Contacting USAAF veterans?

[Burdokva]

Hello to all,

12 O'ClockHigh is an excellent forum for aviation history, so I decided to turn to you for assistance. As a Bulgarian national, I'm interested in the history of the air combat over the Balkans (I've already started a topic on this a while back on this forum), especially in the actions of the P-51 fighter units during the late spring and summer of 1944.

I'm not an aviation historian (I'm a third-year student of International Relations), and even though I would like to write a study on the subject if I have enough information, this is still a rather personal request.

I've collected books on the subject (both pilot memoirs and excellent unit history volumes) but there still are a lot a of blanks regarding the aerial combat during those months. My only hope to find some information from the USAAF's experience would be from veterans.

Is there any (appropriate) way of contacting veterans from the 31st, 52nd, 325th and 332nd FG's through the web, as I wouldn't be able to travel to the US? I do not want to intrude, or insult anyone, by not approaching them properly however, especially given that I'm a foreigner.

If anyone could share any advice and tips, I'd be grateful! Thank you.

[BigWeeker]

Hi, Burdokva:

Have you gone on to the

www.ArmyAirForces.com site?? Well worth a look

Andy BigWeeker

[Larry deZeng]

Burdokva -

The problem with direct contact is age. A young 20-year-old P-51 pilot in spring-summer 1944 would be 85-years-old today and most of his fellow pilots would be a few years older than that. Old timers that old probably do not use the internet and probably no longer hear very well. Although I certainly support and encourage your interest, I wouldn't set my hopes too high. It's too bad you didn't try to do this about 20 or 25 years ago when most of them were still around.

We had a couple right here in my hometown by the name of Johnny Bolton and ??? (can't remember the other guy's name). Bolton flew P-51 Mustang escort over the Balkans out of Italy but I can't remember which fighter group he was with. He own a Ford car dealership and bought and restored a P-51 in the early 1970s. Once a week he and the other P-51 pilot would crank 'em up and fly formation over Orlando for an hour, wing-tip-to-wing-tip, at about 700 meters. It was a beautiful sight as the P-51s were in full wartime markings. Those big military engines made a powerful, throaty sound that would send shivers right up your back. I went outside and watched them many, many times over a 12 to 15 year period. Coincidentally, the other pilot owned a local car dealership, too, Royal Oldsmobile on North Orange Avenue. Both are dead now.

[Andy Fletcher]

Hi Burdokva,

Try contacying mayfair35 (a member of this forum) he may be able to help you reference the 325FG

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

[Burdokva]

Thanks for the advice, folks!

Sadly, I really had no chance of contacting vets before, as I recently turned 21. Quite simply, I still wasn't born when most of them were still alive...

[Peter Kassak]

try to google out associations of relevant Fighter Groups on web and contact their historians...anyway it would be great to know at least dates, which are of interest to you and on which some particular missions were flown...
good luck