PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot

[gilles collaveri]

Very strange.
Miller's escape report is very clear : mission was on 4 March, to Bordeaux.
Then, he describes in detail his way out of France and how he arrives in Spain on 10 March.
But we cannot exclude that he made a mistake on the date ?

Mark Shipman's report mentions 5 Feb. and 5 Mar.

In the light of what you found, I personally would be inclined to say that the true date of the crash of Miller was 5 March.

BTW, 5 March is the same day that Chuck Yeager was shot down by FW190 in the same area
https://aerocherche.fr/index.php/art...ces-d-un-mythe


If you want I can email you both reports.

Have a nice day

GC

[Stig Jarlevik]

Gilles

Also the book Losses of the US 8th & 9th AF says March 5th.
I cannot locate any mission to Bordeaux on the 4th, but just as Kent says, on the 5th. Seems it was a fighter-sweep only.

Cheers
Stig

[gilles collaveri]

Stig, thanks;

so this would match: we can assume that Miller crashed on 5 March and that he made a mistake in his escape report (he wrote 4 March instead of 5 March) which is understandable, after three weeks of walking, hiding, running, etc....

I send you a PM.

Gilles

[KM1957]

I went back thru the unit records to triple check; Miller flew with the 385th FS on March 5 (even though flying a 383rd FS P-38) and according to their missions summary for March 5, quote, "Capt. Miller, short on gas, headed S on Kingpost's instructions midway between Anguleme and Poities."

Kent

[gilles collaveri]

Dear all,

Here is a picture of Paul Miller which was communicated by his children.

He did fly 96 missions in the Pacific front, 3 on the European front, and he crash landed his P38 , short of fuel, on 5 March 1944. He escaped to Spain through the Pyrénées mountains in an epic trip where he almost died.

After the war, he continued his career in the US Air Force and it appears that he was really somebody, he was a indeed strong personality.

However, we have no picture of him (but the one attached), and we would love to know more about his career post war (Vietnam?)

Can you help us in this regard ?

Thanks again to DPBurke, RSwank, Kent and everybody for finding the relatives of Paul Miller and connecting me to them.

All best

GC

[RSwank]

I found a couple of newspaper articles that reveal a little more about Paul S Miller. This first article is from Fresno Bee of December 12, 1941, and it mentions that Miller is in the Philippines. He was commissioned at Stockton Field in the summer of 1941 (possibly class 41-H or 41-G). He probably was assigned to one of the squadrons of the 28th Pursuit Group once in the Philippines.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5195...he-republican/

This second story is from the Hanford Sentinel of 29 April, 1943.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5195...ford-sentinel/
The article describes how Miller was flown out of the Philippines (Mindanao) in a B-17 just before the Japanese took over all the islands. The John “Buckley” (Bulkeley) mentioned in the story is the navy PT-boat skipper (of “They Were Expendable” fame) who had taken General MacArthur from Corregidor south to Mindanao by PT-boat in March of 1942. MacArthur was then flown on to Australia in a B-17 on March 17.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Bulkeley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougla...he_Philippines

The B-17 flight described in the newspaper story took place on 13 April 1942. The Philippine pilot mentioned in the story, Captain Jesus Villamor, would later return to the Philippines as a guerrilla fighter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jes%C3%BAs_A._Villamor
The assumption would be the Paul Miller joined a Fighter Group in Australia (possible the 8th FG) and served in New Guinea. He was back in the US by April 1943.

Herbert M Wheatley's story is also quite interesting. He was a tail gunner on one of the B-17s that arrived at Peal Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7th, 1941. His plane landed on a golf course. He later was the tail gunner on the B-17 that did fly MacArthur to Australia 17 March 1942. I don't know if he ever became a pilot.

Search for all the Wheatleys on this link:
https://archive.org/stream/ryanflyin...1ryan_djvu.txt


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5202...ford-sentinel/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...rt-m_-wheatley


As far a Miller's claim of a Zero in New Guinea, Miller is not listed for any claims on the official post war claim list.

http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories...ii-by.name.pdf

[gilles collaveri]

Thanks a lot Rolland,

the children of Paul Miller did not know much about their father, who was not talkative about his military career,

So, they appreciate a lot the information you gathered.

All best

GC

[gilles collaveri]

I just found another picture of Paul Miller
he is the forth starting from the right;

https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p...ts-6-1-42.html

caption:
35th Fighter Squadron Pilots at 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby
(L to R) Max Wiecks, John Case, Hervey Carpenterter, Irving Erickson, Gentry Plunkett, William Hosford, James Selzer, Jerry Quandt, Paul Miller, J.W. Eagan, E. B. Connell, D. C. Gibson. Hosford was KIA on the mission this day.

[RSwank]

Found this extensive write up on Paul S Miller here:

https://pacificwrecks.com/people/vet...aul/index.html

Note for example it states when he first went to the Philippines he was assigned to the 14th BS as a co-pilot flying B-17s (not a Pursuit group as I had speculated in post #26 and can no-longer correct).

[gilles collaveri]

Yes, thanks, I saw this,

I am in contact with Pacific wrecks which is very helpful and positive, we exchange information.

Best

GC