Colonel Don Blakeslee USAAF RIP

Kyt · Sep 27, 2008

Colonel Don Blakeslee - Telegraph

Colonel Don Blakeslee , who has died aged 89, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and the RAF before transferring to the USAAF, where he was considered one of the finest combat fighter leaders of the Second World War.

On January 1 1944 Blakeslee was appointed to command the 4th Fighter Group based at Debden, Essex. The role of the Group was to escort the Eighth Air Force’s long-range bomber force deep into enemy territory. A forceful, no-nonsense man, Blakeslee left his pilots in no doubt of what he expected of them when he addressed them for the first time: “We are here to fight,” he began. “To those who don’t believe me, I would suggest transferring to another Group. I’m going to fly the arse off each one of you. Those who keep up with me, good; those who don’t, I don’t want them.”

His Group was equipped with the P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter he had little time for. He worked hard to be re-equipped with the P-51 Mustang, and when this was approved he was told that his pilots had to be operational within 24 hours of receiving them. He agreed, instructing his pilots to “learn how to fly them on the way to the target”.

In March 1944 Blakeslee led the first Mustangs over Berlin, escorting a daylight-bombing raid. In just four months his aggressive leadership led to the Group’s achieving its 500th “kill”. On June 21 he led his fighters (known to the bomber crews they escorted as their “little friends”) on the first “shuttle” bombing mission to Russia by Eighth Air Force Flying Fortresses, a flight of 1,470 miles. Blakeslee and his pilots landed in Ukraine after seven hours in their single-engine fighters.

By his own admission Blakeslee was not a very good shot, and he flew very close to his adversary before opening fire. He was credited with 15 and a half victories, but when there was a multiple claim he always allowed junior pilots the credit. Many believe that he destroyed at least 30 enemy aircraft.

His greatest asset was his outstanding ability as a leader in the air. One eminent aviation historian wrote: “He was everywhere in the battle, twisting and climbing, bellowing and blaspheming, warning and exhorting. His ability to keep things taped in a fight with 50 planes flying at 400mph was a source of wonder.” One of his pilots described Blakeslee as “George S Patton Jr in a P-51 Mustang”.

Blakeslee forged the 4th Fighter Group into one of the most formidable and successful USAAF fighter combat units — many claim it was the best. By the end of the war it had become the top-scoring American fighter Group. Having flown more than 400 operational sorties since transferring to the USAAF, he was finally grounded in September 1944.

Donald James Mathew Blakeslee was born on September 11 1917 at Fairport Harbour, Ohio. As a boy he watched the Cleveland National Air Races and became fascinated by flying. In 1939 he and a friend bought a light aircraft, but when his friend crashed it Don left Ohio, in October 1940, to join the RCAF.

After completing his training he arrived in England in May 1941, joining No 401 (RCAF) Squadron, flying Spitfires from Biggin Hill. Engaged on sweeps over northern France throughout 1941, he was credited with destroying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and damaging others. He also destroyed two aircraft on the ground during strafing attacks.

He later transferred to No 133, one of the three American-manned “Eagle” squadrons of the RAF, and during the Dieppe operation in August 1942 he shot down a Dornier bomber, probably destroyed a Focke Wulf 190, and damaged two others. He was awarded a DFC after completing 120 operations.

In September the Eagle squadrons were transferred with their Spitfires to the USAAF’s 4th Fighter Group, and Blakeslee took command of the 335th Squadron. The unit was soon re-equipped with the P-47, and in April 1943 he achieved the aircraft’s first success when he shot down a FW 190, followed shortly afterwards by a second. In May he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and became the Group’s executive officer, continuing to fly in combat. As one of the most experienced American fighter pilots in Europe, he was asked to lead the recently arrived 354th Fighter Group on its initial operations. This was the first unit to be equipped with the P-51 Mustang, and he was able to claim another victory on the type. His experience with the 354th convinced him that the Mustang was superior to his own unit’s P-47s. A few weeks later he was promoted to colonel to command the 4th Fighter Group.

After he was grounded, Blakeslee returned to the United States to command an airfield in Florida. He remained in the USAAF and commanded a fighter wing. His later assignments included two tours in Germany and one in Korea, at HQ Tactical Air Command.

He saw service in Vietnam and retired from the Air Force in 1972 , when he went to live in Florida.

Blakeslee was one of America’s most decorated pilots: he was twice awarded America’s Distinguished Service Cross, as well as a Silver Star and numerous other medals.

Most fighter pilots enjoyed playing the role, sporting artwork on the noses of their aircraft as well as the tally of their scores. But for all his aggression and flamboyance in the air, this was not Blakeslee’s style. His aircraft bore no artwork and no “victory” crosses beneath the cockpit.

In later years, many aviation artists chose to paint a particular ace’s finest moment, usually an event relating to one of their air combats. The only painting Blakeslee ever officially approved was one that shows him standing in front of his Mustang pointing to his watch as he stands alongside a Russian officer. It depicts his arrival in Ukraine after his unique flight in June 1944 when he led the 4th Fighter Group across Germany and Eastern Europe using only a map on his knee and a watch.

He was greatly admired in the American fighter pilot community, which recognised him as one of the two outstanding pilots in the European theatre, the other being Colonel “Hub” Zemke.

