1/Lt Allen F Bunte

[Chris Goss]

Does anyone know the fate of this pilot who flew with 165 Sqn and then with 334 FS?

[Locobuster]

Chris, maybe you could contact someone conencted up with the 4th.FG Assoc.?

All I found was:
BUNTE, ALLEN F - 1LT AO00885497
State of Residence at time of enlistment: Florida
Joined RCAF: 30 March, 1941
Joined 4th.FG: 25 May , 1943
Aerial victories: 1 FS-156 on 03/08/44, 1 Me-109 on 03/23/44, 1 Fw-190 on 03/29/44
AwardsFC, Air Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster
Lost: 5 April, 1944 while flying P-51B 43-6946 (QP-L), the assigned a/c of Lt. Ralph Kidd- crashed airplane into a lake near Potsdam, Ger. after hitting a high-tension wire near Gardelegen A/D.
POW, Liberated


From: http://home.earthlink.net/~johnrlove...d/chptr11.html

Lt. Allen F. Bunte, of Eustis, Fla., a stringy, gaunt man with the mustache of a western desperado and a yearning to become an actor, flew with another squadron attacking five 109s, which broke to the deck. In his excitement, Bunte opened fire at 1,000 yards. But by the time he closed in to 200 yards, his fusillade found the mark. The German spun out and jettisoned his canopy, but Bunte lost sight of him.

A few minutes later Bunte encountered a German trainer plane put-putting along just over the trees.

"Well, whatta you know, Joe?" the pilots heard Bunte growl.

No use letting the cadet win his wings. Bunte squirted but saw no strikes. He was almost ramming the German cadet's trainer. Bunte pulled the stick slightly and nimbly leap-frogged the cadet, looking back to see him and his trainer in the top of a tree, like a bird's nest.

More info: http://www.fourthfightergroup.com/resource/bunte.html

Nothing on whatever became of him.

Hope there's something in there that might help.

[Chris Goss]

Many thanks-there are 2 A Buntes living in the USA according to what I have found

[Frank Olynyk]

Chris,
It looks like Bunte has died. The following is from the website of the (US) National Cemetary Administration (http://www.cem.va.gov/), which has a gravesite locator:

BUNTE, ALLEN FRANKLIN
CMSGT US AIR FORCE
VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 11/27/1942 - 04/30/1966
DATE OF BIRTH: 07/22/1920
DATE OF DEATH: 03/27/1995
DATE OF INTERMENT: 04/05/1995
BURIED AT: SECTION 310 SITE 168
FLORIDA NATIONAL CEMETERY
6502 SW. 102ND AVE. BUSHNELL, FL 33513
(352) 793-7740 (352)

Frank.

[Paul]

CMSGT US AIR FORCE ? Which looks different from being a LT....

Paul

[grabyourcoat]

I met Allen F. Bunte in about 1987 or 88. As a teen, I was a Eagle Squadron fan with a painted A2 to prove it--"Shangri La" and Disney's fighting eagle on the back. In Orlando on a family trip to Disney, we passed the 4th Fighter Group Restaurant by accident. I went in and discovered Allen in the bar. He treated me to war stories--the kind when fighter pilots reenact dog fights; his right hand was his plane, the left hand the German. He signed the lining of my jacket just beside Jim Goodson's autograph. I might be able to find the picture of him.

[dp_burke]

Always check the POW database at the US NARA site:
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/series-list.jsp?cat=GP24

he was taken prisoner

SERIAL NUMBER O&885497 O&885497
NAME BUNTE ALLEN F BUNTE ALLEN F
GRADE, ALPHA 1 LT First Lieutenant or Chief nurse or Head dietitian or Head physical therapy aides
GRADE CODE F First Lieutenant or Lt. Jr. Grade
SERVICE CODE 1 ARMY
ARM OR SERVICE AC Air Corps
ARM OR SERVICE CODE 20 AC: AIR CORPS
DATE REPORT: DAY (DD) 05 05
DATE REPORT: MONTH (MM) 04 04
DATE REPORT: YEAR (Y) 4 1944
RACIAL GROUP CODE 1 WHITE
STATE OF RESIDENCE 42 Florida
TYPE OF ORGANIZATION
PARENT UNIT NUMBER
PARENT UNIT TYPE
AREA 70 European Theatre
LATEST REPORT DATE: DAY (DD) 10 10
LATEST REPORT DATE: MONTH (MM) 08 08
LATEST REPORT DATE: YEAR (Y) 5 1945
SOURCE OF REPORT 1 Individual has been reported through sources considered official.
STATUS 8 Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated
DETAINING POWER 1 GERMANY