3 PG Loss Dec 15,1942

[kaki3152]

According to MAW3, the first loss for the 3rd Photographic Group happened on December 15,1942. The details are:"F-4 FTR from recce mission Tunis-Bizerte-pilot MIA"

I have tried various sources to see if I could come up with the name of the pilot without any success. Any ideas?

[udf_00]

1st Lt Clinton L. Doolittle O-659362 sources giving December 15, 1942 or 1943.
http://usaafdata.com/?q=node/134069
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&PIpi=89243027

[kaki3152]

Wow, thanks. I had this individual listed on a spread sheet, but had his MIA date as December 15-1943, never thinking the date might be wrong. I'm going to do some digging.

[kaki3152]

It does appear that the real date of his death is December 15,1942. Thanks a million!

(1) The news clipping states;"Now that the African campaign is in its clean up stages",clearly pointing to a probable date of April-June 1943

(2) The memorial stone in the cemetery has the date of December 15,1942, which was done after the war by the family who had more knowledge of the actual date.

(3) I could never locate a MACR for this individual, which makes sense if he was lost in December 1942 and not December 1943, when MACrs were much more common.

It is quite probable that Lt. Clinton L. Doolittle was the first casualty of the 3rd Photographic Group in the Tunisian theater.

[kaki3152]

Not to digress,but, its interesting that no documentation has been found on the Lightning recon airplane claimed by Lt. Schiess, JG53, on January 17,1943. His description is so vivid there must have been something.