Rare breed

Air Classics, Sep 2001 by Hamel, Marc L

"APPARENTLY THE GERMAN PILOT REEFED HIS PLANE IN TOO TIGHT AND IT STARTED TO SNAP ROLL HE RECOVERED, BUT I GAINED ENOUGH GROUND TO GET MY SIGHTS ON HIM. I GAVE HIM A BURST, AND COULD SEE HITS ON HIS RIGHT WING AND ENGINE." THIS DESCRIPTION IS MADE DOUBLY INTERESTING WHEN ONE CONSIDERS IT WAS PENNED BY 30-MISSION BOMBER PILOT RICHARD HENDERSON

Henderson achieved a transition from bombers to fighters in May 1944 before this was widely offered in the 8th Army Air Force (8th AAF). Later in 1944, a tour-expired bomber pilot could elect to fly a second tour as a fighter pilot or as a Fighting Scout. The latter ferreted out fighter and weather opposition ahead of the huge bomber formations. However, for Richard the change was driven by a more basic desire - he always wanted to be a fighter pilot.

When asked about this significant transformation, he replied, "I was one of the first ones in my bomber outfit to finish his tour, and there was quite a celebration. The CO of our 448th Bomb Group, a fellow named Mason (no relation to Col. Joe Mason of the 352nd FG), indicated that I was to have dinner with him. That evening Mason asked me what my plans were. I told him my plan was always to go over and fly fighters. He said he might be able to arrange that, as he had a friend with the 67th Fighter Wing, a General Anderson I believe. Mason sent word that he had a pilot he wanted to send over, and soon I had a short appointment with the general. Within a week new orders came over and I was sent to Bodney." That was that.

Henderson had progressed through flight school at Ontario, Merced and Luke Fields in Class 43G showing the skill and inclination of a fighter pilot, and so was sent to single-engine training. Achieving the third highest score in gunnery and being chosen to lead the graduation ceremony formation certainly had him primed to fly fighters. Upon graduation however, he was inexplicably diverted into multi-engine and was thus posted as a co-pilot to the 713th Bomb Squadron (BS). This 2nd Air Division heavy bomber unit flew B-24s from Station 146 (Seething) from late 1943 through the end of the war. Richard flew across the Atlantic on the "southern" route and arrived in early December of 1943 with the original cadre.

Cater Lee was the bombardier in Henderson's first crew; where Richard served as a co-pilot. Cater recalls Richard's initial reluctance at being posted to bombers with, "He was incensed." However, he excelled once he realized the only way out was finishing his tour, becoming a POW, or worse. After flying a few missions, Richard showed such talent that he received his own crew and was then a full pilot. Cater also allows that Richard was quite the upstanding gentleman during this period; with no "bad habits" such as smoking, drinking or chasing skirts. His one weakness was his love of flying.

After the completion of a hair-raising tour of 30 missions with the 448th in May 1944, Richard still had the feeling that fighters were where he was meant to be. As detailed above, his request was processed and Richard was sent to Station 141 at Bodney and assigned to the 486th Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group flying the P-51. Cater Lee recalls a humorous incident from this transition time. It seems Richard was careful to instruct his friends rotating back to the States not to tell his wife back home about volunteering for a second tour in fighters. He did not want to get into hot water on the home front.

On arrival at Bodney immediately after D-Day, Richard notes today that his new CO, Willie O. Jackson, did not know quite what to do with him. Jackson wisely assigned Richard to local flights and practice missions for 30 days to get the feel of a fighter again and then had him fly his wing. Richard began flying fighter combat missions immediately after the bulk of the 486th returned from the first threeway Russia Shuttle Mission in the first week of July 1944.

Richard quickly adapted, and soon became a valued member of the "Angus Squadron." With the rest of the 352nd pilots, Henderson moved later to the primitive Y-29 forward airfield in Asch, Belgium, before Christmas 1944. Living in tents in the freezing cold and snow of that winter, the 352nd continued to fight the Luftwaffe and heap glory upon itself, peaking with J.C. Meyer's uncanny and justly famous read of the German offense on New Year's Day 1945 (the Legend of Y-29).

27 DECEMBER 1944

A few days before New Year's, on the 27th of December, Richard proved that his transition from heavy bomber pilot to fighter pilot was completely warranted. Due to the primitive conditions and separation from their intelligence office, no Encounter Reports were filed for this hot mission. Luckily, Henderson recalls the action well today and relates, "We were stationed at Y-29 in Belgium on 27 December 1944, and I went on a mission flying Element Leader to Flight Leader Colonel Willie 0. Jackson. We were patrolling over the front lines and were in contact with the radar controller for that area. My wingman had some problems and so he was sent back to Y-29. We continued our patrol looking for German aircraft.