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27th Fighter Squadron
Founded :
Country : US
Fate :
27th Fighter Squadron
Aces for : 27th Fighter Squadron | ||
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
Name | Victories | Info |
Thomas Edward Maloney | 8.00 | The signature of Thomas Edward Maloney features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
Darrell G Welch | 5.00 | The signature of Darrell G Welch features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
27th Fighter Squadron Aircraft details |
27th Fighter Squadron Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Major Thomas E Maloney Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2008 | Major Thomas E Maloney Maj. Thomas E. Maloney, the highest scoring ace in 27th Fighter Squadron history with 8 victories. By scoring five kills during the war, he became an ace May 31, 1944, and by August 15th he had racked-up eight air victories. On August 19th he was already on his second combat mission of the day, his 64th, and last. After the dive-bombing, Maloney's flight looked for targets of opportunity. Repeatedly strafing a German train, Maloney's bullets caused secondary explosions sending debris and rolling stock higher into the air than his attacking aircraft. One of his engines was hit. It started losing oil pressure and he shut it off. With an escort of three other 27th fighters he headed for the Mediterranean Sea. His other engine began failing, and he was down to 800 feet above the water, too low to bail out. He bellylanded the aircraft in the water. Maloney said his P-38 floated like a crowbar. It started to sink immediately, even before it had stopped moving forward, almost taking him to the bottom. The tall pilot squeezed into his inner tube-size dinghy and waved to his circling flight to let them know he was OK. He expected a quick rescue, but he actually spent 10 days evading enemy forces until rescued by French soldiers and returned to the U.S. As Major Maloney recovered from his wounds in the hospital, Col. R.S. Richard, 1st Pursuit Group commander, decreed that any 27th Fighter Squadron aircraft bearing the number 23 would permanently be known as Maloney's Pony, the colorful moniker Major Maloney chose for his P-38. After rehabilitation Maloney was medically retired as a major in October 1947. He went back to school, then went on to become president of his own oil and gas drilling company. On December 5th 2008 Maloney was inducted into the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame. Tom Maloney passed away on November 16th, 2008. |
Colonel Darrell G Welch Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2015 | Colonel Darrell G Welch Commissioned in 1941, Darrell Welch was assigned to the 27th Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group, which became the first squadron to be equipped with the new P38 Lightning. Arriving in England in August 1942, the 1st Fighter Group was part of a large American force despatched to Algiers in November for the North African campaign, where he made his first kill in January 1943 while escorting B17s over Tripoli. A few months later, whilst leading the 27th on a big intercept mission, Welch became an Ace when he notched up a further three victories in the space of just twenty five minutes, bringing his tally up to five confirmed victories. He later saw service in the Pacific, and retired the service in 1970. He died on 13th January 2015. |
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