Lockheed F-5's of 7 PRG at Market-Garden

[Jaap Woortman]

Acc. to Patricia Fussell Keen in Eyes of the eight at page 188: "An urgent call for cover of Nijmegen on a priority one request came on 25 September. In two days, only five missions had been attempted and two pilots had been lost. Operations assigned this new request to Lt. Benton C. Grayson of the 22nd Squadron. Threatening weather had grounded all other 7th Group operational missions. Operations briefed Lieutenant Grayson. In spite of weather and the fact that the area was the same one where Johnston and McDonald had been lost the day before, the importance of the intelligence required that a mission be attempted." The two operations at September 24th, 1944 were : 7/3404 with Johnston, Lt. Ernest E. of 27 Sqn. in F-5B 42-67123 en 7/3405 with McDonald, Lt. Warren M. of 27 Sqn. in F-5C 42-67331. Both MIA/KIA. Also acc. to Miss Keen.
According to the both MACR's the operations took place at September 25th, 1944. We know now that 1Lt. Warren M. McDonald has made a crashlanding at Huissen in the Netherlands at September 24th, 1944 and was buried the next day in Huissen. But the crash location of the F-5 of 1Lt/ Ernest E. Johnston is still not known. It is believed that he has made a crashlanding north-east of Grave in the Netherlands. That is in the Nijmegen area, but I have my doubts about this. Who can help?

Jaap Woortman
Study Group Air War 1939-1945