's death in 1994. I have four older sisters who all agreed I was the one to have Dad's things. I have two son's. My first was born in 1989 and my wife and I named him after my Dad. He would be the one I pass it down to.
 
Jack

Jack / Andy         there's a clearer version of this photo on p. 260 of "Fighters of the Mighty Eighth" , the last no. is definitely 5.
"Accident-report.com" says the accident was at Boxted , Essex.                  Nick
 

Thanks Nick.  I've always had doubs about 43-6875 being reassigned to Donovan and I think that this thread has helped sort it out.  There are certainly references to Helen becoming YF-K Mary Joyce but I also have it being transferred to the 479th where it became J2-Z.  This could very well have been following the Warth accident which I have logged at Steepl Morden, not Boxted, on 23 April 1944.  It seems that Donovan certainly had 43-6879 YF-K "Mary Joyce" and this was the ship he bailed out of on 8 June 44.  This was previously YF-K "Uppie's Angel" of Lt. Upchurch and reassigned when he completed his tour.  Looks to me like there has been a deal of duplication for 6875 and 6879 over the years, most likely due to the poor quality of the crash photo and before we had graphic programs on our PCs to help out.  I have attached a photo of Lt. Donovan from Bill Marshall's collection.  Noo doubt Bill will be interested in this thread when he gets back on line!

Peter

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US 8th Air Force Little Friends Site
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk
Also hosting the Official Site of the
Fighting Scouts of the 8th Air Force