He took off from King's Cliffe, fighter bomber mission escort to Tours and Chateaudun airfields, France. Shot down by flak at 1445hrs near La Varenne-Ferron at La Chapelle-du-Koyer, two miles south-east of Chateaudun, France.
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Major Donald H. McAuley was piloting the P-38 Lightning 42-67949 “Li’l Henry” when he flew from Station 368 in the UK to Chateaudun on a bombing mission. After successfully strafing the airfield there, the intense flak barrage caught Maj McAuley’s plane, forcing him to jump. The rough exit from his disintegrating aircraft pinned his lifeboat under him, making the troops on the ground believe two pilots had ejected. He was captured upon reaching the ground, but died of his wounds shortly thereafter.
55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group
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Major Donald H. McAuley was piloting the P-38 Lightning 42-67949 “Li’l Henry” when he flew from Station 368 in the UK to Chateaudun on a bombing mission. After successfully strafing the airfield there, the intense flak barrage caught Maj McAuley’s plane, forcing him to jump. The rough exit from his disintegrating aircraft pinned his lifeboat under him, making the troops on the ground believe two pilots had ejected. He was captured upon reaching the ground, but died of his wounds shortly thereafter.
55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group
He took off from King's Cliffe, fighter bomber mission escort to Tours and Chateaudun airfields, France. Shot down by flak at 1445hrs near La Varenne-Ferron at La Chapelle-du-Koyer, two miles south-east of Chateaudun, France.
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Major Donald H. McAuley was piloting the P-38 Lightning 42-67949 “Li’l Henry” when he flew from Station 368 in the UK to Chateaudun on a bombing mission. After successfully strafing the airfield there, the intense flak barrage caught Maj McAuley’s plane, forcing him to jump. The rough exit from his disintegrating aircraft pinned his lifeboat under him, making the troops on the ground believe two pilots had ejected. He was captured upon reaching the ground, but died of his wounds shortly thereafter.
55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group
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Major Donald H. McAuley was piloting the P-38 Lightning 42-67949 “Li’l Henry” when he flew from Station 368 in the UK to Chateaudun on a bombing mission. After successfully strafing the airfield there, the intense flak barrage caught Maj McAuley’s plane, forcing him to jump. The rough exit from his disintegrating aircraft pinned his lifeboat under him, making the troops on the ground believe two pilots had ejected. He was captured upon reaching the ground, but died of his wounds shortly thereafter.
55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group
Gravesite Details
Entered the Service from California.
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