358th FG encounter reports searched

[Flyingkag]

Hi all,

I had allredy had asked about it for some years, without positive answer, so I try it again today:

Do someone - one day - have had in his hands some "encounter reports" concerning the 358th FG, and especially the 367th FS, in summer and late 1944?

It apears that they existed, so they should still exist , but would not be localised in the USAAF archives according with the answer some of you gave me very kindly (Frank O. etc...).

I have found (just) one page of them from private hands (son of a 367th FS pilot), concerning the 367th FS in december 1944; so we know for sure that they had been "produced" = written in that squadron/group on that time, as for all others squadrons.

I would be very interested to learn if one of you has seen some of them somewhere in the last monthes /years.

Thanks for your possibe help,

best regards from France,

Mathias

[Larry deZeng]

Mathias -

What do you mean by "in the USAAF archives"? Do you mean the U.S. National Archives in Washington, or do you mean the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama?

It has always been my understanding that AFHRA was a repository for duplicate records, in other words, it does not have everything. NARA in Washington, on the other hand, is the primary repository for all of the original records. So, if what you seek is not at AFHRA, then you can probably find it at NARA.

L.

[Flyingkag]

Hey Larry,

Thanks for your answer;

I meant "USAAF archives" in a large sense, having no idea about "what is supposed to be archived where", and no idea about places of originals, dulicatas etc...

I just know that the researchers I had shared with for some years about these 358th FG encounter reports (Frank Olynyk and others on forums) had no idea about where they should be stored...if they are!

It seems there are no reference about them in the archives where the specialised researchers like Frank are "like at home". But maybe elsewhere?

So, my questions concerns each possible archives localisation, and could be asked so : "do someone ever have seen some of the 358th FG encounter reports" in one or other archives places (in USA or...elsewhere!)

Thanks, and have a nice sunday!

[KM1957]

I have been to both NARA and AFHRA and also have the group and squadron microfilms. At NARA in College Park, Maryland, I found one report for Max C. Arnold, dated February 6, 1944. It was in a box which should not have had this report in it, so it was a bit of a fluke. On one of the microfilm rolls for the 358 Fighter Group, it had the combat report of Edward H. Sprietsma for March 23, 1944. Those are the only two I have ever found. All the 365th Fighter Squadron combat reports exist but the 366th and 367th Squadrons are still undiscovered.

Kent

Kent

[Larry deZeng]

Okay, everything is understood now, Mathias.

All I can add is that Frank Olynyk did his research at AFHRA. Researchers of World War II AAF records try to avoid NARA because it is so difficult to find things there due to poor cataloguing and storage.

I think your methodology of trying to penetrate the 358th Fighter Group veterans' association is the correct one. Almost certainly they had an active postwar veterans' association with a unit historian, a newsletter and annual meetings. But the veterans' association was probably dissolved 5, 10 or 15 years ago when the veterans began dying in ever larger numbers. More often than not, these WWII Groups sent copies of their newsletters to museums and repositories such as the 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah, Georgia, the 9th Air Force Museum, AFHRA at Maxwell AFB, etc. The last (most recent) newsletters might identify the 358th FG unit historian. The 9th Air Force has a museum and library ( http://www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org/ww..._air_force.cfm ).

Go luck with your research!

Larry

[Flyingkag]

Thanks, Kent and Larry,

The 358th FG association was very active, and I am in touch with his secretary Lt. Cecil "Tommy" Thompson (367th FS); he is now 90 old; some other pilots of the squadron (half a dozen) are still alive, but each passing year we loose one or two of them...

It appears that each pilot should - still in ETO in 1944-45 - have get some copies of documents like the "encounter report", sometime a guncamera film abput their action etc...Some others pilots sometimes get one page of "victory credits boards" (these kind of documents confirming the claims of victories in airfight) concerning their own action, or other docs like "radio call signs lists" etc...;

So we sometimes get be lucky and find one isolate page of these documents in private hands.

(these "Victory crédits board" are another catgeory of lost documents concerning the 358th FG).

Maybe one day the "source" (localisation of originals) of the encounter reports will be found;

I won't be the one who will discover them, living about 6000k from the US archives!!!

Thanks for your help!

Mathias

[Larry deZeng]

There are skilled document researchers in Washington who spend all day at NARA finding WWII reports and papers that people need. Yes, they charge a fee, but it would certainly be cheaper that traveling 3,700 miles (6000 km) to Washington and then spending 150 Euro a day for hotel, food and transportation. But Kent said he has already search NARA so it probably wouldn't do any good.

Larry

[Flyingkag]

OK, thanks for your kind advises,

take care

Mathias