George Carpenter 121 Eagle Squadron & 4th Fighter Group
121 Eagle Squadron over Dieppe on August 19, 1942
"Eagles" © Troy White 2000 Oil on canvas, 46" x 34" SOLD.
For Ltd. Ed. Print click here.
121 Eagle Squadron is depicted over Dieppe on August 19, 1942 during their first sortie of the day 0840-1030. Pictured from bottom to top are: F/Lt W.J. Daley AV-D (AA841) Sgt George Carpenter AV-I (P8339) P/O G.B. Fetrow AV-P (BM401) P/O E.B. Smith AV-W (AB423). The Eagle Squadrons were made up of American pilots who joined the RAF in order to fight the Nazis before the USA was involved in WWII. The Dieppe Raid in which so many Canadian soldiers lost their lives marked the first and only action in which all three Eagle Squadrons, 71, 121 and 133, operated together. In September of 1942 the three squadrons were officially turned over by the RAF to the fledgling 8th Air Force and became the famous 4th Fighter Group.
George Carpenter was from Oil City Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the US Army in March 1941but was rejected from flight training because of a reaction to an inoculation. He left the US Army and by Christmas 1941 he had earned his wings in the RCAF. He shipped out to England and was assigned to No. 121 Eagle Squadron. He remained with the unit after it was absorbed into the USAAF as a member of 335 Squadron. He was Squadron Operations Officer from December 1943 until becoming CO of 335 Sq on 5 February 1944. On 18 April 1944, he was shot down by enemy fighters over Germany. He bailed out and was made a POW. He is credited with 13.883 aerial victories, all but one scored with the P-51B between 16 March and 12 April 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with five Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.
For Ltd. Ed. Print click here.
121 Eagle Squadron is depicted over Dieppe on August 19, 1942 during their first sortie of the day 0840-1030. Pictured from bottom to top are: F/Lt W.J. Daley AV-D (AA841) Sgt George Carpenter AV-I (P8339) P/O G.B. Fetrow AV-P (BM401) P/O E.B. Smith AV-W (AB423). The Eagle Squadrons were made up of American pilots who joined the RAF in order to fight the Nazis before the USA was involved in WWII. The Dieppe Raid in which so many Canadian soldiers lost their lives marked the first and only action in which all three Eagle Squadrons, 71, 121 and 133, operated together. In September of 1942 the three squadrons were officially turned over by the RAF to the fledgling 8th Air Force and became the famous 4th Fighter Group.
George Carpenter was from Oil City Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the US Army in March 1941but was rejected from flight training because of a reaction to an inoculation. He left the US Army and by Christmas 1941 he had earned his wings in the RCAF. He shipped out to England and was assigned to No. 121 Eagle Squadron. He remained with the unit after it was absorbed into the USAAF as a member of 335 Squadron. He was Squadron Operations Officer from December 1943 until becoming CO of 335 Sq on 5 February 1944. On 18 April 1944, he was shot down by enemy fighters over Germany. He bailed out and was made a POW. He is credited with 13.883 aerial victories, all but one scored with the P-51B between 16 March and 12 April 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with five Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.
Read about the thrills, spills and lucky escapes of the 4th Fighter Group during World War II! From the days of clandestine training in Canada to dog-fights over Europe. "Adventures of the 4th Fighter Group" is over 330 pages long, including 195 images and packed with tales of daring and excitement!
