The longest runway at Asansol was 4800 feet which is pretty short for the ‘Jug’. He welcomed me and told me to keep my nose clean, do my job and “you will get your next promotion the day you are eligible.” I remember he didn’t have a shirt on because he had a real bad case of heat rash. When we arrived at Asansol I was told to report to Captain Younger A. Just flew formation with some B-25sthat were going to Madagangh too. The rest of the trip was a piece of Cake. They turned out to be the tired old P-51As of First Air Commando Group going home to roost. On the way across India we saw a bunch of P-51s with funny diagonal striping headed back in the direction we had just left. Talk about made to order! I said, “I’m the 5 th man you guys are looking for.” Would you believe the CO of the Replacement HQ at Karachi admitted they had not read our flying qualification forms? Now he looked and saw my P-47 time and I was on my way to the First Air Commando Group. And my keen ears heard “we need one more Jug pilot and then we can go.” I asked them what they meant by that and they told me there was an assignment for five experienced P-47 pilots to ferry P-47s all the way across India to Madagangh, and then report to 1 st Air Commando Group at Asansol where they would be assigned to transition the P-51 pilots there over to their brand new P-47’s. They turned out to be 1 st Lt.s William J. I bided my time.Īfter some weeks, a few minor adventures and more rain than I had ever seen before, one day I noticed four pilots standing in the street in front of HQ, talking. So, Eagan worked some more hocus-pocus and off he went to Landi Field. I think I’ll just stay here and see what happens.” I said, “John, I don’t have a good feeling for your idea. I thought over the implications of what Eagan was suggesting and China seemed like a long way and I had already had my fill of travel, so. He was enthusiastic and in his innocence said “lets you and me go over there and train to be Flying Tigers,” as though all we had to do was ask. (Neither of us had ever flown the P-51).PS I have yet to do so.ĭetermined to be a Flying Tiger, John discovered that they were training Chinese in P-51s at Landi Field across town from us. I forgot to tell you that we were on orders as P-51 replacement pilots. Then on to Tunis, Benghazi, Cairo, Bahrain, and Abadan and at 2am one morning we landed at Karachi. Three engine failures later we arrived at Casa Blanca. Soon my wife was no longer speaking to me and John and I found ourselves on a C-54 over the Atlantic, headed for Karachi, India. Then he suggested we go to CBI (China Burma India) and become Flying Tigers and that sounded pretty good to me too. I understand that unit commanders have 30 days to relieve you if you volunteer.” I thought that was a pretty good idea.
He said “we will see snowballs in h… a long time before we see our next promotion what with all the returnees from overseas with their chests covered with fruit salad.” Then he dropped the bomb: “Lets volunteer for overseas duty. John Egan and I had just been promoted to 1 st Lieutenant. We flew some, fished some and played some and, as wartime assignments go, life was pretty good. We each had about 500 hours in P-47s and P-40s.
It was early in 1944 and John Eagan and I were instructors in the 5 th Fighter Training Squadron at Venice, Florida.
This is a special letter of gratitude and thanks to all of you, past and present who were, and are, The First Air Commando Group, and especially those of the 6 th Fighter Squadron with whom I was privileged to serve. Individual Military MuseumsĬamp Blanding Museum, a Gem of National History in Clay CountyĬarrabelle's Camp Gordon Johnston: Rehearsal for WWII Invasionsįlorida Holocaust Museum in St.A “Thank You” Letter to All My Comrades-IN-Arms Viva Florida lists 41 Florida World War II Museums in this comprehensive list, with information about each, including their locations and links to their websites. World War II Museums & Sites of Interest in Florida Florida’s military museums preserve and honor the past, celebrating the troops, their missions, their aircraft and the part they played in our defense.Ĭheck out these articles to learn more about Florida’s fascinating military history and discover military museums all around the state.