Charles E. Gilbert II
CHARLES E. GILBERT II, COLONEL USAFR (Ret.). Date of Rank: October
1953. Born: Hampden Highlands, Maine,
12 January 1920. Graduate: Middlesex
School, Concord, Massachusetts, 1937; Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut, AB
degree, 1941; Boston University Law
School, Boston, Massachusetts, LLB degree,
1948.
Enlisted: Aviation Cadet, April 1942.
Assigned: Maxwell Field Pre-flight; Primary
PT-17 Darr Aero Tech, Albany, Georgia;
Basic PT-13 Greenville, Mississippi;
Advanced AT-6 Graduated Class 43-C, Dothan, Alabama; OTU P~39 Fighter Group, Fort Myers, Florida. Overseas: June 1943 Ber
Schid, Morocco. Bailed out, P-39, September 1943, receiving broken neck, Constantine, Algeria. Assigned: 346th Fighter
Squadron, 350th Group, December 1943,
flying P-39; Flew 210 fighter missions...
224 hours; Re-equipped, P-47, June 1944;
Flew 118 P-47 missions... 230 hours.
Joined: 102nd Fighter Group, Massachusetts Air National Guard, Boston, August
1946, as Group Operations Officer; Commander, 102nd Fighter Group. . . November 1948 to December 1958. Transferred:
To 10 1st Air Defense Wing, Maine Air
National Guard, Bangor, Maine Wing Director of Operations. . . March 1958. Transferred: To USAFR ... August 1969.
Retired: 12 April 1972.
FIGHTER AIRCRAFT FLOWN: include
Hurricane, P-38, P-39, P-47, razorback,
bubble and P-47 N, P-51H, F-84, F-94A and
C, F-89 D and J. Total Hours: 3500. Enemy
Aircraft Shot down: Two ME 109's.
Citations: Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, One Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal,
Eight Oak Leaf Cluster, Presidential Unit
Citation, MTO Ribbon, five Battle Stars. As
Commanding Officer of the 346th Fighter
Squadron, I submitted the name of Lt. Raymond Knight, posthumously, for the Congressional Medal of Honor. It was awarded to
his widow.
My brother, Fred A. Gilbert, Harvard
1941 BS, was a fighter pilot with the 4th
Fighter Group in England, flying P-51's.
Volunteered to take 346th Fighter Squadron to Ie Shima for the Japan invasion. Left
Italy, July 1945. Went through the Panama
Canal. War ended. Returned to USA, August
1945. Released from active duty, March
1946.
Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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John Abbotts
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P-47 transition followed at Pocatello, Idaho and Greenville, Texas after which he was assigned to the 56th Fighter Group in England. When the news of his arrival reached Berlin, Hitler retired to his bunker with his cyanide capsule and revolver. Eva found the news equally depressing.
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Asa A. Adair
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He returned to the States in August of 1944 after participating in the invasion "D" Day. He flew P-63's, P-51's, F-80's, T-33's, F-84's, T-38's, P-47's in numerous assignments during the following twenty years in in, Japan, U.S.A. and Europe before retiring after twenty-six years of Active Duty.
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Edward B. Addison
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The 507th Fighter Group, equipped with P-47N's, won the Presidential Unit Citation for destroying 32 Japanese aircraft in the air on one mission to Seoul, Korea. The average flying time for raids to Korea and Japan would be 7 to 9 hours flying time. In a total of 31 months, the 507th not only provided top cover for B-29's, but also
dive-bombed, napalm-bombed and flew low-level on strafing missions.
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Levon B. Agha-Zarian
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It is rumored that he, took his primary training on a flying rug. He flew Spits, briefly, in England, but as the, war moved to the East, he was sent to India as a Sgt. Pilot and first saw action from Ceylon, flying the Curtiss P.36, the Brewster Buffalo, and the Hurricane. At this point he might have opted for the rug! This was at the time of the fall of Singapore and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
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George N. Ahles
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Posted to A-20 light bomber squadron Barksdale Field, Louisiana. . Group moved to Hunter Air Base Savannah, Georgia. Qualified for Pilot training November 1940. Entered Aviation Cadets January 1942. Presented wings November 1942 class of 42-J. Married Mary Louise while in Advanced Pilot Training at Craig AFB, Selma, Alabama, September 1942.
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Roy J. Aldritt
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Shortly after the group moved to France he ran into some unseen flak and was forced to make a nylon descent behind the lines; some evasion and a lot of luck had him back with his unit
in 24 hours.
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Eugene J. Amaral
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After graduation from Stonington High School he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in December 1942 and was called to active duty in March, 1943. He received his wings and commission at Spence Field, Georgia as a member of the Class of 43-C.
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Talmadge L. Ambrose
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Flew 84 missions thru VE Day, was downed by 22mm ground fire over Siefried Line. He destroyed 11 enemy aircraft, 9 known confirmed in air and on
ground, including 4 FW 190-D's in one afternoon over Hanover, Germany, April 8, 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 17 man, Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, Pacific Theatre and European Theatre Meda1s with 5 Battle
Stars and Unit Citation Medal.
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John C. Anderson
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After P-47 transition he was assigned to the 406th Fighter Group, 512th Fighter Squadron. (E.T
.0.) He flew 56 missions through January, 1945 destroying supply routes, bridges, and railroads; he also flew close support missions with the ground forces, with attacks on tanks, artillery and enemy positions.
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William Anderson
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It was not always flak,two ME-109's beat the hell out of me one day. The central controller called me and said "Basher-Red Leader do you have contact Bandits," I replied, "I sure do, I'll bring them over the field in 3 minutes, they're chasing me home." Got all the usual medals including two Belgium and two French but one I'm most proud of is the Silver Star -it is the greatest.
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