Thunderbolt pilot

Air Classics, Oct 2002 by Yingling, L D

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When the class of 43-B graduated in February, only four of us got fighters. There was Whisner, Withers, Woolery, and Yingling. We all went to Westover Field, Massachusetts, to check out in the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. After about ten hours Whisner was sent to the 352nd Fighter Squadron (see "New Year's Day Legend" in this issue) at Mitchel Field, Long Island. Withers, Woolery, and I were sent to Groton, Connecticut, to join the 356th as Replacement Pilots. Later, Woolery was killed in a mid-air collision. When the 356th got ready to ship out they only needed one Replacement Pilot so they kept Withers and sent three of us back to Westover for re-assignment. I was sent to the 368th at Farmingdale, Long Island.

It was a beautiful day in August when two of us went up in Thunderbolts for a simulated combat mission. We looked down and saw the Coast Guard having a parade on the huge parking lot at Jones Beach, Long Island. Of course we peeled off and flattened the Parade. I peeled off to the right and looked down and saw miles of bathing beauties down on Jones Beach. So down I went and gave them a buzz job. I did have sense enough to stay over the water and that was my mistake. I think every admiral and general was out there on that Beach that day.

Two days later I was put under house arrest awaiting court-marshal. One night a knock came on my door and when I opened it there was a civilian standing there. He asked if I was the pilot that was under arrest for buzzing Jones Beach and I said yes. He said they were trying to make an example of me and not admit to a thing. He was a Republic test pilot and had buzzed Jones Beach that afternoon and knew of several others who did the same thing. In fact, two Grumman F6F Hellcats buzzed the beach that afternoon so the numbers reported to Mitchel Field were conflicting.

About a week later, I was called to General Barcus's office at Mitchel Field. I saluted and he said, "Stand at attention!" He made a couple of phone calls and then came over and said, "Do you know how much it cost the government to train your

I said, "No sir."

He said, "$90,000!"

Then he grabbed my wings and said, "I can take these Wings and I can take these Bars and have you walking in the Infantry in 24 hours. But it costs us too much to train you so I'm not going to do it." I was sent to New Haven, Connecticut, to tow targets in Douglas A-24s. The general really didn't have proof that it was me. He didn't ask me if I did it. He didn't make me lie to him and I was very grateful.

After about a month of towing targets I was sent down to "D" Flight at Richmond, Virginia. This was a flight for way-ward pilots, drunks, and general goof-offs. You had to spend at least six to eight weeks on perfect behavior to get out. Otherwise, they took away your wings and assigned you to ground work. We gave the new recruits their close order drill and other aspects of their training. We lived in tents across the field. We were allowed to fly three times a week on the 5 am mission patrolling Washington, DC. We had loaded guns and got credit for combat missions. After six weeks I was given an A on conduct and assigned to the 402nd Group at Seymour Johnson Field in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

When I arrived at Seymour no one knew where the 402nd was. Then a sergeant at headquarters said there were two officers over at the BOQ that might be starting the 402nd. I found them, a colonel and a major. They said they were the only ones there and were not ready for pilots. The major wanted to know what he was going to do with me! The colonel decided to send me to school. So, that night, I was on a train headed for Cold Weather Survival School at Buckley Field, Denver, Colorado.

After about two weeks of ground school, we were taken up to Echo Lake in the high Rocky Mountains. We were split up into groups of five and put out into the wilderness. We had a log lean-to, were given Arctic clothing and Arctic sleeping bags and C-- rations and told to survive. It was below zero and snowed all the time. They checked on us each day and after a week brought us in. What a great experience!

When I got back to Seymour Johnson, the 402nd wasn't there. Officials wanted to put me into a replacement pool. I told them I belonged to the 402nd and was gonna find them. I then found that they had been moved to Bluthenthall Field in Wilmington, North Carolina. I caught a bus and reported in. In January 1944, it was reported that enough Groups were overseas and all they needed were Replacement Pilots. So we were moved up to Bradley Field, Connecticut, as a RTU Unit. My Squadron Commander needed a Gunnery Officer and he was sending me to Matagorda Island, Texas. He told me to take an A-24, take some reports to Wilmington, and then go on to Matagorda and the Gunnery School

A VETERAN FIGHTER PILOT DESCRIBES WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO FLY THE REPUBLIC P-47 IN TRAINING AND COMBAT

I took off from Bradley and, down around New Haven, the clouds started rolling in and I had to drop down below them where it was clear. As I reached Manhattan it was still clear but the clouds were getting lower and lower. As I passed the Empire State Building, the top was up in the clouds. Since the visibility was still good down low I flew past the landmark and went over to Newark and landed. (Some years later a B-25 ran into the building under the same circumstances.) Within about 15 minutes after I landed the visibility was zero. The next morning all was clear so I took off for Wilmington, North Carolina.