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First Lieutenant Richard Ostronik
Joining the service at the end of 1942, Dick Ostronik was posted to the 82nd Fighter Group in Italy, in the summer of 1944, where he flew P38s with the 96th FS. Attacking targets of opportunity and strafing trains, the squadron escorted the heavy bombers that attacked aircraft factories and industrial targets, and flew defending photo reconnaissance missions - once against a pair of Me262s. Dick flew over 30 combat missions, finishing his stint in Europe in May 1945.
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Doolittles D-Day, 6th June 1944 by Robert Taylor. By any military standards, it is difficult to imagine the Supreme Commander of the largest air force of the day, piloting himself over the battlefront during the early moments of one of historys greatest military operations. But General Jimmy Doollittle was no ordinary commander. Already awarded Americas highest decoration for valour, General Doolittle was, by the summer of 1944, in command of the American 8th Air Force. On the morning of 6 June, D-Day, he dispatched 1350 bombers together with his entire fighter force to attack enemy ground installations near the beachheads. Sitting around waiting for intelligence reports was not Jimmy Doolittles style. He was going to see for himself what was happening! With Pat Partridge as wingman, they took off flying P-38 Lightnings - chosen for their distinctive profile in the hopes they would deter friendly fire - and climbed above the overcast. Having observed the 8th Air Forces operations at first hand, as they turned for home, Doolittle spotted a hole in the clouds, flick-rolled through it and disappeared beneath the cloud layer. Pat Partridge had his head in the cockpit, probably changing his gas tanks, and when he looked up there was no sign of his Supreme Commander, he circled around for a while, then headed for home. Beneath the clouds Doolittle saw - the most impressive and unforgettable sight I could have possibly imagined - . As some 5000 ships of all shapes and sizes landed 176,000 troops on the enemy held beaches of Northern France, Doolittle flew up and down the battlefront assessing how the invasion was progressing, and after a two and a half hour sortie, headed back to base. After landing, Doolittle hurried over to General Eisenhowers headquarters to provide the first report Eisenhower received, beating his own intelligence information by several hours. |
| First Lieutenant Richard Ostronik Aircraft details |
| First Lieutenant Richard Ostronik Squadron details |
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