In retirement Blakeslee was a private man who shunned publicity; but in July 2001 he agreed to visit Duxford with three other American “aces” for the Flying Legends Show.

Don Blakeslee died on September 3. He married his wife, Lee, on his return to the United States in 1944. She predeceased him, and he is survived by their daughter.
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Kyt · Sep 27, 2008

Donald Blakeslee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eagle Squadron - Search results
Eagle Squadron - Blakeslee, Donald J. M./Col. Donald Blakeslee

Adrian Roberts · Sep 27, 2008

Very sorry to hear about Don Blakeslee's passing - a great character and a great hero.

Antipodean Andy · Sep 28, 2008

One of the icons of the USAAF. RIP.

Antipodean Andy · Oct 13, 2008

Pretty much the same as above but some additonal comment from his daughter etc. Truly one of the great fighter leaders.

washingtonpost.com

Donald J.M. Blakeslee, 90, commander of the first American fighter squadrons to reach Berlin during World War II and one of the most successful combat fighter commanders in the history of the Air Force, died Sept. 3 of congestive heart failure at his home in Miami.

Over the years, he shunned would-be biographers and publicity of any kind, said his daughter, Dawn Blakeslee of Miami, his only immediate survivor. She said she did not announce her father's death last month because of his reluctance to call attention to his wartime heroics.

On Jan. 1, 1944, the Ohio native was named commander of the 4th Fighter Group of the 8th Fighter Command. He assumed command at a time when the German Luftwaffe ruled the skies over Europe.

Roy Heidicker, the 4th Fighter Group historian, recalled that Col. Blakeslee's message to his pilots was simple and straightforward: "We are here to destroy the Luftwaffe and shoot the Germans out of the sky, and that's what we're going to do."

By May 1, 1944, the 4th had become the first in the European theater to record 500 kills, the most in American fighter group history. The group destroyed 207 German planes in one month alone. By the end of the war, Col. Blakeslee and his men had destroyed 1,020 enemy aircraft, 550 shot out of the air and 470 hit while on the ground.

"His courage, his leadership and his total, total dedication to the country and to the 4th Fighter Group make him the wing's greatest combat leader of all time," Heidicker said.

Donald James Matthew Blakeslee was born Sept. 11, 1917, in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. As a teenager, he fell in love with airplanes after watching them race every year at the National Air Races in Cleveland, and in 1938, he joined the Army Air Corps Reserve.

With Europe reeling from the Nazi onslaught, he was eager to fight, but the United States had not yet declared war. He resigned his reserve commission and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Assigned to a Canadian squadron in May 1941, he shot down a German plane that November.

He later became commander of the 133rd RAF Eagle Squadron, and when the Eagle Squadrons joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in September 1942, he became commander of the 335th Fighter Squadron. He became commander of the 4th Fighter Group on Jan. 1, 1944, at the age of 26.

"He was placed in charge of a bunch of prima donnas," said Col. Walter J. Boyne, former director of the National Air and Space Museum, in an interview with the Air Force Times.

"In the spring of 1944, his bosses instigated an 'ace race,' " Boyne said. "The emphasis was on a few pilots chalking up a lot of aerial victories. Blakeslee's challenge was to manage a bunch of swollen egos while accomplishing the real mission, which was to escort bombers."

Assuming command of the 4th Fighter Group, he told his pilots: "We are here to fight. To those who don't believe me, I suggest transferring to another group. I'm going to fly the arse off each one of you. Those who keep up with me, good; those who don't, I don't want them."

His group was equipped with the P-47 Thunderbolt, but he pushed to replace the plane with the single-seat, single-engine P-51 Mustang, each equipped with six machine guns mounted in the wings. When the switch was approved, he told his pilots that they had to be ready within 24 hours of receiving them. "Learn how to fly them on the way to the target," he said.

On March 6, 1944, his Mustangs flew the first escort mission to Berlin, protecting a fleet of Boeing B-17s and Consolidated B-24s as they each dropped as much as 4,000 pounds of bombs on the German capital. Col. Blakeslee led the daylight raid from the front.

He admitted that he himself was not a very good shot. He had to be right on top of his adversary before he opened fire. He was credited with 15 1/2 victories during the war, although he invariably maneuvered his plane during dogfights so that junior pilots got credit for kills he could have gotten himself. Some military historians believe that he destroyed at least 30 German planes during more than 1,000 hours of combat flight.

His value lay in his leadership abilities. "He was everywhere in the battle, twisting and climbing, bellowing and blaspheming, warning and exhorting," historian Grover C. Hall Jr. wrote in his book "1000 Destroyed: The Life and Times of the 4th Fighter Group" (1978). "His ability to keep things taped in a fight with 40 or 50 planes skinning and turning at 400 miles an hour was a source of wonder."

Col. Blakeslee remained in the Air Force after the war. He led the 27th Fighter Wing in Korea and served in Vietnam before retiring to Florida in 1965.

His wife of 61 years, Leola Blakeslee, died in 2005.
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liverpool annie · Oct 13, 2008

Antipodean Andy said: ↑

Pretty much the same as above but some additonal comment from his daughter etc. Truly one of the great fighter leaders.

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines
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Thought I'd add this ......

Don Blakeslee

Kyt · Nov 7, 2008

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5100426.ece

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