Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Dead Page-- US WW II Ace

DONALD BLAKESLEE

Died September 3rd in Ohio. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and was sent to England in May, 1941 and recorded his first kill Nov. 22, 1941. It soon became apparent that he was not a great shot, but a brilliant air tactician.

In the summer of 1942, he became a flight leader and he received the first of his Distinguished Flying Crosses. At the end of his first tour of duty, he had put in 200 hours and had three victories.

He moved over to the American Eagle volunteer squadron and recorded two more victories to become an Ace. He later became commander of the 4th Fighter Group US Army Air Corps and on March 6, 1944, flew the first Mustang over Berlin. Under his command, the 4th FG shot down 1,020 German planes.

By the end of the war, Blakeslee had 15.5 kills in the air and 2 on the ground and flew in over 500 operating sorties. He reportedly had more missions and hours than any other American pilot.

He also fought in the Korean War and retired from the USAF in 1965 with the rank of colonel.

Another of the Greatest Generation.

No comments: