“Ace”
It was May 22, 1944. The 61st Fighter Squadron was over Rotenburg, Germany. Flight Officer (soon to be promoted to 2nd Lieutenant) Evan D. McMinn, of Pittsburgh, with the 56th Fighter Group (http://www.56thfightergroup.co.uk/index.html), described what happened next:
“After shooting up a locomotive that he saw pass through the town, “…I then slid on to the tail of another FW-190 (German fighter aircraft) that was firing at a 47 (American fighter aircraft, P-47). I saw hits and I saw it catch fire. It went straight into the ground. I straightened out to look for another target and found a 190 on my tail. I broke hard left but he hit me with a 20mm (cannon shell) and set fire to my wing. I started to bail out but decided that I might be able to put it out…..my wing was still smoking when I reached the Zuider Zee….I claim 2 FW-190’s destroyed, and one FW-190 damaged, and a locomotive damaged….”Flight Officer McMinn had become an “ace,” the designation awarded when five or more enemy aircraft had been destroyed.
Two weeks later, on D-Day, June 6, 1994, the newly-promoted 2nd Lieutenant McMinn was with his Squadron, attacking a German truck convoy on a highway south of Rouen, France. His wingman, 2nd Lieutenant Carl B. Westman, reported that:
“…two or three P-47’s crossed at an angle between us and I was forced to pull up to avoid hitting them. I tried to locate Lieutenant McMinn again but was unable to because of the heavy smoke from the fires and because of the number of other P-47’s in the area. This was the last time I saw Lt. McMinn…”Lieutenant McMinn was killed in this aerial battle; his remains were not recovered from France until long after the War. He was buried in the Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh in 1949.
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My father was Paul D Jessop, he spoke of your Grandfather a lot. My father passed away in 2011 .The World War II Dead of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
Hi Bill, Thanks for putting this together. My grand uncle, 2nd Lt. Robert L. Woolfolk attended UCLA and I believe he graduated in 1936. He was on the waterpolo team. He was a bombardier in the 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group and his aircraft "Decatur Deb" was shot down on May 28, 1944. He and six others perished while three were able bail out and became POWs. This is written up the in the book "Bloody Skies: U.S. Eighth Air Force Battle Damage in World War II." There is a B-17G tail gunner's compartment on display at the 390th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to this crew. Regards, Nick VeronicoBill’s WW2 Almanac for January 21: Featuring Col. Randy’s Flying Circus
Hi! Randall Col Randy is actually my great grandfather and I was wandering if you ever new him? I am curious to know more about him.Women in WWII: Cornelia Clark Fort
Interesting....very hard to know the 'who hit who'.....Fort had enough flying time to be a instructor, I know nothing about the other pilot. If Pastor Jeff had information on her being talked into a situation, I would love to know if reliable. Regardless, so many losses in so many ways.... My take is the WAFS/WASPS deserve a bit more of history's 'time in the books'. Many thanks for the commentary, StarrRemembering the Fallen: WWII Veterans of UCLA, Major Robert C. Maze
Bill, Are you still working on this blog? Rosemarie is my mother in law. She passed away 10 years ago. Her (and Roberts') son Robert Maze Jr is alive and well. I was googling Admiral Radford and ended up googling links... Thank you for your efforts here. Kim WoodsFrom Panatella to Ploesti
I’m looking for information on My Great great GRANDFATHER WAS ON A B-24 LIBERATOR CALLED: Diamond li
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